Game Review: Theme Hospital (PS1)
Bullfrog had made their name with the well-received sim, Theme Park. Following that they looked to change the formula while not straying from the sim style they had previous success with. They came up with Theme Hospital, a sim that saw you take control of a hospital managing both the patients & staff. It shouldn’t have worked but it did…
The player is given a hospital & tasked with making it a success. Before your hospital it can even be opened you first have to fit it out with rooms. Space is limited so you have to be smart about what rooms you build & where they go. Hiring the right amount of staff & the ones with the right abilities is the next step before the hospital can be opened.
Staff cost wages & once open customers will be slow. Keeping them coming in & once they are they keep them alive! Diagnosis & curing is the only way to earn money. Over the year balancing wages, the cost of maintaining equipment & building new rooms will take its toll, keeping in the black is the only way to progress.
Once you’ve earned enough money you will be offered a new hospital to run which brings more challenges. New types of patients, bigger hospitals to run, handed to handle staff & even earthquakes. Each level feels as fresh as the last thanks to the variety of ways you can tackle them.
It is a surprisingly simple game that appears deeper then it actually is at first. Failing at making a success of your hospital is hard & it quickly becomes obvious how you can always win the level. However this doesn’t stop the game being a lot of fun to play & it does becoming more challenging as you progress.
Look after & make a hospital successful? That shouldn’t be a game…let alone a fun game. It’s a bit too easy to complete but with a number of ways to approach your success there is plenty of longevity in it.
Theme Hospital
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The Final Score - 7/10
7/10
User Review
( votes)( reviews)
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