Sega will publish the spiritual successor to Theme Hospital. Two Point Hospital, which is being made by two developers of the 1997 hospital management sim, will release later this year.
Here’s how the Theme Hospital devs made illness funny.
The trailer for the game is relatively light on details but shows off a terrifying new illness. It’s called Light-Headedness, the primary symptom of which involves the patient’s head turning into a lightbulb, and is Two Point Hospital’s take on Theme Hospital’s own mystery illness, Bloaty-Head Syndrome.
A look at the first in-game images suggests the art style will be similar to Theme Hospital’s, although slightly updated to reflect the 20+ year gap between the two games. You’ll be able to design and manage your hospital, curing (and profiting from) your patients to compete with rival healthcare organisations.
The new game will be the first game from indie developers Two Point Studios. Two of the studio’s founders, Mark Webley and Gary Carr, worked on the original game back in the mid-’90s.
You can check out the trailer at the top of the page or visit the Two Point Hospital’s website for more information. The latter gives you the opportunity to sign up for the game’s Hospital Pass, which secures you exclusive promotions and a free in-game item at launch. A look at the game’s Steam page gives away a little more info, with a “Fall 2018” release date, and a brief discussion about features, including potential hints at online leaderboards and multiplayer challenges.
If you feel you’ve grown up a bit since before the millenium and Two Point Hospital’s wackier aesthetic just isn’t for you, help is at hand. Late last year, another studio, Oxymoron Games, announced their own Project Hospital.