Surgeon Simulator

Last updated

Surgeon Simulator
Surgeon Simulator logo.png
Developer(s) Bossa Studios
Publisher(s) Bossa Studios (2013-2022)
tinyBuild (2022-2024)
Atari [lower-alpha 1] (2024-present)
SeriesSurgeon Simulator
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, PlayStation 4, Android, Nintendo Switch
Release
19 April 2013
  • Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux
    • WW: 19 April 2013
  • iOS
    • WW: 7 March 2014
  • PlayStation 4
    • NA: 12 August 2014
    • EU: 13 August 2014
  • Android
    • WW: 14 August 2014
  • Nintendo Switch
    • WW: 13 September 2018
Genre(s) Simulation
Mode(s) Single-player

Surgeon Simulator (formerly Surgeon Simulator 2013) is a surgical simulation video game developed and published by Bossa Studios. The initial version was created by Tom Jackson, Jack Good, Luke Williams and James Broadley in a 48-hour period for the 2013 Global Game Jam; the developers continued and spent 48 days creating a commercial version. [1] The full version was released via Steam in April 2013, and GOG.com on 10 October 2013 followed by an iPad release on 7 March 2014.

Contents

A sequel, Surgeon Simulator 2, was released in August 2020.

On 26 August 2022, Bossa Studios sold the franchise to tinyBuild for $3 million. [2] On 26 June 2024, Atari SA acquired the franchise from TinyBuild for an undisclosed amount and transitioned it to their Infogrames label. [3]

Gameplay

Surgeon Simulator is played in first-person perspective. Mouse movement is used to control the movement of the player's hand. By holding down the right mouse button and moving the mouse, the player can rotate the hand. The left mouse button is used to lower the hand. By default, the A, W, E, R, and spacebar keys are used to control individual corresponding digits for grasping items. Gameplay consists of the player attempting to perform various surgical procedures, for example a heart transplant. Multiple extra modes are available after completion of the early operations, such as performing an operation while inside an ambulance where surgical instruments bounce around at random, and operating in space where the zero-g environment causes all of the instruments to free-float.

Three free downloadable content (DLC) features and one paid DLC were added after release. The first was released on 21 June 2013, and features an operation in which the player performs surgery on Team Fortress 2 's character Heavy, based on the "Meet the Medic" Team Fortress 2 promotional video. The second was released on 9 September 2013, named "Code Name Trisha", and features an operation in which surgery is performed on an alien. [4] The third was released on 2 June 2016, named "Inside Donald Trump", in which a heart transplant is performed on then presidential candidate Donald Trump. [5] On 14 August 2014, an Anniversary A&E Edition was released on Steam. It added the eye and teeth transplants from the iOS version along with some other features, such as operating while running through the hospital corridors. [6]

Plot

The game's protagonist is a surgeon named Nigel Burke, who has a placement at a fictional hospital somewhere in the United Kingdom in 1987. He carries out various operations, at first on a patient affectionately named 'Bob' by the game developers, and later operates on Bob inside a space station orbiting Earth. Afterwards, he is contacted by an alien race by VHS tape, and operates on one of the aliens, gaining the title of 'Best Surgeon in the Universe'.

Development

An initial version of Surgeon Simulator 2013 was created for the Global Game Jam in which the team had 48 hours to make the game. The team took inspiration from the game Jurassic Park: Trespasser [7] for the control scheme, which also came about because teams in the jam would gain bonus points if a game used ten buttons on the keyboard. The team initially wanted to assign a finger to each button but soon realized this was impractical and instead only limited this style of control to one hand with the other being controlled by the mouse. [7]

The developers were initially unsure of whether or not the game was "genuinely" funny, although they found themselves laughing they were not sure if it was the game or their sleep deprivation causing it. It was only when they finally presented the prototype to the audience that they realized the comic potential. [7]

Release

In January 2014, Bossa released footage of an iPad release of the game to be released sometime that year. On 7 March, Surgeon Simulator (at the time called Surgeon Simulator 2013) was released and featured the classic heart and kidney transplants and two new transplants: eye and teeth. The app includes the new corridor feature in which the player has to save Bob while carts with at least seven items pass by and have to not kill him.

There is a new feature taking advantage of heart rate, which makes it more challenging for players. When it reaches 0, the player has to charge the defibrillators to save Bob.

A PlayStation 4 version of the game was announced on 10 June 2014 and released on 12 August 2014, featuring all of the games surgeries in every location. The PS4 version was released and named Surgeon Simulator: A&E Anniversary Edition. [8]

A Nintendo Switch version was announced in July 2018 and released on 13 September 2018, with it being branded as Surgeon Simulator CPR standing for "Cooperative Play Ready". The game included a special local cooperative mode, allowing two players using separate Joy-Con to control Nigel's arms. [9] [10]

Reception

Reception for the game has been mixed, with critics stating that although the game was hard to control, this difficulty was "part of the appeal." [16] Ars Technica commented upon the narrator's voice-over, saying that it "belies the ridiculousness that unfolds as he flops and flails his way through surgery". [17] Rock, Paper, Shotgun praised the game's humour and fun, and said "Surgeon Simulator 2013 is not a brilliant game. But it is a brilliant joke. In the form of a game. It’s an idea that is a clean magnitude of awesome above 90% of what will be released this year because it is so absurd." [18] Eurogamer rated the game 7/10 and also praised its humour. [19]

Surgeon Simulator 2013 has sold 2 million copies as of 4 February 2015. [20]

Related Research Articles

<i>Alien Hominid</i> 2004 video game

Alien Hominid is a run and gun video game developed by The Behemoth and first released as a Flash game on the multimedia website Newgrounds on August 7, 2002. It was originally developed in Adobe Flash by programmer and Newgrounds founder, Tom Fulp, and animator and artist, Dan Paladin. It has since been re-released in several expanded and enhanced iterations for home consoles and computers.

<i>Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli</i> 2008 racing video game

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is a racing game developed by Eutechnyx and published by System 3, based on the Ferrari Challenge, a single-marque motorsport championship. The game features 14 playable tracks and Ferrari's own Fiorano test track, a vinyl editor and online play for all versions except the PS2. The Nintendo DS version, developed by Firebrand Games, features wireless multiplayer and the Wii version utilizes Wii Remote steering and support for the Wii Wheel. The game primarily features the driving and racing of the Ferrari F430 Challenge, along with a series of Ferrari road and racing cars that can be unlocked.

There are five pieces of downloadable content (DLC) for the Bethesda action role-playing video game Fallout 3. Each package of downloadable content adds new missions, new locales to visit, and new items for the player to use. Of the five, Broken Steel has the largest effect on the game, altering the ending, increasing the level cap to 30, and allowing the player to continue playing past the end of the main quest line. The Game of The Year edition of Fallout 3 includes the full game and all five pieces of downloadable content.

<i>London 2012</i> (video game) 2012 video game

London 2012: The Official Video Game is the official Olympic video game of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. It was published by Sega and developed by Sega Studios Australia, making this the first Olympics title to be developed in-house by Sega. The iOS and Android versions were developed and published by NEOWIZ.

<i>Prison Architect</i> 2015 video game

Prison Architect is a private prison construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Introversion Software. It was made available as a crowdfunded paid alpha pre-order on September 25, 2012 with updates that were scheduled every three to four weeks until 2023. With over 2,000,000 copies sold, Prison Architect made over US$10.7 million in pre-order sales for the alpha version. Prison Architect was an entrant in the 2012 Independent Games Festival. The game was available on Steam's Early Access program, and was officially released on October 6, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bossa Studios</span> British video game developer

Bossa Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in London. It is known for its comedic, physics-based games Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread.

<i>Thomas Was Alone</i> 2012 video game

Thomas Was Alone is a puzzle-platform game created by Mike Bithell, originally released as a Flash-based browser game in October 2010. The game was expanded and released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in July 2012. It has subsequently been released for Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Wii U, iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch. In the game, the player controls one or more simple rectangles representing several out-of-control artificial intelligence entities, working with the shapes to get each to their individual end points on each level. Each shape is characterized by a unique name and personality, including the eponymous Thomas, which is conveyed to the player through the use of a narrator voiced by Danny Wallace, whose performance earned the game a BAFTA Games Award.

<i>The Room</i> (video game) 2012 video game

The Room is a puzzle video game developed by Fireproof Games. The game was originally developed for the iOS platform and released in 12 September 2012. The Android version debuted as part of a Humble Bundle in March 2013 and was subsequently released on Google Play. A free expansion for the title was released in August 2013. An enhanced version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows in July 2014, and for the Nintendo Switch in October 2018.

<i>Halo: Spartan Assault</i> 2013 video game

Halo: Spartan Assault is a twin stick shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and Vanguard Games. Part of the Halo media franchise, the game was released on July 18, 2013, for Microsoft's Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms. The game subsequently released on Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam, and iOS. Halo: Spartan Assault is set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4. Players control the human soldiers Sarah Palmer and Edward Davis as they fight a new splinter faction of the alien Covenant. The game launched with 25 single-player missions; an additional campaign released as downloadable content. The console versions also feature an exclusive cooperative horde mode.

<i>Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a 2013 2.5D platform game developed by Sega Studios Australia and published by Sega. The game is a remake of the original 1990 Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive video game of the same name, which was the first title in the Illusion series of Mickey Mouse video games. The game was released on PlayStation 3, Windows and Xbox 360, in September 2013, and later for iOS, Windows Phone, Android and OS X.

<i>Space Hulk</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Space Hulk is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Danish studio Full Control. It is based on the tabletop game of the same name by Games Workshop. It features the Blood Angels Chapter of the Space Marines battling grotesque aliens known as Genestealers. A follow-up game, Space Hulk: Ascension, was released in 2014.

<i>The Playroom</i> (2013 video game) 2013 casual video game

The Playroom is a casual video game that is a collection of augmented reality mini-games. It was developed by Japan Studio's Team Asobi division, comes pre-loaded on all PlayStation 4 consoles, and is meant to demonstrate the use of the PlayStation Camera and the DualShock 4 controller. The PlayStation Camera accessory is required to play The Playroom. If a camera is not present, a trailer for The Playroom will be displayed instead of the full game. Firesprite, a studio founded by former employees of Studio Liverpool, worked on the visuals of The Playroom. Downloadable content is free.

<i>XCOM: Enemy Within</i> 2013 video game

XCOM: Enemy Within is an expansion pack for the turn-based tactical video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The expansion pack primarily adds new gameplay elements to the base game, as well as introducing new themes of transhumanism via aggressive gene therapy.

<i>Goat Simulator</i> 2014 video game

Goat Simulator is an action video game developed and published by Coffee Stain Studios. It was released for Microsoft Windows in April 2014, and ports for Linux and OS X were released in June 2014. Mobile versions for Android and iOS were released in September 2014. Versions for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One were released in April 2015, and for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in August 2015; these ports were developed by Double Eleven. A Nintendo Switch version containing the game and downloadable content was released in January 2019.

<i>Ziggurat</i> (video game) 2012 video game

Ziggurat, stylized as ZiGGURAT, is a retro-style arcade shooter video game developed by Action Button Entertainment for iOS platforms. As the world's last human fighting off incoming alien freaks from atop a ziggurat, the player uses touch controls to charge and shoot the enemies away, and dies if hit by an enemy. The game has 16-bit graphics style and an 8-bit chiptune soundtrack. Action Button designer Tim Rogers developed the game idea based on his experience with Angry Birds, which later led to his forming Action Button as a company with Ziggurat as its first release on February 17, 2012.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance</i> 2014 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Eutechnyx. It was released for Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android. It was set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, it follows the Dark Angels, commanded by Grand Master Belial, and the Bad Moons, commanded by Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka on the planet Piscina IV. It was released on April 3, 2014 for Windows and iOS, and on April 22, 2014 for Android.

<i>I Am Bread</i> 2015 video game

I Am Bread is a platform video game published by Bossa Studios on 9 April 2015. The game is available for Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, PlayStation 4, Ouya, Xbox One, and Android. It was removed from Google Play in January 2020. The gameplay involves using various abilities, such as sticking to surfaces to solve puzzles and reach the toaster. Along the way, players must avoid hazards like dirty floors, knives, and pets.

<i>Road Redemption</i> 2017 video game

Road Redemption is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by EQ-Games and Pixel Dash Studios. The game is a spiritual successor to the Road Rash series and was released for Windows PC on October 4, 2017. Console versions of Road Redemption were released on November 6, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Decksplash</i> Video game

Decksplash is a cancelled skateboarding video game that was being developed by Bossa Studios for Microsoft Windows.

References

  1. ↑ Savage, Phil (28 January 2013). "Surgeon Simulator 2013 is QWOP meets Operation". PC Gamer. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "TinyBuild buys Bossa's IPs for $3m". 26 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Atari buys Surgeon Simulator from TinyBuild". 26 June 2024.
  4. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (30 September 2013). "Surgeon Simulator 2013 reveals secret alien surgery". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Robertson, Adi (3 June 2016). "Surgeon Simulator: Inside Donald Trump, explained to my future children". The Verge. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Davies, Sean (25 August 2014). "Surgeon Simulator: A&E Anniversary Edition Review: Delightfully dreadful doctors". TechnologyTell. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Rose, Mike (25 April 2013). "The blissfully awkward controls of Surgeon Simulator 2013". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "E3 2014: Surgeon Simulator Coming to PS4". gamespot.com. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Phillips, Tom (25 July 2018). "Surgeon Simulator transfers to Nintendo Switch with co-op play". Eurogamer . Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Scrub up! Surgeon Simulator CPR launches on Nintendo Switch today!". Gamasutra (Press release). 13 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "Surgeon Simulator 2013 for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Surgeon Simulator for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "Surgeon Simulator: Anniversary Edition for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  14. ↑ "Surgeon Simulator CPR for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  15. ↑ Ingram, Lucy (27 March 2014). "'Surgeon Simulator' for iPad Review – A Virtual Game of Operation". TouchArcade . Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  16. ↑ Tassi, Paul (29 January 2013). "A Game Ascends Into Memehood: Surgeon Simulator 2013". Forbes. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  17. ↑ Hutchinson, Lee (29 January 2013). ""Bob is having a cardiac arrest!": Surgeon Simulator 2013 may be the best game ever". Ars Technica. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  18. ↑ Rossignol, Jim (19 April 2013). "Wot I Think: Surgeon Simulator 2013". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  19. ↑ Donlan, Christian (25 April 2013). "Surgeon Simulator 2013 review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  20. ↑ Eddie Makuch (3 February 2015). "Wacky Operation Game Surgeon Simulator Sells 2 Million". GameSpot . Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  1. ↑ Released under the Infogrames label
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.