Two Point Campus: Space Academy launched this week and this new DLC for Sega’s university management sim is all Cheesy Gubbins and silly fun.
Whether you’re s high flyer or simply have your head in the clouds, the newest addition to the delightful strategy sim Two Point Campus is ready for a new academic year and some seriously interstellar new options into your own knowledge base. Hoping to head into high orbit, Space Academy opened its doors this week and the first major DLC for Two Point Campus is a reassuringly familiar affair. Following on from the massive success of Two Point Hospital and the low-altitude courses of the August 2022 University spin off, Space Academy adds a range of new courses, backdrops, achievements, students, and extracurricular facilities to this eccentric experience.
The Recently Discovered Frontier
Like other expansions in the Two Point series, this bold new expedition for Sega isn’t charting too much of a new course. Recruits looking to take on the Space Academy will find three distinctly sci-fi-themed campuses on the map to pick from. Whether that means playing through the standard campaign, dropping into challenge mode, or simply exploring sandbox play three new outer regions of the world open up with the Space Academy DLC. Universe City was once high-tech hub and is now a dingy retro-era environment. Cape Shrapnull is the city’s great spaceport gone wrong and Cheesy Heap is the very first off campus center that is simply out of this world.
New environments means a whole new extra atmospheric approach to teaching. Giant sci-fi inspired domes tower over the mundane beige walls of traditional lecture halls and the encrusted coffee cups of the staff lounge. I’m talking about rockets, of course. The chemical tubes and transport conduits are just a little of the decoration that Sega has added to give the Space Academy an adequately themed backdrop that largely works but never really feels all that adventurous, at least until it comes to Cheesy Heap.
While I felt like background decoration for Cape Sharpnull and Universe City could have been a little more explorative, Cheesy Heap throws things into an entire extra terrestrial loop. Setting up the campus on the rocky outcrops of another planetoid ensures the serene urbanite gardens and cityscapes of other levels are simply ejected, and it’s a welcome change. While much of the whimsical visual nonsense is relegated to other ideas, Cheesy Heap’s distinct change of tone is a refreshing change that makes Two Point Campus: Space Academy more than just a variation on a theme.
New Year Same Shtick
Much like previous time spent in Knight School, the fundamentals gameplay loop in this DLC doesn’t change much. Despite some high tech scenery, new library books, and brightly adorned space cadets, you’ll still need to employ staff with the right skills, build the same basic lecture halls, make sure the bin blind have somebody to clean up after them, and that the books are balanced. Things will seem almost imperceptibly similar to previous outings until a campus is firmly established.
Once the usual amenities are tended to, custodians of the future will find plenty of interesting additions to their buildings and different courses to attend. Whether it’s the rocket labs or anti gravity training simulators, you’ll get to watch the minds of tomorrow try out ridiculous new ideas that go tongue in cheek into the dark reaches of space. Much like the base Two Point title, these new courses are more for our entertainment than switching up the gameplay much. It is, however, wonderful to see the appropriately suited up Space Knight class being as utterly ridiculous as you’d expect. Much like the new courses and additional campuses, other adornments on this expansion with announcements, in game challenges, music, and new students keep things interesting. There’s even
5 new achievements. So whether you’re trying to advance career goals across Astrology, Space Academy, Cosmic Expansion, Space Knight School, Humanities, or Cheese-Moongery, then there’s always something to do.
Despite this, Two Point Campus: Space Academy doesn’t revolutionize either the base game or the genre in any real way. This DLC, much like other management sim add ons take the core idea and stretches it for silliness and overall entertainment value. If you are already proud of your student’s accomplishments then this one’s definitely for you. If you find that you’re done with education then this won’t change. While I adore the attention to detail here, the wonderful depiction of utterly incompetent students who build rockets and joust their way through space camp, I can’t help but feel that the DLC could do a better job at making Space Academy more accessible. Surely space janitors need to be educated, right? Each of the game’s newest course modules are almost all difficult subjects, meaning students simply waiting to jump straight in on sandbox mode might have a tough time the first few years.
Besides these high entry requirements, Space Academy is a frivolous and cheeky new addition to a game that we already rated highly during our first, second, and third-year outings. If you’re ready for a more wildly outlandish education, then Two Point Campus: Space Academy is out now. Find out more on the official Two Point Campus: Space Academy website now.
