Name: Two Point Hospital: Close Encounters
Developer: Two Point Studios
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: PC
Reviewed on: PC
Release Date: 29.08.2019
Acquired: A copy of this game was provided from a publisher for review purpose
May Dr. Martian come to the front desk, please? That’s what I assume the future is going to be like in our universe. In the Two Point Hospital world however, this is already the case, as aliens now have the need for my (limited) skills as a hospital planner. Could I save them though, or were they doomed as all previous patients?
“Down in the town of Goldpan, rumors persist of an out of this world encounter. A fireball, witnessed streaking above the sandy climes of Two Point County’s Eastern reaches, is chief suspect after a range of unusual illnesses have caused strife, commotion and general unrest amongst the inhabitants of this oft-forgotten town.
As an all-round medical supremo with a knack for tackling the unreal, your administration has operational access to some key locations in the area… including some areas the public really doesn’t need to know about. The Two Point Squabbler, the County’s finest journalistic institution, wants to know what’s going on… and you’re their ticket in.”
What’s included?
- 3 mysterious new locations
- 3 new, fully animated cure machines
- 11 new visual illnesses
- 34 new illnesses in total
- New gameplay
- New music, DJ and tannoy lines
The Good
If you already like the Two Point Hospital format you’ll definitely enjoy Close Encounters. It’s more illnesses, more equipment to fight these illnesses, new areas to build your empire of hospitals. Generally, it’s more of the same gameplay we’ve come to love.
As I’ve said, there are more illnesses to cure, and about one third of them have their patients physically look like their illness. This is something I really like, I mean – who doesn’t like a couple of lightbulbs sitting in the waiting area? In addition, there’s new music, which fits very well with the new patients with a spacey sound to it. The DLC is also very much finished, I’ve yet to encounter any proper bugs – sure there have been some clipping through walls and such, but it’s nothing serious.
The Bad
This is going to sound like a paradox, I know that, but please hear me out. Almost everything that makes this DLC good, is the same that makes it bad. Like, the developers haven’t made any real mistakes, it all works well and is balanced. There are more people to cure, and there are more ways to cure them. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long until I got really bored with it all. Although it is technically new illnesses, it’s the same type of gameplay – start a new hospital, make the income higher than the outcome and try to help patients. Frankly, I feel finished with Two Point Hospital by now. It can no longer float on the nostalgia from my days with Theme Hospital and the DLC offers nothing new.
You can check out our review policy right here, if you wonder how we set our scores.
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DLC Score 6
6/10
Verdict
Two Point Hospital: Close Encounters has been a difficult DLC to review, not because it’s not working and I was waiting for a patch. But because I got really bored. The “Angry Birds”-way of doing levels – get three stars for a perfect score, but feel free to move on after one star – feels outdated by now. And going through the same phases of hiring bad doctors, training them, making new staff rooms and whatnot simply has lost its nostalgic feel. Basically what I’m saying is this; there’s nothing wrong with Close Encounters, it’s just safe and sound DLC that offers little more than its predecessors.
Overall
6/10User Review
( vote)Pros
- More of the same
- New visual illnesses
Cons
- Feels repetitive
- Offers little new
