Perhaps because Bossa Studios wanted to expand on that “limited scope” or simply wanted to evolve the experience further, Surgeon Simulator 2 is bigger, busier and now it’s own full-fledged universe with a story. While the developer can be commended for expanding a concept like this on such a scale, the execution in Surgeon Simulator 2 leaves much to be desired.

"There’s a fair bit of intrigue and while I could have stood for the game to slow burn things a bit more, it’s a welcome bit of mystery."

The core experience has been diversified into three major game modes – Story, Create and Discover. The Story mode sees you as a new trainee in a strange hospital, one that’s shoddily constructed but aims to help anyone become a surgeon. You’re guided by Dr. Pamela but it quickly becomes apparent that things aren’t what they seem.

And when I say “quickly”, I mean a literal voice in the vents that tells you things aren’t what they seem. It’s almost Portal-like in its set-up with the player being dropped into all these different chambers while a bigger, seemingly more nefarious scheme is being hatched in the background. There’s a fair bit of intrigue and while I could have stood for the game to slow burn things a bit more, it’s a welcome dash of mystery.

Bob returns and you’re tasked with conducting different operations on him, whether it’s severing an arm, removing a lung or popping off his entire head, all while ensuring he doesn’t bleed out. While you could simply rip off an organ or body part barehanded, it’s better to use a medical saw or scalpel to reduce the amount of blood lost. Depositing limbs and organs into special trays will send replacement parts to you. You’ll be managing your tools and Bob’s blood loss but eventually operations will descend into trying to access trays and replacement limbs from locked off areas.

Unfortunately, this design gets repetitive as things go along. On the one hand, I can appreciate how the setting plays into different objectives. It’s a hospital in disarray, that too with strange things going on, so it makes sense that certain doors would be locked or that you’d need to locate a medical scanner before commencing an operation. This also explains the sheer number of objects and trash strewn about, which makes locating tools a bit of a task. However, these objectives become extremely one-note over time.

"It’s almost kind of waste though – for as aesthetically pleasing as the levels look, the core gameplay doesn’t really leverage them to full effect."

Things really start to go down hill when it comes to the controls. Much like the original, your hand is the main controlling entity – you can rotate it, raise it, lower it, grasp objects, extend and withdraw the arm, and so on. You don’t have individual control of fingers though – one’s grip is a relegated to a single left mouse click. This feeds into existing issues when it comes to grasping items. You’re managing the orientation of your hand while picking something up, which could be wrong because your arm isn’t extended enough. Or maybe you have just the right hand position and arm length but the object won’t be grasped without some trial and error. Expect to be annoyed by this fairly quickly.

Sometimes, you might lose track of which mouse direction is the correct orientation, which requires some fiddling to fix. It also doesn’t help that a lot of the first game’s nuance is seemingly absent. Operations still employ some manner of precision when it comes to chopping off limbs but have otherwise been extremely streamlined. There’s not much by way of gentle incisions – just pick up a scalpel, shove it into Bob’s chest and voila, you’ve got the heart or lung or whatever. The real challenge is ensuring the scalpel is just within the correct length of grasping and then oriented properly before extraction. It’s less interesting than it sounds and there isn’t much variety to the actual operations outside of replacing limbs and organs.

Unlike the previous game, you’re not just a hand operating on a patient. You’re a fully fledged person who walks around, jumping on things and picking up objects. For how imaginative the setting is, you’re not really doing much with the environment outside of picking up stuff, opening doors or pushing open grates.

I get that Bossa Studios isn’t trying to make the next Trauma Center but there must be better ways to spice up the gameplay, especially when the operations themselves are fairly typical. Littering the environment with random junk that gets in the way isn’t a good alternative either, though I do appreciate just the details in levels. It’s almost kind of waste though – for as aesthetically pleasing as things look, the core gameplay doesn’t really leverage them to full effect.

"If I had to sum up Surgeon Simulator 2 in one word, it would be “passable.”"

Perhaps this is just the single-player experience talking and Surgeon Simulator 2 is a lot better suited for co-op. Maybe four friends would have an uproarious time when it comes to managing an operation, though again, there’s not a whole lot to really manage. One would think that the Discover mode with its selection of user-created levels would have something interesting to offer and to be fair, some of the levels are interesting. There’s a custom playlist queue for selecting different levels and playing them, one after the other, and Quick Play for hopping into a quick match with other players.

Though it’s early days yet, there’s a decent amount of user-created content. Granted, these aren’t the most complex levels. One sees the player standing on a suitcase and using it to fly via some convoluted instructions. Another tried to recreate the original Surgeon Simulator and was painful to manage, to say the least. The Bossa Levels are fairly limited right now and encompass such gems as “flipping the bottle”, which is not very fun alone. Again, we’ll see how things fare down the line but in terms of showcasing what the creation suite is capable of – which seems to be a lot, as per pre-launch trailers – it’s a good start, if nothing else.

Of course, it’s worth addressing the XP system and daily challenges, which go towards leveling the battle pass-like system of cosmetic unlocks. Oddly enough, while it’s possible to unlock cosmetics in the Story Mode by completing different objectives (which are usually time or blood loss-related), XP is seemingly earned only from Quick Play matches, rating levels and completing objectives in multiplayer. All of the Daily Challenges are also tied to multiplayer. Still, for those who like fiddling with the customization – and there are quite a few cosmetic options available – you can expect a good amount of stuff to unlock.

"Aesthetically, it looks nice though performance does slightly chug at times, and the voice acting is fairly well done."

If I had to sum up Surgeon Simulator 2 in one word, it would be “passable.” It’s hard to really recommended this to fans of the original, given how much has been simplified, but perhaps there are some players seeking a goofy, story-driven take on the formula. Aesthetically, it looks nice though performance does slightly chug at times, and the voice acting is fairly well done. Even the music is nice despite trying a little too hard to sound goofy at times. The controls are troublesome at best and downright irritating at worst but combining them with the samey objectives and repetitive nature of operations is what really drags the experience down.

While this is most definitely a “complete” package compared to its predecessor, the core gameplay loop really feels like it needed more time, more nuance and more interesting ways to leverage the interesting setting.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Chaos reigns in the operation theater as Bossa Studios’ Surgeon Simulator 2 has a release date. It’s out on August 27th for the Epic Games Store. Furthermore, the developer has detailed its Bossa Labs Creation Mode in a new trailer. Check it out below.

Creation Mode is fairly extensive. Players can create new levels like dining halls full of food, elaborate mazes and much more but they can also craft new game modes. Bowling, Sket Ball or even a simple game of Paper Rock Scissors can be played. Going from Creation Mode to playing levels is also seamless.

Along with building levels solo, it’s possible to build with up to four other players for true mass chaos. With Surgeon Simulator 2 out in late August, those who pre-order can access the closed beta from August 7th to 9th. You’ll also receive the Mad Scientist cosmetic set, which is a “timed exclusive” offering. Stay tuned for more details on the game in the coming weeks.

Bossa Studios’ Surgeon Simulator 2 has a release date – it’s out in August 2020 for PC via the Epic Games Store. As the latest trailer highlights, there are now playable characters, namely Milo, Heather, Penny and Kamal. And of course, Bob returns. Check it out below.

The trailer has a lot going on. Four player co-op is supported and you can match for Quickplay to find others easily. The hospital can also be modified with players choosing different furniture to customize the interiors with. Some of the new levels include one that’s akin to the Surgeon Olympics, which sounds as unethical as it sounds.

Other strange sights include chopping Bob up and reattaching different limbs. Suffice it to say that fans of the original will have even more wacky fun to embrace this time around. Surgeon Simulator 2 will be available on the Epic Games Store for PC when it launches. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Bossa Studios’ breakout indie hit Surgeon Simulator is getting a sequel. Announced at The Game Awards 2019, Surgeon Simulator 2 continues the tradition of wannabe surgeons (aka you and your friends) attempting to treat patients. Hilarity ensues thusly. Check it out below.

The presence of four surgeons in the trailer seems to indicate four-player co-op. A grander scale, as seen by the enormous hospital with dozens of different operating theaters, seems to be teased. Other mechanics have yet to be revealed but the visuals are a definite step-up from the original while maintaining the same charm.

Surgeon Simulator 2 will release in 2020 and has thus far been confirmed for PC. The kicker is that it’s currently exclusive to the Epic Games Store. How long this exclusivity period is for and whether the title will come to other platforms like PS4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Bossa Studios’ I Am Bread is now available on Steam, finally leaving Early Access and available at a discount. You can pick up the game at $9.74 rather than the $13 asking price (valid till April 16th).

From the creators of Surgeon Simulator, I Am Bread has you playing as a slice of bread making it’s way through the world on a journey to become toasted. Yes, seriously. There’s plenty of wacky physics to assist you on this journey and even if you’ve played the Early Access version, you’ll find new content to sick your teeth into.

For instance, the final chapter to Story mode is ready and there’s now a “Magic Marmalade” option to disable the edibility and grip limit of the bread, resulting in an easier playthrough. Rampage Mode has also been revamped and offers a new layout with plenty of things to destroy.

Will you be picking up I Am Bread? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

The game that spawned thousands of different walkthroughs and Let’s Play videos has now passed its second major milestone. Bossa Studios has announced that Surgeon Simulator has sold +2 million copies till date across its various platforms including PS4, iOS, Android and PC.

Bossa’s Henrique Olifiers spoke about the success, stating that, “Thanks to everyone who has played Surgeon Simulator and made it such a global success. It has been really amazing to see this title go from a game jam project to a full release across multiple formats and is testament to the originality and creativity we nurture here at Bossa Studios.”

Currently, Bossa has I Am Bread and another upcoming release with Worlds Adrift. What are your thoughts on the success of Surgeon Simulator, especially given the impact its had on gaming? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more information on the game and Bossa Studios in the coming months.

Bossa Studios, which created Surgeon Simulator and the kitschy I Am Bread, has announced Improbable’s Worlds Adrift which is billed as a multiplayer title set in wide areas with physics-based gameplay. Check out the trailer above for more information.

Bossa co-founder Henrique Olifiers stated on the developer’s official site that, “Think about it: from deathmatch arenas to MMORPGs, you don’t really play with physics. There’s no throwing a player against another to have both falling to the ground; no chopping down a tree to squash a passing-by creature; no having vehicles crash into parts that fly away and hit everyone around.

No crumbling buildings with dangerous debris, no explosions throwing people in different directions…These kind of things don’t exist on multiplayer games, your sword barely grazes your enemies when rampaging through a dungeon with friends. So we set our minds to try to crack this problem and see if we could somehow change the status quo.”

More information will be available on Worlds Adrift this January so stay tuned in the coming weeks.

Bossa Studios have announced that Surgeon Simulator will be making its way to the PlayStation 4. The game was previously released on Steam and iOS, selling over one million copies. Furthermore, the game saw 2.34million fan-made videos uploaded to YouTube and it also managed to hit the Top 5 on the paid App Store charts in 49 countries.

Bossa Studios co-founder and Creator-in-Chief, Imre Jele stated that, “bringing Surgeon Simulator to the PS4 proved to be both an exciting design challenge and a hilarious development experience.This new version definitely escalates the comedy of the original, bringing the physical humour of the game out of the screen and into the living room, which makes testing all the more entertaining!”

The game will make use of the DualShock 4’s six axis allowing players to controls scalpels and forceps. There is no release date yet with Bossa Studios stating that it will be released soon. Are you looking forward to the game? Let us know in the comments section below.

Naturally, for those familiar with the first Half Life – where one of the opening lines was “The time is 8:47 AM” – assumed this was in reference to the Half Life series. Hence, Half Life 3 confirmed.

But not so fast, said the developer on Twitter, when addressing if this had anything to do with Half Life at all. “Whoa! It seems that you’ve got a little ahead of yourselves! Here’s a clue: THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY VALVE GAMES! Carry on now…”

Yet another dead end? Not quite. As of now, Valve has an ARG going on right now, which appears to be Half Life 3 related. Whatever happens, one can’t deny that at least a few people are going to be mind-f**ked by the end.

Described as a “study in simplicity”, Thomas Was Alone is a 2D platformer-puzzler that started out as a Flash-based browser game that made its way to PC and Mac OS X in July 2012. The game focuses on AIs going out of control and gaining unique personalities against the backdrop of a unique narrative voice.

Created by Mike Bithell, the PlayStation versions of Thomas Was Alone have been handled by Curve Studios and Bossa Studios. The game had strong sales on Steam when it made its way to PC and Mac OS X and also garnered much critical acclaim and awards in the years since its release.