Overview
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 3/10
- Offline: 44/44 (1000/1000)
- Online: 0/44 (0/1000)
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 20-35 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2 (1 campaign mode + 1 challenge mode).
- Number of missable achievements: None (level select/free-roam).
- Do cheat codes disable achievements?: No Cheats
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: No
- Glitchy achievements: 1..."Close to the Animals" (see description).
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: None
Introduction:
Zoo Tycoon is a simulation game that has you building and maintaining a zoo. You can hire employees and control wages, place animal exhibits, build restrooms and dining options, decorate, care for animals, advertise, and much more. The goal is to earn a profit which you can then use to further expand you zoo. The game can be played from a birds-eye view, planning your zoo from a distance. However, you can also get up close and personal, heading into third-person through a character on the ground. This is where the beautifully-detailed animals become apparent. The game offers three game modes: Freeform, Campaign, and Challenge.
GENERAL TIPS:
- Anything done in the tutorial levels will not contribute to any achievements. It only serves to teach the basic game mechanics to the player.
- If you are unsure about anything in the game, be sure to check out the Zoopedia, found at the far right of the Game Menu (pause menu from within a zoo).
- The achievements that do not specify a game mode can be done in any game mode.
Step 0a: Prevent the "Close to the Animals" Achievement from Glitching:
Before doing anything in the game, from the Main Menu select Campaign. Ignore the pop-up about the tutorial. Select the Hard level in Canada called "Fame and Fortune, Kidding Around." One of the objectives will be to complete all three interactions. Do so and the achievement should unlock.
Step 0b: Tutorial Levels:
Play through and complete the 10 levels of the tutorial. This is not necessary for any achievements, but it will help you become familiar with how the game works.
Step 1: Challenge Mode:
Challenge mode lets you grow your zoo from the ground up, starting with just a small sum of money. You have unlimited time to build you zoo, but periodic timed challenges mix things up. Completing these challenges will be vital to growing your zoo effectively. Most of the games achievements can be done in this mode and this is where the bulk of your play time will go. The most time consuming achievements involve breeding all animals in the game and earning $10 million in revenue.
Step 2: Campaign Mode:
Campaign offers a series of twenty scenarios that increase in difficulty as you progress. You are given a set of challenges from the start to complete and a time limit. Most of them are quite easy once you become familiar with how the game works. In total, you should expect to spend around 8 to 12 hours on the campaign alone.
Conclusion:
Zoo Tycoon is a fairly laid-back and unique sim game for the Xbox One that may not appeal to everyone. The achievements are mostly straightforward and will unlock with minimal effort. However, some can be considered a little grindy. Overall, Zoo Tycoon is a game that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
[x360a would like to thank Arsenic 17 for this Roadmap]