Autopsy Simulator is a suspenseful blend of simulation and horror, with a mysterious and emotional story that delves into mental health and grief.
Set in a run-down mortuary, Autopsy Simulator by developers Woodland Games follows the story of Dr Jack Hanman, a pathologist struggling to cope following the tragic death of his wife a year prior.
Each chapter immerses players in Hanman’s job as he performs autopsies on corpses with mysterious causes of death to determine what really happened.
During and between autopsies, he tries to keep himself sane with his medication, and frequent but unproductive chats with his friend Steven, and the not-so-friendly-or-helpful Ridley, the officer stationed at the mortuary.
The Story
Before we get onto the gameplay, I want to talk about the story mode, which I’d argue is a big selling point for Autopsy Simulator. The game is very dialogue-heavy, as Hanman is constantly talking to himself, side characters and his students while recording the autopsies he performs.
In other words, you’ll be hearing a lot of Hanman, which is fine by me as I thought the voice acting was great. Whilst the audio quality was a little too “studio” at times and I’ve never heard someone sigh and groan as much in my life as he did, you can really tell that the voice actor put a lot of effort into the character. Such an emotional performance helped the game powerfully convey Hanman’s feelings of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness which really brought the character to life and made the story that much more impactful.
Speaking of, the story is packed with suspenseful moments, especially in the final chapter, which kept me engaged as I needed to know how all the clues up until that point tied together. Subtle environmental storytelling and intricate aspects of the corpses also added to the plot, with unexpected developments that kept me hooked chapter after chapter.
As the story progresses, more and more strange events happen which continue to fuel the main character’s woes, but unfortunately, all this build-up was let down by the game’s rather unfulfilling endings. The main ending was certainly a twist but it could’ve been explored further, or at least explained in a bit more detail. Even an extra 30 seconds would have let the final reveal fully sync in but instead, I was left feeling a little dissatisfied with how quickly the ending sequence finished, and the lack of a solid conclusion to the 5-hour-long narrative.
Gameplay
As the game’s title suggests, Autopsy Simulator is a simulation game at heart. Whilst other games such as Mortuary Assistant lean more into horror and jumpscares, Autopsy Simulator takes a slower pace, giving the player the time to properly investigate the corpses and perform the typical duties of a pathologist.
As we mentioned in our preview for the game, Autopsy Simulator closely consulted with real-life pathologists, and you can really tell through the technical jargon and level of detail in each case.
The gameplay was surprisingly interactive as well, with unique mini-games for various pathology tasks, such as dissecting different organs, filling up syringes, and matching dental records.
Each of the 5 chapters presents a unique autopsy for you to perform, and each body introduces a new mechanic, keeping the gameplay fresh as the story progresses. While the first case starts with simply checking the organs, later cases involve additional tests like fingerprint matching and X-rays which take you beyond the examination room.
There’s a fully built-out mortuary consisting of multiple rooms and an outdoor area with plenty of areas to explore and interact with. You’ll also spend some time in Hanman’s apartment, which significantly contributes to his characterization.
One of my favorite parts of the gameplay is how it almost mirrors the investigative nature of crime TV shows. Each corpse has hints of how the individual died, so it was enjoyable to try and make an educated guess of the cause of death as more and more information was discovered. Although the investigations are linear, meaning that you can’t really get the cause of death wrong, it was still fun to play along.
I am also happy to see that Autopsy Simulator is set to add an autopsy-only mode at some point after launch. This area of the game is very well fleshed out, so it’d be a shame to restrict it to just the cases in the main story.
Is Autopsy Simulator a Horror Game?
One of my initial questions going into Autopsy Simulator was whether this game would actually be scary. The game’s Steam page clearly states it’s a “horror-sim hybrid”, and while it has elements of both, it definitely leans more toward simulation.
Horror in this game primarily lies in the gruesome and detailed autopsies you perform. Naturally, the bodies are designed to make you feel uncomfortable and uneasy, and the devs did a great job at achieving this.
Outside of this however, the game’s horror felt quite lacking. Scares either came off as generic or felt insignificant to the point that I wouldn’t say I was ever scared during my playthrough. On the flip side, if you’re not a fan of jump scares, this is certainly one to add to the wishlist!
Final Thoughts and Verdict
The sparse and sometimes underwhelming horror elements are balanced out by the game’s strong narrative (albeit with an unfulfilling ending) and excellent and unique simulation gameplay that filled the investigatory gap in my heart. I’d definitely recommend this game for fans of simulation games, crime TV shows, or anyone who appreciates an emotional story of grief.
I’m eagerly waiting for the announcement on when the autopsy-only mode comes out, as Autopsy Simulator’s gameplay was a unique experience that can’t really be compared to any other game out there right now.
Plus, it’s unfortunately become normalized for modern games to launch in a buggy or even unplayable state, but I’d happily like to point out that this was not the case with Autopsy Simulator. I think we only ever encountered one or two minor bugs, making it clear just how much effort the devs put into getting this game right which is really refreshing to see and experience.
Our Verdict: 7/10
Disclaimer: The team at Horror Game News received a review copy of this game from the developers. This has not influenced our review in any way, and our opinions remain our own.