We wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you, with a detailed review, of the Jumbo Edition of Two Point Hospital, the spiritual (and non-spiritual) sequel of Theme Hospital
If you are passionate about management and magare you also work in the health sector like myself, you cannot have not heard of Theme Hospital. Originally released on PC in 1997, damn old age, the franchise has actually remained silent for over twenty years, if we do not consider Hospital Tycoon which in many, either for nostalgia, or for the actual desire to see the title return in vogue, have considered a Remake of Theme Hospital . In 2018, however, the Two Point Studios team gave us the joy of being able to put our hand to Two Point Hospital, first arrived only on PC (Windows, Linux and Mac) and then, at the beginning of 2020, even on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch consoles.
In recent days, however, the Jumbo Edition version has also arrived on the console which includes, in addition to the basic title, also all the DLCs and expansions released over time. In times of the Coronavirus pandemic , what each of us needs is to be able to play down even if we hang out in hospital wards every day. And what better way than by unscrewing heads, sautéing people and treating baldness? If you are ready to immerse yourself in the zany world created by Two Point Studios, sit down and grab something to eat. Welcome to Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition review!
Not trivial
If you think you are faced with a very simple hospital management system in an isometric view, we already recommend that you change your perspective. Although it is true that Two Point Hospital basically incorporates all the stylistic features of the genre, to which novices are slowly accompanied with the first levels that serve as a long and complete tutorial , what the guys at Two Point Studios have managed to do is give a true spiritual sequel to the madness of Theme Hospital. But let’s go step by step and let’s not get caught up in enthusiasm.
The basic title consists of a total of 15 different levels , each set in a different hospital, which offer a level of difficulty gradually increasing. New challenges and new ways of conceiving care will gradually be unlocked in a riot of unconventional therapies, with the one and only certainty that you will hardly end up in bankruptcy. This is because, even in the management of the most complex situations, Two Point Hospital is never really difficult and, unless you make really risky choices, you will not be able to run out of your budget.
Gray Anatomy – Two Point Hospital Review: Jumbo Edition
Therefore, if, initially, you find yourself managing only a few small GP’s offices, a medium-sized ward and a low-level diagnostics, as the hours go on (because Two Point Hospital will really suck a lot of them) the situation will clear up. more complex way. Get ready to welcome a herd of crazed Clowns or people who think they are Freddie Mercury in the appropriate rooms for Clownitis and Psychiatry, because otherwise your hospital is in danger of collapse.
The most interesting and certainly engaging part of Two Point Hospital, in addition to the actual construction of the hospital, which especially in the more advanced levels will start from scratch, is the management of the staff. There are four types of figures that you can hire: Doctors, Nurses, Assistants and Attendants . Each of these categories will be fundamental in the continuation of the various activities and in the advancement of your earnings, and it will therefore be your task, as a good manager, to satisfy their requests.
Clownite – Two Point Hospital Review: Jumbo Edition
We will then start from the construction of simple bathrooms, to a room for the relaxation of the staff on break and gradually towards training and professional advancement. However, we have unfortunately noticed an Artificial Intelligence that is not very collaborative and that often will tend to put a spoke in the wheel. Be prepared to have to closely monitor each room, then, as your employees will surely go on break or forget to go back to work one too many times.
Each level, and therefore each hospital, will allow you, by completing the various challenges that the game will put before you, to unlock new rooms and new machinery gradually more and more performing. Your goal will initially be to bring each facility to the highest of its reputation and level , satisfying both the demands and needs of patients and staff, but also stunning visiting distinguished personalities. From national radio, to the inspector on duty, to the minister of health: there will be many figures who, from time to time, will pop up with surprise visits, not always very welcome.
To amaze them, simply enlarge the structure by purchasing the contiguous lots, adorn the walls and corridors of your hospital with posters, statues, plants and decorations of all kinds, also paying attention to the climate of the area and therefore positioning radiators or air conditioners where necessary. All to receive a nice boost to your finances and reputation . The basic game currency, the one with which you will buy objects, rooms and machinery in short, is flanked by the Kudos, which you can obtain by increasing your reputation and satisfying these special figures. The Kudos will then allow you to unlock other items from the catalog, to make your hospital more and more welcoming.
No mouse? – Two Point Hospital Review: Jumbo Edition
How does a management system born for PC, therefore based on the use of the mouse, behave on consoles that instead use the increasingly uncomfortable (in these cases) controller? In a nutshell: to perfection . While it is actually true that the game interface may initially seem too cumbersome and elaborate, it will only take you a few minutes of play to get your hands on all the menus and submenus . The management of the commands is quite simple and we rarely found ourselves getting confused between the various keys to call up the desired menu. The list of objectives is always in the foreground, so even novices cannot fail to understand “what to do” in a given context.
The only small flaw that we could notice at this juncture is the lower accuracy of the pointer on the screen compared to the result that you would have with a mouse on a PC. Nothing too bad in reality, sometimes you will happen to select the wrong staff member or not to get a Monobestia (yuck), but nothing will ever be able to ruin the overall experience.
Hours, tens of hours – Two Point Hospital Review: Jumbo Edition
The Jumbo Edition brings with it all the additional content released for Two Point Hospital. In addition to the tons of free items that you can add to your inventory, there are four actual DLCs available in this version: Bigfoot, Pebberley Island, Close Encounters and Long Live the Environment . We will not be here to show you all the details of the various downloadable content, it is not important in the review, but just know that the four new areas are all different from each other and introduce completely unique mechanics, rooms and objects.
However, the inconvenience is around the corner, and if you are a veteran of Two Point Hospital who for some reason have decided to buy the Jumbo Edition on consoles, you will find yourself in trouble for a moment. The reason is obvious: all the additional contents will not be accessible in the first hours of the game , but only once you arrive in the advanced stages. This will not be a big problem for novices, who will indeed be welcomed with open arms by the mechanics of the title, but if you are a veteran do the math well. The hours to get to the “new” stages are so many!
Performance – Two Point Hospital Review: Jumbo Edition
Our test for the review of Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition took place on a PlayStation 4 Pro, but the writer was able, a year ago, to also try the version on Nintendo Switch without the additional content. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the title of Two Point Studios is extremely colorful, with deformed models of human beings really well made and distinguishable.even when moving the camera very high. The level of detail is excellent, considering the genre, and the customization possibilities do not derive only from the quantity of objects available, but also from their diversification. All this is accompanied by a soundtrack that does its job very well, with diversified and mixed tracks from the game radio. Too bad for the lack of the iconic Italian dubbing, which is made up for by an excellent localization of “dialogues”, texts and menus.
Furthermore, technically speaking, the title on PlayStation 4 Pro runs very well , without those annoying frame rate drops that could be seen in the Nintendo Switch version in the most advanced levels, and therefore in the most congested hospitals. The only inexplicable flaw is the really long loading and saving times , often up to twenty seconds, and which we hoped would be patched with this new version. This was not the case, too bad!
Good unscrewing!
In short, if you were expecting the classic and boring management, we hope to have surprised you. Two Point Hospital is the most exaggerated, funny and crazy (crazy) thing you can imagine. Surely the level of challenge will not be very high, even for novices, but managing the various structures gradually more and more intricate and full of emergencies will suck you into a whirlwind of enthusiasm and fun that we have rarely experienced with other titles of the genre. If you feel a bit Freddie Mercury or have grown a strange red nose, we can recommend some good specialists!
