War Hospital

About

In "War Hospital," you play as Major Henry Wells, a British combat medic in WW1, tasked with running a field hospital near the French Front. With limited resources, your duty is to treat severe injuries and build a community of survivors. The game features real WW1 equipment and medical procedures that evolve over time, and your choices significantly impact the outcome of the story.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 790 reviews

gameplay62 positive mentions

stability64 negative mentions

Unique concept focusing on the medical side of WWI, providing a fresh perspective on war games.
Engaging gameplay that challenges players to make tough moral decisions regarding patient care and resource management.
Atmospheric graphics and sound design that enhance the immersive experience of managing a field hospital.

Numerous bugs and performance issues, particularly in later chapters, leading to crashes and unplayable scenarios.
Clunky user interface that makes managing staff and resources tedious, with a lack of hotkeys and tooltips.
Repetitive gameplay loop that can become monotonous, especially after the initial chapters, with little replay value.

gameplay
234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
10%
The gameplay of the war hospital management game is characterized by a mix of interesting mechanics and challenging resource management, but it suffers from repetitiveness and bugs that hinder the overall experience. While players appreciate the strategic elements and the historical context, many find the gameplay loop tedious and frustrating due to poor balancing, lack of clear tutorials, and insufficient integration of mechanics. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements to enhance player engagement and enjoyment.
- “I really enjoyed all of the different mechanics and challenges presented by the game.”
- “Gameplay is a bit stressful but very satisfying, and it ticks all the boxes for the 'make interesting decisions, suffer consequences' urge for me.”
- “The strategic elements keep you on your toes, and the WWI vibe is authentically portrayed, making it a compelling recommendation for those who enjoy both strategic gameplay and the historical backdrop of World War I.”
- “But it is from a gameplay standpoint that I cannot recommend this game.”
- “It forces a gameplay of balancing everything, and because it is forced so much it is not an enjoyable challenge; you will be struggling the whole time to keep everything balanced: your resources, your personnel, your patients, and anytime you start to feel like you’re getting somewhere, it throws something at you to screw it all up, keeping you on that brink of collapse.”
- “As you progress beyond the initial hours, the gameplay becomes bogged down by repetitive mechanics exacerbated by an inadequate user interface with insufficient tooltips and unclear instructions, accompanied by a host of frustrating bugs that compelled me to frequently reload older save files and restart entire chapters.”
story
150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
75%
4%
The story in the game is generally considered weak and unengaging, with long cutscenes that add little to the narrative and a lack of meaningful challenges throughout the gameplay. While it offers a unique perspective on World War I and touches on the horrors of war, many players find the storyline repetitive and lacking depth, leading to low replayability. Technical issues and bugs further detract from the experience, making it difficult for players to fully immerse themselves in the narrative.
- “It is a management and triage game with a driven story that offers some glimpse into the horror of the Great War and the everyday struggle to maintain humanity.”
- “This game is not meant for everyone; it reminds me of 'This War of Mine', a game that was not graphically pristine but was made to show the horrors of war and drive the player into difficult decisions. If you immerse yourself into the story plot and each soldier, your heart would break.”
- “The story is pretty good, and you have tasks to achieve all the way through to receive staff permits to boost your medical teams (doctors, nurses, and stretcher teams) and bring in more engineers.”
- “The storyline is very short, there are no challenges, and you can't build things, only upgrade an existing set of buildings.”
- “The story is weaker though.”
- “The cut scenes are too long and with little to no added story, so those really should be shortened or fixed. I just started skipping all of them, and unless you check the scouting map very frequently, you will miss scouting opportunities because there is no easy notification to tell you a mission is available.”
graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
3%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and atmospheric visuals that effectively convey the war theme, while others criticize the quality of cutscenes and graphical glitches that detract from the experience. Many players find the graphics acceptable for a game of this type and budget, though performance issues like lag and low frame rates are noted by some. Overall, the game is seen as visually appealing, but it struggles with optimization and consistency in graphical quality.
- “The graphics are also very well done.”
- “The visuals and music are outstanding.”
- “Came for the beautiful stylized graphics, stayed for the serious subject and interesting gameplay.”
- “Full of bugs and ugly graphics.”
- “By the time the graphic glitches dropped off the whole map and left only un-interactable UI elements, I had to call it quits.”
- “Once major drawback is the graphics, not sure if it is not optimized or what is happening but in between chapters and during gameplay it is lagging like crazy.”
stability
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, affecting both gameplay and user interface, making it feel unfinished and at times unplayable. While some players find it enjoyable despite these issues, many recommend saving frequently due to the instability. Overall, the game's current state suggests it may be more suited for an early access label rather than a full release.
- “Pretty much bug free.”
- “The game is fun, but too buggy to play.”
- “But, the game is currently a buggy mess and becomes ultimately unplayable after chapter 2.”
- “War hospital is a very cool idea, showcasing the horrors of war from the perspective of the medical corps, that's let down by how buggy and sloppy the entire experience is.”
optimization
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering and frame rate drops, particularly in later chapters. While some users noted improvements after patches, others described the optimization as poor, likening it to early access titles with numerous bugs. Conversely, a few players experienced smooth performance without major technical issues, indicating that optimization may vary based on individual setups.
- “It runs smoothly after the patch and I haven't encountered any issues since.”
- “It's also a well-optimized project, no issues playing on a laptop with a dozen things open in the background.”
- “Also, I did not encounter any game-breaking bugs or optimization problems, which is also a plus.”
- “Looks like an early access game, although I played early access games with much fewer bugs and a whole lot better optimized.”
- “However, this game runs like an absolute dog, and has plenty of bugs that need fixing to help with the performance!”
- “All of that is excusable; what isn't is the terrible optimization and performance.”
atmosphere
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its intensity and immersion, effectively capturing a heavy wartime setting reminiscent of titles like "This War of Mine" and "Frostpunk." While the music, sound design, and graphics contribute to a suspenseful experience, some players note that certain dialogue choices and static elements detract from the overall impact. Despite some bugs and filler content that disrupt the mood, the core atmosphere remains a strong point, making the game engaging and challenging.
- “There's a heavy wartime atmosphere to it, and decisions aren't always as straightforward as they may seem at first glance.”
- “The music, sound design, and seamless graphics create a suspenseful, sometimes grim but not overly heavy atmosphere that further emphasizes what's at stake.”
- “It is an incredibly challenging title that pulls you into its intense atmosphere, making you feel like you're genuinely fighting for real human lives.”
- “The people are quickly reduced to a resource and any atmosphere is gone.”
- “The game has a very static feeling, which absolutely kills the atmosphere.”
- “I love what they are aiming for, I really do, but sadly this game currently has little more than atmosphere to offer.”
grinding
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a double-edged sword; while some appreciate the resource management and the sense of progression it provides, many criticize it for being overly tedious and clunky. The user experience is often described as frustrating due to repetitive tasks, a cumbersome interface, and a lack of engaging elements, leading to a gameplay loop that becomes tiresome over time. Overall, while the game has potential, the grinding mechanics could benefit from significant improvements to enhance enjoyment.
- “Hopefully an update makes this part of the game less prominent because it gets tedious very fast.”
- “Unfinished cutscenes and repetitive grindy gameplay with no frills.”
- “The management system is very, very clunky; it's tedious to check inventory, perform ordering, and managing and building structures is more annoying than it needs to be.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The music in the game is highly praised for its dynamic nature, adapting to gameplay events and enhancing the overall atmosphere. Reviewers note its ability to create suspense and a grim yet engaging ambiance, likening it to the style of "Frostpunk." Many players found the music enjoyable enough to listen to for extended periods without fatigue, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.
- “I listened to the music for maybe 20 hours and I didn't get tired of it.”
- “The music, sound design, and seamless graphics create a suspenseful, sometimes grim but not overly heavy atmosphere that further emphasizes what's at stake.”
- “The atmosphere is great; I also like the art style and atmospheric music, the hard choices to make.”
- “The dystopian music is a plus, and much of the game resembles Frostpunk in terms of its animation style and game mechanics.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
29%
57%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its very low to nonexistent replayability, with many players noting that once the main storyline is completed, there is little incentive to return. While some enjoyed their initial playtime, they felt the lack of a sandbox mode and repetitive gameplay diminished the potential for replay value. A few elements, such as random events affecting individual characters, offer slight variability, but this is not enough to significantly enhance replayability.
- “It also does not have a 'sandbox' mode, and the overall story plays out on a calendar timeline on top of your screen, a lot like Frostpunk. Although the global timeline events are set in stone, the individuals, their injuries, the severity, and complications are all random, giving the main storyline more replayability.”
- “The replayability of it is very low to nonexistent, and other than scout missions beyond the half to two-thirds mark of the game, it is autopilot.”
- “In short, for me the game is worth your time, but the price was a little too steep given the lack of polish, the relative shortness of the game, and the lack of replayability.”
- “Unfortunately, I don't see any replay value, but I wish for the developer to make a sequel placed in the M.A.S.H.”
monetization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game appears to be tied to the inefficiencies in the medic system, where players express frustration over the mechanics that require unnecessary steps for patient transport, leading to wasted resources and exhaustion of staff. Additionally, the design flaws in certain areas contribute to the overwhelming number of casualties, further complicating the monetization experience. Overall, players feel that the monetization model is hindered by these gameplay issues.
- “I can have 2 people working ads on a 12-hour shift with no work to do, and they just get exhausted without even doing any work.”
- “Why is it necessary to carry everyone to the ads before putting someone in the ambulance standing next to it?”
- “Some parts of the game, like ads or the graveyard, are relatively poorly designed, and you can never handle the barrage of wounded (and also dead).”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted as a powerful exploration of the harrowing experiences faced in a World War I field hospital, emphasizing the moral dilemmas and emotional toll of each decision. While it effectively conveys the chaos and devastation of war, players seeking a more traditional resource management experience may find it lacking in emotional depth. Overall, it is praised for its unique focus on a lesser-known historical context, though it may not resonate with all players.
- “A brilliant game about the hectic and demoralizing experience of operating a field hospital in the Great War, with all the challenges and physical/emotional devastation that come with it.”
- “If you are looking for an emotional anti-war game that lets you overthink every decision and gets you emotional, look elsewhere.”
- “And there are never enough games touching on the lesser-known World War One.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game to be lighthearted and amusing, particularly during the endgame where the absurdity of processing numerous soldiers creates a comedic contrast to the more serious tone of other games like Frostpunk. Many reviewers note that the game's easier difficulty adds to the humor, making it feel less stressful than expected.
- “At the end game, it's more 'hah hospital go brrr' and you're processing so many soldiers it's funny.”
- “It sort of feels easier than Frostpunk, and it's kind of funny when you look at the other reviews that claim it's too stressful and hard.”