Two Point Campus is a new business management sim by the creators of Two Point Hospital. And if you’ve played that 2018 game, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect here—from its campus managing minutia to its built-in grinning humor.
Players take on the role of a college campus administrator. You must balance out all the building and administrative needs of a series of school campuses in the Two Point County area. That means that every micro- and macro-decision of building a new or better school campus falls on your shoulders … and your bank account. You’ll build classrooms and lecture halls, hire staff, care for the wellbeing of your students and improve the school so that enrollees graduate with good grades and a happy smile.
If that sounds like a lot of hectic detail, worry not: Two Point Campus eases you in with a gradual progression system that quickly brings you up to speed. Your very first assignment is a small science school with only six-to-10 students. You learn the basics of using the game’s intuitive tools: building physical classrooms, dormitories, and bathrooms. And you get a shot at hiring a teacher and a janitor or two.
All the while, a narrator winkingly walks you through your choices. And it’s not just about having the latest projection equipment and the most seasoned teachers you can afford, either. There’s also the responsibility of taking care of your charges’ basic needs, such as supplying food and hygiene resources and making the campus pleasant to look at and live in.
Oh, and you need to make sure that you are finding ways to bring money in while you’re doling money out. Along with tuitions from the students, nicely equipped dormitories and even properly placed vending machines and arcade games can bring in some needed cash.
On top of these regular management assignments, the game also gives you ongoing tasks—including finding ways to increase happiness or bolster grades, building a library or a gym, etc.—that keep nudging your campus up in its quality and recognition. Those improvements not only bring in more eager students, they also unlock more schools for you to manage.
Each campus introduces new goals and challenges that grow in scope and complexity, while also helping you grasp the mechanics and tools needed to become the best administrator you can be.
For those who love a little problem-solving and strategy in their games, Two Point Campus gets a solid passing grade. Things can be challenging in the later stages as funds start running low and more problems are dropped in your lap, but the answers are findable, and things never get too hectic or overwhelming.
While giving you ever higher administrative peaks to reach for, the game also takes every opportunity it can to have some silly fun. Classes range from giant-robot-building science labs to clown-school lectures. Gamers explore other goofy out-of-class choices, too, including things like a sporting event involving cheese with goalies wielding cheese graters. Watching specific claymation-style characters shlump about on campus can be a cute distraction, too. Quip-filled school announcements and a well-voiced narrator add a bit of additional fun to your tasks.
Of course, humorous bits and pieces can also cart along some problematic content in their proverbial school bag: quips about college drinking, for instance, and some gas-passing giggles in the bathroom stalls. Oh, and if you fail to build enough bathrooms, the students might rebel and do their business in a nearby hallway corner. Other students stumbling upon that smelly mess can double over and vomit.
You can always build shower areas, too, to improve student hygiene and care. But that will give you a view of students stripping down to a pixelated birthday suit before climbing in. There’s a Nature Club activity that involves stripping to fig leaf-covered basics, too.
The schools include a suggestive side to some elements, too. Building good quality relationships among students is always important. But the menu offers benches and double beds adorned with hearts for couples that go beyond friendship.
Though there isn’t anything truly violent in the mix, students can be hit with science projects gone wrong or violent weather events stirred up by the Wizarding class.
Two Points Campus deserves quite a lot of credit for delivering management challenges with a whole lot of fun. Some parents might give it a few eye-rolling deductions for its potty humor. But the game still gets solid marks.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
