By Adam Smith on January 28th, 2013 at 3:23 pm.
I played Life & Death when I was but a child and its depiction of medical procedures frightened me far more than Alone in the Dark ever did. The fluids that spilled out of patients’ pixel-parts were far more real than the things that went bump in the night. The Trauma Center series has a more madcap take on surgical procedures than Life & Death ever did (it was the Police Quest of surgery sims) but it can’t match up to Surgeon Simulator 2013. Nothing can. Handsome Mike Bithell of Thomas Was Alone fame brought this to my attention. It was made for a Gamejam by folks from Bossa Studios. Imagine Octodad performing a heart transplant, then watch.
EDIT: the theme of the jam was actually “heart/heartbeat”. The boardgame inspiration was chosen as an extra rule.
The theme of the jam was ‘games inspired by boardgames’, so this must be Operation, another source of childhood nightmare fuel. I always felt so guilty when I mangled that poor man’s insides and his nose screamed at me.
Care to try? You can find the game here.
28/01/2013 at 15:25 BobbyDylan says:
Bwhahahhahahahah…. this looks like a giggle.
29/01/2013 at 02:22 juanaricky3 says:
My mothers neighbour is working part time and averaging $8000 a month. I’m a single mum and just got my first paycheck for $6435! I still can’t believe it. I tried it out cause I got really desperate and now I couldn’t be happier. Heres what I do..Read about
29/01/2013 at 03:36 Finster says:
…I get paid to volunteer at the college surgery!
…something does feel a bit funny in my chest lately though
28/01/2013 at 15:32 Mr. Mister says:
Laughed when the left lung was thrown aside and, only upon impace, it made the victim lose 270 ml of blood.
28/01/2013 at 15:33 Sparkasaurusmex says:
this needs kinect
28/01/2013 at 15:34 Mr. Mister says:
Combined with asymetric multiplayer.
28/01/2013 at 23:23 tormeh says:
Yes! One can be the surgeon and one can be the patient, with only the power to scream into the microphone. The louder the patient screams into the microphone the more shaky the surgeon becomes. If the transplant is botched the patient wins.
29/01/2013 at 02:19 teermeriea says:
iPhone 5/4S / 4 / 3GS Repair Parts! The iPhone is the most popular cell phone on the market and as Apple continues to provide more features and functionality this drop down in these devices, the wholesale price of the cheapest iPhone accessories! http://url.vsofte.ru/74i
29/01/2013 at 11:45 Saiko Kila says:
“If the transplant is botched the patient wins.”
This is called a moral victory. Though descendants can sue the surgeon, and maybe win, so that could pay in a more true sense. From the darwinian point of view.
28/01/2013 at 15:35 x1501 says:
Two hours after the surgery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch-SgOfQTMY
28/01/2013 at 15:38 Oryon says:
This is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying.
28/01/2013 at 15:39 Inigo says:
Gloves… glasses… moustache… handkerchief…
29/01/2013 at 10:53 Rawrian says:
LET’S OPERATE!
28/01/2013 at 15:40 MOKKA says:
I see a Youtube Bandwagon incoming.
28/01/2013 at 15:40 TJ says:
LOL at Casualty theme music.
28/01/2013 at 15:42 ZIGS says:
Is this a DLC for Trespasser?
28/01/2013 at 15:44 Werd says:
This looks terrible.
28/01/2013 at 15:47 VelvetFistIronGlove says:
This is the QWOP of open heart surgery!
We also made a game for GGJ involving surgery—with less drunken accidents, but more shameless capitalism: http://hazelmckendrick.com/ggj13/
28/01/2013 at 16:02 mooken says:
Fantastic description.
Would it be wrong to pitch a game show, putting everyday people behind surgical masks and bonesaws? Not real patients, mind you, but close-enough mannequins with high-pressure spurt-happy arteries.
29/01/2013 at 16:41 RonnieBoy says:
I was thinking more along the lines of Octodad in surgical scrubs!
28/01/2013 at 15:48 Wisq says:
Ahh, Life & Death. My mother and I used to play this on the ancient computers of yore, and we’d have such a laugh at our screw-ups. Never did manage to complete a successful surgery, not until much later when I revisited it as an adult and there were walkthroughs I could follow.
Turns out we actually had the whole procedure pretty much exactly right, except that our starting incision was too small. The issue was, the mice of the day were terrible at drawing any sort of straight line, so we just used the keypad, holding down the diagonal keys. A perfect straight incision … but due to the aspect ratio of the table, not tall enough. So we’d get down to the appropriate level and the nurse is like “uh, we’re not in the right place”. Damnit.
28/01/2013 at 15:51 Didero says:
I like how the music is coming from an actual in-game radio.
28/01/2013 at 16:02 Crimsoneer says:
I can’t figure out how to disconnect the heart :(
28/01/2013 at 16:11 jeffcapeshop says:
Cut the all the arteries and veins (i.e. flail wildly with the scalpel)
28/01/2013 at 16:14 Lambchops says:
This game looks like it’s a cut above the rest.
28/01/2013 at 16:23 Caiman says:
Take artery in the fact it is only a simulation.
28/01/2013 at 16:26 mooken says:
I had a heart time not LOLing at work.
28/01/2013 at 16:26 Bracknellexile says:
Ah, I wondered how lung it would be before a pun thread started.
28/01/2013 at 17:17 ScorpionWasp says:
A bit too bare bones for me. It needs more heart poured into it.
28/01/2013 at 19:42 mrmalodor says:
Bloody hilarious.
28/01/2013 at 16:27 Anthile says:
That footage looks doctored.
28/01/2013 at 16:33 VelvetFistIronGlove says:
It’s got very organic gameplay.
28/01/2013 at 16:40 Mollusc Infestation says:
Terrible. You aorta be ashamed.
28/01/2013 at 17:59 ScorpionWasp says:
Such a vein developer
28/01/2013 at 19:43 mrmalodor says:
Be patient, all bugs will be fixed.
28/01/2013 at 19:44 mrmalodor says:
“Cut” is the operative word here.
28/01/2013 at 16:55 Drake Sigar says:
The patient has been mistaken for a pumpkin on Halloween.
28/01/2013 at 17:04 P.Funk says:
I can’t decide if I want to make a Dr. Nick Riviera joke or a comparison to the Swedish Chef from the Muppets.
28/01/2013 at 17:19 Salix says:
I had the Swedish Chefs voice going through my head all the time I was watching.
28/01/2013 at 19:20 LionsPhil says:
I did too, by the end.
28/01/2013 at 17:08 ResonanceCascade says:
Looks like Trespasser, but the arm seems a bit less clunky.
28/01/2013 at 17:52 TechnicalBen says:
The heart does not belong there. :/
28/01/2013 at 18:24 spacedyemeerkat says:
I actually laughed out loud while watching the video!
28/01/2013 at 19:17 LionsPhil says:
Oh god, that video.
“Lung? Pah, don’t need zat! *fling* Ze new heart, it goes in the ze cavity, and then…VOOPS!”
28/01/2013 at 19:39 mrmalodor says:
First video in a long time that’s made me laugh so hard that I cried. The heart flying away at 2:00 really pushed me over the edge :D
This should be called “Drungk Surgeon Simulator 2031″
What’s even more ironic is that I’ve been playing Trauma Center lately. Can I use a Wiimote with SS2013? :D
29/01/2013 at 08:18 Harlander says:
You can actually use your wiimote on your PC. You’ll need a bluetooth dongle and something like WiinRemote or GlovePie which I won’t link to to avoid triggering moderation.
Good luck!
28/01/2013 at 21:31 The Random One says:
I liked how the doctor throws aside everything he doesn’t need, like he’s in a cartoon.
28/01/2013 at 22:37 writerryan says:
Somehow I managed a successful surgery during the same attempt when I accidentally got my hand stuck through that green sheet and had to remove his ribs blind. I don’t know that it hampered my ability at all.
29/01/2013 at 03:07 Poliphilo says:
Dr. Zoidberg Simulator 3013
29/01/2013 at 04:22 WhiningWeenie says:
FAIL MOMENTS!! :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrw095YH3Vo
29/01/2013 at 08:26 DestructibleEnvironments says:
This really needs to be on steam. Greenlight it?
Edit: Oh whoops, it’s a free game.
29/01/2013 at 10:56 Rawrian says:
Envirosurgeon 2000 would be a fitting name too.
29/01/2013 at 20:46 Hordriss says:
And there was me thinking this was going to be about http://www.excalibur-publishing.co.uk/surgery.htm