Rejoice: Origin offers up Theme Hospital for free

Theme Hospital is free on Origin right now. It is video game news which, as far as I am concerned, is worth sharing with as many people as possible. The reason being is that beneath its grotesque and poorly aged introduction is a charming and lively business simulator. It’s so good that I feel like sharing a brief anecdote about how impactful the game was in my early life.

I carry very few video game related memories of my earlier years with me today in my adult life: playing Pokemon Red for the first time and being able to discuss the game’s secrets with nearly every other person in my grade school; obsessively playing Mortal Kombat 2 with my sister on the Sega Genesis, sometimes loosing intentionally so that she would continue to play with me; getting a PS2 just so I could play FFVII; gladly playing Phantasy Star Online with Adam and other friends so much that all future grind-heavy RPGs would repulse me; and playing Theme Hospital.    

You see, Theme Hospital’s charming graphics, humour and challenge are pitch-perfect. The game is level-based, layering new and comical medical conditions which forces players to discover cures for them before they can be treated. Each new level’s hospital blueprints are pre-set, so the player has to make do with the space they are provided. It’s a lovely mix of actively managing your business and relaxing to see how each wacky illness is actually cured.

On top of curing patients, the player has to manage staff. Faculty members demand a certain salary, with the player deeming worth by analyzing basic stats. Certain doctors may be suited to conduct research, while others are fated to become GP workhorses.

Honestly though, describing the sim / management portion of the game does it a great disservice. The reality is that developer Bullfrog Productions had successfully streamlined many of the often daunting aspects which make more traditional business simulators stressful. In particular, the game’s levels are discrete and often manageably sized, so early fumbles are recovered nicely whenever the player is awarded a new hospital to build up.

Theme Hospital is a special game for me. And if you give it the chance, it may become one for you too. Check it out on Origin.