Do No Harm

About

Do No Harm is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Darts Games and was released on March 6, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

A Doctor Simulator with a Lovecraftian twist. Diagnose patients by analyzing unsettling symptoms and treat them using your Book of Medicine. Make moral choices — decide who to save or kill, discover whom to trust, and unlock multiple endings! Can you endure 30 days of perilous decisions?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 405 reviews

gameplay65 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

Unique blend of medical simulation and Lovecraftian horror with a compelling atmosphere and story.
Engaging gameplay loop with puzzle-solving elements and multiple endings that increase replayability.
Art style and sound design are well-received, creating a spooky yet cozy environment.

Mechanics, especially dosage and mixing medicines, are poorly explained and sometimes feel like guessing, causing frustration.
Game can be buggy with some UI issues and inconsistencies in patient symptoms and treatment outcomes.
Sanity and anomaly systems can feel unfair or punishing due to limited resources and unclear feedback.

gameplay
309 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
72%
7%
The gameplay centers on diagnosing and treating patients via a layered, evolving system of mechanics combining resource management, investigative deduction, and sanity management. While many players find the core loop engaging and rewarding once understood, frequent critiques highlight poor explanations, unclear tutorials, and frustrating guesswork—especially concerning dosage and mixing medicines—that can hinder enjoyment and cause trial-and-error frustrations. Despite occasional repetitiveness and mechanical opacity in later stages, the gameplay is appreciated for its depth, challenge, and integration with the atmospheric storytelling.
- “I myself am a big fan of this style of gameplay, so I didn't find myself getting bored of the loop of diagnosing and curing the various town-folk.”
- “The core gameplay loop is getting a knock on the door, admitting a new patient, having them tell you their symptoms, (later on) examining them for more clues, then giving them the correct dose of the four humors.”
- “Overall enjoyed it so giving it a rec - the base gameplay loop, the world, the art, the mechanics getting deeper as you go on are great.”
- “The first two mechanics are relatively easy, but then you're given a wheel diagram... thing... that's just extremely poorly explained.”
- “Firstly, it explains its mechanics very poorly. To summarize, each patient will come in with a symptom and its severity, from which you need to choose one of four medicines and a dosage strength between 1 and 9. The game only tells you if it's a high or low number, so the dosage is essentially a guess. Getting it wrong wastes medicine, and running out means you're out of luck.”
- “I stopped playing this game pretty quickly because the tutorial and gameplay mechanics were too confusing to understand and it wasn’t fun.”
story
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The story in "Do No Harm" offers an intriguing, Lovecraft-inspired narrative with branching paths and multiple endings that engage players who enjoy atmospheric, consequence-driven storytelling. While many praise its rich lore, art style, and slow unfolding mystery, some find the narrative pacing uneven, the storytelling occasionally disjointed or cliché, and character development lacking depth. Overall, the story complements the gameplay for those drawn to deliberate, immersive experiences, though it may feel repetitive or underdeveloped to others.
- “Narratively, Do No Harm thrives on consequence-driven storytelling.”
- “The story is interesting, how you take care of the patients reflects on how different characters treat you, there are multiple morality paths (therefore endings) you can choose and none of them seem perfectly 'good' or 'bad', it's all a grey area based on what your view on life is.”
- “I love the lore, the characters, and how my actions in decisions affects the outcome of the story.”
- “It falls flat on literally everything it attempts; the storytelling is both too fast paced and too slow, the gameplay loop is just so boring, and nothing happens.”
- “Then, the story feels so obvious but has no progression at all.”
- “There was a lot of telling me what the story is rather than actually showing me anything.”
humor
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a blend of dark, silly elements that add charm and personality, though it can be overshadowed by a confusing "humor wheel" mechanic that many find difficult to understand and poorly explained. While some players appreciate the humor wheel as a fun puzzle that enriches gameplay once mastered, others feel it complicates the experience and disrupts the game's flow. Overall, the humor adds a quirky, eerie tone but is sometimes hindered by unclear presentation and mechanics.
- “The humor wheel is one of the most fun parts in my opinion.”
- “The humor wheel really helped me figure things out and made tricky patients more manageable.”
- “If you understand how the humor wheel works as soon as you get that page, it will be very useful later when you have to mix medicine.”
graphics
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
49%
6%
The game’s graphics are widely praised for their distinctive, atmospheric, and eerie art style that effectively captures a Lovecraftian mood, blending 2D and 3D elements with a macabre and mysterious vibe. While some note minor inconsistencies and occasional graphical errors, the overall visual design is highly regarded for enhancing immersion and storytelling, making it one of the game's strongest and most captivating aspects.
- “The game's atmosphere is dense and oppressive, reinforced by a stunning art style that masterfully blends 3D and 2D elements.”
- “The macabre graphics, multiple routes/quests, and the eldritch theme make for an interesting game!”
- “One of my favorite art styles I have ever seen in a game.”
- “The artstyle isn't cohesive, and varies in quality greatly.”
- “However, after some time, they added customer appearances that didn't really match the atmosphere and art style of previous customers.”
- “Given there isn't much detailed animation in the patients walking, nor does there need to be, it's small things like that which make the game feel unpolished, which is a shame because it has some of my most favorite artwork in any games I have played.”
atmosphere
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The game’s atmosphere is widely praised for its dense, eerie, and immersive Lovecraftian horror tone, supported by a muted, haunting art style and sound design that enhance a sense of unease and mystery. While some critics note occasional mismatches in visual elements and pacing issues, the overall deliberate, oppressive mood and cryptic narrative effectively draw players into a tense, reflective experience. This distinctive atmosphere is often cited as the game's strongest appeal, complementing its thoughtful gameplay and storytelling.
- “The game’s atmospheric visuals, haunting sound design, and richly written patient encounters immerse you in a world where every diagnosis feels like a step deeper into the unknown.”
- “The game’s atmosphere is dense and oppressive, reinforced by a stunning art style that masterfully blends 3D and 2D elements.”
- “This interplay between logic and instability creates an atmosphere of constant unease.”
- “However, after some time, they added customer appearances that didn't really match the atmosphere and art style of previous customers.”
- “It doesn't really create any atmosphere, it doesn't create any tension, it's literally just there.”
- “I really like the theme and the atmosphere this game is trying to create, but you really are just guessing half the time.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
22%
21%
The music in this game is consistently praised for its beautiful, haunting, and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the mysterious and dark atmosphere. Players appreciate the standout soundtrack, including unique tracks tied to different endings, and look forward to its official release. Overall, the music complements the art and sound design, creating a captivating audio-visual experience.
- “The art and music are stunning, creating a dark, immersive atmosphere that pulls you in.”
- “The art is gorgeous, the music is lovely, and the sound effects are especially satisfying.”
- “Great mysterious atmosphere and I loved the sounds and soundtrack.”
- “Music: there's only one track for the entire game (besides menu and endings).”
- “For gameplay experimentation I went back to see what happens if my sanity runs out, and I got a different ending with different music.”
- “The music in the opening menu really sets the stage.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and stressful, with repetitive tasks and unclear mechanics that hinder immersion. While some appreciate the core gameplay loop, many find the resource management and repetitive nature tiresome, making it feel more like guesswork than engaging progression.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “There are a good amount of endings for the game, although it can be tedious going back to try to go through the different paths.”
- “Boring, grindy gameplay and an equally dull story.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from frequent bugs affecting various aspects like tutorials, NPC interactions, UI elements, and achievements, which can disrupt gameplay and immersion. While these stability issues are notable, many players still find the game enjoyable and hope for future improvements.
- “Can be quite buggy, especially on scripted tutorials.”
- “This game starts out cool but it's so buggy!”
- “The game also is buggy; the officer will visit me because I killed people, and the priest will complain I killed people even when I do everything right.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The game offers strong replayability thanks to its save system and multiple endings, encouraging players to explore alternate paths and try different approaches. Its engaging gameplay and unique mechanics further enhance the incentive to replay and discover varied outcomes.
- “Replayability is good with the save system, where you can see your alternate paths and backtrack accordingly.”
- “Being able to reach multiple endings adds replay value and motivates to try new approaches.”
- “Great gameplay with a lot of replay value too.”
- “-Replay value: it depends.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with noticeable performance drops during lighting effects causing significant stuttering and frame skipping. While brief framerate dips don't majorly impact gameplay, issues like invisible patients and fullscreen mode problems highlight the need for improved optimization.
- “Okay, I give you that, the performance can be shaky, but since the gameplay is not majorly affected by frame rate drops for a few seconds, I can personally gloss over that.”
- “Only performance issue is when the lighting effects hit, which causes my PC to scream in agony.”
- “Patients that are invisible, can't play in full screen because of the stuttering and frame skipping.”
- “However, there are a few pain points that I think the developers should work on addressing, first and foremost being optimization issues.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
Character development features unique and appealing designs with engaging endings that encourage completion, but some characters lack variety and are reused too frequently. Additionally, certain patient designs can be confusing due to misleading visual cues unrelated to gameplay mechanics.
- “All the character designs are unique, but I do wish there were more variants of the regular patients since I think the models get cycled through too quickly.”
- “Amazing character designs and endings that make you want to get them all!”
- “All the character designs are unique, but I wish there were more variants of the regular patients since the models get cycled through too quickly.”
- “Some patients have features that look like they come from introduced mechanics, but actually do not, resulting in confusing character design.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the monetization could be improved by making the advertising less intrusive and more subtle.