Autopsy Simulator [PC] | REVIEW

Naturally, you’re going to expect a game named Autopsy Simulator to be a bit of a grisly and shocking experience, but the horror-themed twist ensures that there’s more than meets the eye to this unique take on the simulator genre.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Autopsy Simulator puts players in the role of Jack, a pathologist who has suffered a collapse in his mental health following the death of his wife. With medication helping him get through each day, he continues his job in the morgue performing autopsies and documenting the results. However, his mental state becomes more unhinged when strange occurrences start to take place around him, with the lines between what’s real and fake becoming blurred as Jack struggles to cope with the darkness hanging over him.

I really enjoyed the storytelling of Autopsy Simulator, with the game’s horror theme adding a welcome twist to the typical simulator gameplay loop. Some sequences were genuinely unnerving, and whilst it did take a few predictable steps in its narrative, it also manged to throw me off-guard with its surprising moments. It could have got away with simply offering autopsies alone, but I found myself completely invested in the paranormal tale that unravelled alongside them.

It’s something that’s partially owed to the game’s eerie setting, with the morgue DEFINITELY one place I wouldn’t want to explore in the dark of night. There’s this unsettling sense of isolation to be felt as you explore its hallways and rooms looking for the apparatus you need to complete each procedure, which will certainly leave you on the edge of your seat in the more unnerving moments where you’ll hear peculiar noises around you or have to deal with the lights going out. It’s effectively presented to ensure there’s a constant sense of suspense, and whilst some of the game’s jump scares do feel a little bit tacked-on, the tension it builds throughout is very effective.

“Autopsy Simulator really isn’t for the faint of heart, with the realism of its presentation making it one of the most squeamish experiences I’ve ever had witg a video game.”

Of course, it’s the autopsies that take centre stage, and believe me, Autopsy Simulator goes all-out on authenticity. Not only will you have to investigate the details of each death and perform tasks that utilise the correct apparatus in a variety of ways, but there’s also an uncanny sense of realism to be found when handling the bodies and their… insides – so much so that it felt REALLY gross at times (and I mean that in a good way). Autopsy Simulator really isn’t for the faint of heart, with the realism of its presentation making it one of the most squeamish experiences I’ve ever had with a video game.

It’s always intriguing to read through the patient files to get a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding their death, whilst performing tasks involves completing small mini-games that are simple in design but effectively capture each process – they also bring with them plenty of bone-crunching and organ-squishing audio effects that are incredibly grisly, but also gave me a lot of queasy little laughs at just how gross they were (I mean that in a good way too). The game just does a really effective job of putting you in the role of a pathologist, and whilst I’ll admit it’s not an occupation I’d want to get into, it brings with it plenty of intrigue and satisfying moments to make a for a rewarding experience in-game.

The only downside to it all is the fact that the game holds your hand too much when playing. There wasn’t much room for experimentation or investigative work from the player, with Jack narrating what you should be doing as you go along. Whilst this works contextually, it felt restrictive from a gameplay perspective and took away the satisfaction of getting to the bottom of the cause of death yourself. It didn’t stop the game from being fun to play, but after learning the ins-and-outs of my role of a pathologist as I played, it would have been nice to have got stuck into a case without the game telling me exactly what I needed to do.

Check out some screenshots down below:

The backtracking when looking for items could get a bit tiresome too, whilst I came across a few little bugs that hindered the experience. There was nothing game-breaking, but I found myself stuck in the environment on two occasions, whilst there were also moments where there were delays in objects responding to my inputs and one instance where I had to re-load my save when an autopsy wouldn’t move on to the next step. Again, nothing too problematic or consistent, but they still caused a few little frustrations when playing.

Despite this, I still had a good time with Autopsy Simulator, whilst the promise of an ‘Autopsy Only’ mode coming soon that randomises each cause of death and grades your performance whilst uncovering it will alleviate some of the hand-holding issues I had with the game. It’s a shame it wasn’t available at launch, because it would have made Autopsy Simulator a more complete and fulfilling experience where the Story mode could have effectively acted as a tutorial.

Developer: Woodland Games
Publisher: Team17
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed)
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1283230/Autopsy_Simulator/