Developer: Woodland Games
Publisher: Team17 Digital Ltd
What is Autopsy Simulator?
Autopsy Simulator is a sim-like horror game in which you play as a Medical Examiner conducting autopsies and determining cause of death on a variety of cases. As the pathologist, the player utilizes case files, medical examination, and laboratory testing to solve each case. While gruesome in and of itself, the horror comes in to play when the PC, Dr. Jack Hanman, starts hearing the disembodied voice of his dead wife and seeing strange hallucinations in the office.
Game Play
The game is pretty straightforward. You get a series of tasks to complete as you go about each day. Starting in Dr. Hanman’s home, you can see he is not well, as he is still grieving the death of his wife. You don’t know what medication he is on, but he takes it every morning and throughout the day when the hallucinations start.
There are five total autopsies with the player having to complete tasks throughout the office, often bumping heads with the apathetic at best, security guard who clearly doesn’t like you very much.
Each autopsy is fairly unique, involving mini games to complete the different stages. Some of the mini games include, finger printing, dental casting, dissecting organs, taking pictures of suspicious markings, taking x-rays and running finger prints and dental records through the police database.
As you play, Dr. Hanman falls deeper and deeper into his hallucinations. At the fifth and final autopsy, the hallucinations and mystery behind his wife’s death conclude. I’m being purposely ambiguous as I don’t want to spoil anything.
Graphics
The graphics are great. If you’re squeamish, I wouldn’t recommend this game. I’m not bothered by guts or gore, but I know they’re not for everyone. The graphics are fairly realistic and can serve as a nice anatomy lesson for those of us who don’t remember much from high school biology.
The audio is good, though I did accidentally skip some dialogue a couple times. The atmospheric music and audio really helped immerse me in the game.
What I Liked
The Story Is Good
I was intrigued enough about the mystery surrounding the PC’s wife’s death to keep playing for the answer.
The Autopsies Were Fun
Though I’m not a doctor or medical examiner, and know nothing about that career, the autopsies themselves seemed realistic enough, and I like that there are mini games and background/cases to follow through on. Each autopsy is unique enough to keep them interesting.
The Creepy Environment
The office you work from is a rundown mess with bad power. It adds to the creepy factor of the game and is incorporated into the game play with certain test tripping the breaker that you have to fix.
Issues
The Game Is Short
It took me around six hours to complete, and some of that was trying to figure out why a couple of the mini games wouldn’t work. They did eventually work, one issue being that I just missed a small detail and the other being poorly explained instructions involving the x-ray machine.
Multiple Endings Bugged?
There are supposedly two endings. I did what was required to get the second ending, but nothing happened. I did watch someone on YouTube get the second ending so I know it is possible, it just didn’t work for me.
It Just Isn’t Enough
Then ending was ambiguous and rushed. The wife’s death is explained, but not fully. I was left with more questions that answers, though some people like that.
There aren’t enough autopsies to make it a simulator. The developers are adding an autopsy only mode, but I feel that should have been there from the start. Since it will be a DLC, I’m assuming it will cost extra, which is disappointing.
The game follows a linear story line. You can’t really choose not to do something and there doesn’t seem to be a way to get anything wrong or a way to fail a chapter. You just follow the tasks as instructed and can’t move on until it is done correctly.
It Isn’t Scary
I love horror games. I would call this horror light. It didn’t scare me. There were a couple jump scare sound moments, but even those weren’t much. I could see it being scary to someone who doesn’t play horror games or watch horror movies, but that’s it.
Final Thoughts
I don’t regret playing the game. I enjoyed it well enough, though I was annoyed that it didn’t meet my expectations of a simulator. The developers call it a horror-sim hybrid and I can see why, but it could lean in to both genres more Once the DLC is released it will likely be better and I’m willing to give it a try.
I wish they had leaned into the hallucinations a bit more and maybe add some mini games to pull yourself out of them. There isn’t really any replay-ability to the game, though that will hopefully change with the DLC.
The ending is ambiguous enough that there could be a sequel. If there is, I’m willing to try it.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Rating System:
5/5 Contender for favorite game of the year
4/5 I’d play it again
3/5 I’d play again with some updates
2/5 Would need major updates to play again
1/5 Won’t play again, don’t recommend
Alicia Coast 