After telling you about our preview experience in a closed beta of Surgeon Simulator 2 a few weeks ago, we were finally able to put our left hand on the full game, available since August 27th for the moment only on Epic Games Store.
Expanding the gameplay experience of what was the 2013 Surgeon Simulator, Bossa Studios decided to give the player the ability to move, transforming what was after all a funny title dedicated to surgery into a real one succession of escape rooms in the hospital where surgical operations are one of many puzzle components.
From the changes made from the original title to today, nothing has been lost of its grotesque side and, indeed, just look at the launch trailer of the game presented during Gamescom 2020, in which Doctor Emmet L. Brown from the film Back to the Future also participated. , to grasp it ridiculous spirit in Surgeon Simulator 2.
Compared to the build that we tested in preview, the game has changed a lot in terms of the graphic aspect of the game menus, visibly easier and more navigable, while as regards the gameplay Surgeon Simulator 2 has remained faithful to thecrazy experience that had been presented to us.
Where do the patients come from?
Anyone can be a surgeon, this is the mantra that will be repeated several times during the levels dedicated to history of the game. The whole plot, in fact, revolves around this absurd concept between an unreal operation and another, but also on the mystery of where the patients came from: why are they all the same and are called Bob?
Be clear, the plot is short, very basic and is told by the voices of characters that we will never see and that we will only hear from the speakers in the hospital, however it entertains and amuses enough, especially as regards the level design of increasing difficulty: the player for example will find himself at a certain point having to manage 3 different operations simultaneously and linked together, where the amputated limb of a patient will allow you to unlock the opening of a room in which to take the replacement organs of another patient , not to mention the small platforming sessions to reach certain rooms that will make the player travel from the foundations of the hospital to the air ducts on the ceiling.
History, therefore, is none other than a nice pretext to take surgeons from one level to another, but also a justification for the presence of a single type of operable patient. If on the one hand it is contextualized in the plot, on the other hand in the long run this limitation could be boring, especially outside of the story, and in particular when compared to the many types of operations that were possible to do in the previous chapter of Surgeon Simulator. The hope is that in the future the game will be updated with more types of patients or operations, so as to add variety to what should be one of the pivotal aspects of the game.
Between escape rooms and surgical operations
We have already seen in the preview how all the gameplay has been expanded to become a environmental puzzle where surgical operations are part of the riddles to be solved, along with grates, doors, buttons, padlocks, valves, mazes and anything else you can think of for an escape room.
Sinister controls and clumsy matchmaking
The controls of the left hand of the player have been reduced compared to the previous Surgeon Simulator, but still maintain their raw and not at all comfortable use which helps to make the whole game ridiculous. All the player's interactions, in fact, are managed by the left hand only, whether the player wants to remove a grate from the wall to explore the air ducts or that he has to take a scalpel to pierce the organ on duty.
During the operations two fundamental parameters must be kept in mind: the blood level andbleeding index. By shredding the limbs and organs of the patients here and there, the bleeding rate increases and consequently the patient's blood level begins to drop depending on how high the index is. To keep these two values at bay it takes two types of syringes: the red to inject fresh blood into Bob's body, and the yellow to lower the bleeding index value.
To enhance the level of general delirium we think there cooperation. The game was built precisely for collaboration and the levels can be played for up to 4 players, guaranteeing hours of fun, chaos and open-hearted laughter (metaphorically but also literally if you are having a heart transplant).
The cooperative soul of Surgeon Simulator 2 fails, however, just in time of need: matchmaking doesn't work well and if you do not look for friends independently, the player will almost always find himself having to face games completely alone.
Customization
Another interesting piece that adds to the gameplay of Surgeon Simulator 2 is the possibility of create custom levels, which can then be published and let other surgeons around the world play. Also in this mode, called Bossa Labs, the player is called to interact with the environment with his left hand, but despite the clumsiness this level editor allows a certain precision and a remarkable ability to choose that goes beyond the furniture and the appearance of the rooms, up to the decision of the level rules. For example, one of the craziest levels I personally happened to experience was one where gravity was reversed and patient Bob was placed on the ceiling.
Unlike the preview, Bossa Studios has planned for the full game too a search and filtering of the created levels by players, even if it is not present in Quick Play mode. In this way it is possible to choose the levels to be faced without running into the opprobrium typical of the communities to which creative tools are given in hand. Bossa Studios seems to want to focus a lot on content created by players, given that initiatives with cash prizes for the creation of levels are already planned for the launch.
Not only are operating theaters and hospital wards subjected to the creativity of users, but personalization is also present for their own avatars. The main choice is between 4 types of characters, two women and two men, but by participating in the daily challenges and earning the rewards of the story it is possible to unlock new and absurd cosmetic items for your clumsy surgeon, divided into three main categories: head, body and… hand.
To make matters worse, the left hand also has three different types of customization which can also coexist at the same time: index finger, glove and wrist. That's right, since the left hand is the absolute protagonist of the game.
Simplicity and madness
There are no great graphical advances from the first Surgeon Simulator to the current one, except for what concerns the management of lights and shadows. The spatiality gained from this second chapter has allowed Bossa Studios developers and creative users who dabble with Bossa Labs on several occasions to play with light sources and shadows. All in all it simple and caricatured graphic style it blends perfectly with the grotesque spirit of the game and the awkwardness of the gameplay.
To close the curtain with a standing ovation in this theater of the absurd that is Surgeon Simulator 2 sound compartment. Beyond the always funny cartoon effects, what convinces is the fun music in all its nuances: it is amazing how the songs manage to be relaxing, full of suspense or exciting depending on the case without ever losing their sardonic character.
However, on the technical side, unfortunately, they are present obvious glitches and bugs which are sometimes able to affect the gaming experience as well. To begin with, it is very common for the player's avatar to get stuck in some bizarre way, especially in user-generated levels, due to the ballerina physics of the game.
A very annoying bug that I have personally come into contact with twice is one related to the wrong reporting of organs being replaced or to be replaced inside a Bob's body. An example: during one of the last long levels of the story, when I operated on the last patient left before completion, I was not notified of the insertion of a kidney, although I had put in, removed and then replaced at least 8 in his body. The only solution found in these cases is to start the level all over again.
The medical report
Surgeon Simulator 2 is a clever and fun sequel of one of the funniest indie games of the past decade. It is recommended to take this title daily before meals, to avoid throwing up with laughter at everything you ate. Beware of side effects: severe dizziness in the first moments of familiarization with the game controls, nausea and dizziness from glitches and slight bursts of anger. The prescribed therapy should be continued if possible together to fully enjoy the therapeutic effects of chaos created by your left hands.
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