If you’ve been glued to the internet around the start of the year (And, let’s face it, a lot of us are like that), then you will have seen a few videos on YouTube, and on Global Game Jam displaying an indie game about the trials and tribulations of a one armed surgeon, and his battle with a runaway heart; Surgeon Simulator 2013. Well, that plucky surgeon has found his way on Steam, with a couple other challenges to face. Yes, Surgeon Simulator 2013 has been gone through the Greenlight, and has now graced the eyes of the masses.
Gameplay is very simple to grasp, and yet it isn’t at the same time. You use the A, W, E, R, and space keys to move the surgeon’s fingers, and the mouse moves the hand around. While it may seem simple enough, you will find yourself navigating around with the same grace and poise as a newborn giraffe on roller-skates. That’s not to say the controls are a negative. They work badly on purpose in a sense. Think of how QWOP and CLOP from foddy.net play out. They purposefully feel clunky, and therein lies the charm and humour. It’s a mix of QWOP, Operation and a shot of double insanity on the rocks.
In the previous version, you only had one operation; a heart transplant. Now, you have the chance to perform a double kidney, and even a brain transplant, before trying your clumsy hand at operating in an ambulance. I would like a few more different operations, but that isn’t to say the levels on offer are bad. Each of the operations are challenging and, of course, hilarious when you replace a heart with a clock radio, or accidentally stab the plug socket with a scalpel.
I would hope this game includes updates of new levels later on in its life, but at the moment, with its humourous controls, undertones of dark comedy, and its low price on Steam, this is a very entertaining timewaster… Just don’t go applying to any hospitals anytime soon, unless they are owned by Sweeny Todd.
Surgeon Simulator 2013 is available on Steam priced £6.99
http://store.steampowered.com/app/233720/