Dr. Derek Stiles is back for more in Atlus’ sequel to 2005’s Trauma Center: Under the Knife. We were first introduced to our aforementioned protagonist in the original — when he was just a rookie doctor — and watched as he gradually became the savior of the human race by the end of the game. While the plotline of the original game was ludicrous, it was definitely worthy of an absurd admiration every time it dared to reach new comical heights of insanity. For fans of the original, you’ll be happy to know that not much has changed. Other than a slight character redesign, Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 still carries the same addictive gameplay and strong — but at times ridiculous — storyline that made the original so much fun.
The story for Trauma Center 2 takes place several years after the events of the original game. Dr. Stiles is now saving lives at Camp Zakara, a refugee camp in the fictional war-torn country of Costigar, Africa. With his trusty nurse Angie Thompson by his side, he has been assigned to investigate a new illness in and around the Costigar region. But before he can even get his feet wet, Dr. Stiles is whisked back to Caduceus to fight the current developments of the previously eradicated disease GUILT. And coming along for the ride is the new rookie doctor, Adel Tulba, who Dr. Stiles brings back to Angeles Bay for further training.
As in the original, there are a lot of cutscenes between operations, and some subchapters are comprised entirely of lengthy interchanges of melodramatic dialogue. But the story is engaging enough to keep you amused, and the cutscenes give you a welcome break from the intensity of the gameplay, which only gets harder as you progress.
The game looks and feels very much like the original. Other than the character redesigns, everything looks the same. Characters are drawn in 2D anime style for the cutscenes while the surgeries are rendered in 3D. The music is effectively used to help amplify the intense atmosphere during gameplay. Every surgery is a race against time, and the music never lets you forget that fact.
For all the fake surgeon newbies, rest assured that you do not need to play the original game in order to enjoy the sequel. While many aspects of the game remain unchanged, don’t feel overwhelmed; the first chapter of the game acts as a tutorial for the new and a refresher for the surgery vet.
The gameplay is focused around the stylus. With the surgical tools laid out on the sides of the bottom screen, you need to select the appropriate tool when it’s needed and perform the required actions. The basics are easy to get accustomed to by the end of the first chapter as you’re provided with ample amount of practice. But the intensity of the game rises quickly when speed becomes a deciding factor. This fast pace feeds the addictive nature of the game. You always feel that you have a chance to save your patient until things start going really wrong really fast. To give you an idea of the surgical hiccups in the game, there are bursting tumors, internal bleeding and rapidly dropping heart rates that can occur simultaneously. These problems will have you furiously trying to multitask just to make it through the operation. As in the original, if worst comes to worst, there’s always the Healing Touch: a skill possessed by Dr. Stiles that slows down time to help you complete your surgery. But be aware, it can only be used once per surgery so it’s best to save it until you really need to use it.
The game offers three different difficulty levels. This is a welcome feature and an improvement over the original, which had only a singular and unforgiving difficulty setting that posed a significant challenge for any player. Luckily, this time around, you can select your own difficulty level and change it during the course of the game to accommodate your needs.
In the end, Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 is very similar to the original. Other than a slight character redesign, the ability to change difficulty settings and a new storyline, the game plays nearly identical to the first. But that shouldn’t detract you from playing this fine sequel. It’s just as fun and addictive as the original. Atlus deserves a tip of the hat for preserving all the great features of the first Trauma Center and successfully producing a sequel that feels like a natural continuation of the series. Whether you’re a fan of the original or someone new to the series, embrace your inner surgeon, and operate to your heart’s content.
