Two Point Hospital (Nintendo Switch) Review

The original Theme Hospital came from some gaming royalty, namely, Mark Webley (who took over running Lionhead Studios after Molyneux left) and Gary Carr. The duo both worked at Bullfrog and Lionhead, including being key to some absolute classics such as Theme Park, Populous 2, Theme Hospital, and Black & White. Now the duo has reunited in forming its own game company, Two Point Studios. Its first creation? Two Point Hospital. For fans who wanted more of the same, you're in luck. This feels instantly familiar, but thanks to the solid introduction in the opening levels, this also feels fresh, and accessible to those completely new to the land of hospital management.

The very first stage introduces the basics, a simple building plan with the aim of setting up a fairly simple practice. A reception to get started, some benches, food and drink machines, some toilets, and a staff room. Then the diagnosis and treatment rooms for the doctors and nurse to ply their trade. At first, this means just things like a GP office, pharmacy, and the new 'De-lux Clinic' for treating patients unlucky enough to have been afflicted by an illness that replaces the individuals head with a lightbulb.

The aim of this first hospital is establishing the basics of building and maintaining the equipment of the medical centre. Once the few simple objectives have been completed, a letter appears, granting the rank of a one-star hospital, and unlocking the next hospital to take on. It's possible to continue up the ranks with each hospital before progressing, unlocking a second and third star for each. However, since new rooms and equipment can be unlocked in later levels, which are then usable in all other levels, it's wiser to progress through each, then return to the earlier locations to reach three stars.

These unlockable treatments are fitting with the same comedy writing of the original. There's a 'Pan's Lab' for curing patients with 'Pandemic,' an illness which sees them unable to remove pans from their head. 'Pest Control' can treat 'Animal Magnetism' where small animals attach themselves to the patient. Having a large catalogue of treatment options available isn't enough, and extra rooms and items are essential to build the best possible health centre. Training rooms can be used to instil skills into the staff, research labs can unlock and improve the treatment rooms. Then there are the myriad items that can be used to increase the hospital's look and prestige, along with items to improve the experience for the patients in attendance. Some of these unlock as the game develops, but many are unlocked by purchasing them with the game's reward currency.

Money is, of course, a huge part of the management simulation. Money is needed to build everything, items and rooms alike, not to mention to purchase land to build new buildings on, and, of course, actually paying the staff. Letting the money fall too far into the red instantly fails the stage - but the currency that really matters is the Kudosh. A reward type of currency that can be used to purchase special items that cannot be unlocked through any other means. Golden toilets, arcade machines, gift shops, all of which can be used to increase the prestige of the hospital and improve the attitude of the patients.

Later levels offer up new challenges, from environmental issues like chilly locales that require the use of radiators, to natural disasters that can damage the contents of the hospital. Not to mention pandemics and influxes of serious illnesses that need to be carefully managed. It's at this point the surprising depth of the game is demonstrated; where pausing gameplay to make careful choices while the staff and patients stand frozen in time; where the extra menus that show staff happiness, patient concerns, heat levels, patient needs and more in myriad graphs can be consulted; not to mention the little tweaks that can be made like increasing prices to pull in more revenue or lowering to increase the hospital's reputation. It's a delicate but fun balancing act.

There is a slight issue with this port, and that's the controls. Clearly made for a mouse and keyboard, there are tons of menus alongside a grid that items can be "snapped" onto that never stops feeling awkward. It's a small niggle, but frustrating when trying to… feng shui the perfect staff room. Also, when playing in handheld mode, some of the text can be a little too small for the eye strained out there.