Review: Trauma Centre: Under The Knife (NDS)

Conceptually, the Nintendo DS was hailed for its divergent possibilities, but very few companies have actually lived up to this promise. Most seem intent on using the second screen just to show us maps or inventories, something which could have easily been done utilising one screen. However, Atlus has created something very unique indeed: imagine using the DS' touch screen to operate on patients, saving them from the brink of death while the timer ticks down to zero. Then, before you know it, your patient's vital signs drop and you're needed to administrate CPR before your patient passes away. Welcome to Trauma Center: Under The Knife, the most tense and dramatic game we've ever played.

Far from being a serious depiction of life as a doctor, various operations require you to remove pieces of glass from a patient's heart, destroy tumours using some sort of laser, and even summon up über abilities to dismantle a bomb. Each of these procedures could have been made more difficult were it not for the handy stylus - various icons litter the edge of the screen, each with a different application. Handily, the opening couple of stages basically walk you through each icon without filling your head with too much information (and slowly ease you into the game). You also have an assistant to aid you throughout each operation. Each stage wouldn't be as tense if you didn't have multiple worries; not only do you have to monitor your patient's vital signs, but must also pay attention to the time limit slowly ticking down. On many occasions, Gamestyle felt the sweat dripping from our foreheads as more and more complications arose.

Trauma Center: Under The Knife isn't just straight-up operations one after the other - there is a plotline that flows through the game. You play as Dr Derek Stiles, who has to learn from his mentors how to become a better doctor (with many trials and tribulations along the way). Of course, the plot soon spirals into a pit of lunacy, with asides to medical terrorism and a special ability that only certain doctors can obtain (known as the Healing Touch - very similar to Bullet Time, believe it or not). All of this insanity can be 'rationalised' because the game is set in the year 2018, where many of life's current illnesses - cancer, AIDS and so forth - can now be cured. Unfortunately, as you persevere, the main fault lying at the heart (pun intended) of Trauma Center soon becomes apparent: what begins as a love affair with the title is ultimately undone by hardship.

The difficulty levels for each operation are all over the place: you can spend hours trying to save one patient's life, while the next few patients can be attended within minutes (with no real skill needed from the player). On numerous occasions, these difficulty spikes almost took us to breaking point. Gamestyle enjoys a challenge, but not when the scales of 'fair play' are tipped against us. It doesn't help that on the top screen your assistant is constantly barking orders at you - giving what she thinks is helpful advice. But while you're reading this text, the timer and your patient's vital signs are steadily slipping away. Some more soundbites would have been appropriate, but instead you get repeated cries of: "What is that?" and "Doctor!"

Atlus, to its credit, has managed to create a unique and interesting title that shows the player (and indeed other devcos) just how the DS' touch screen should be exploited. Not content with merely providing the option to play through story mode, you are also allowed to 'relive' all of your old operations in the hope of improving your score. Trauma Center: Under The Knife is a unique title that requires the hand of a god and the patience of a saint. Certainly not for everybody, but one that Gamestyle enjoyed right through to its conclusion.

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Adam Gulliver