“Ours is the new flesh…”
Hailing from Wloclawek, Poland is indie dev: Woodland Games, with their hybrid horror-sim title: Autopsy Simulator. Being somewhat of a one trick pony when it comes to making only simulators (Taxi Simulator and Oil Rig Simulator) Woodland Games have struck a very unique chord with Autopsy Simulator, offering both an interesting look at the world of pathology that very few get to see, but also telling a harrowing story that deals with subjects such as loss, substance abuse and the decline of one’s sanity. Autopsy Simulator first released on PC back in June 2024, with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions releasing last Thursday (April 3rd 2025). As always, I’ll be going over the time spent with the PlayStation 5 version of the game, detailing the good, deconstructing the bad, whilst ultimately discussing whether the game is worth your time and money at the £24.99 asking price (UK PSN Store).
In terms of jobs that would be an instant nope for most people (unless you’re a turn of the century goth) working as a pathologist is pretty close to the top of that list, outside of maybe a caretaker for a haunted graveyard. With a stigma that has existed since the Middle Ages, jobs that involve dealing with corpses will put you on the fast track to becoming a social pariah, ranging from religious or cultural reasons, to just being downright creepy. However, that doesn’t mean the profession doesn’t hold with it a degree of morbid curiosity for some folk, with the general populace (my fiancée included) having a level of ghoulish fascination with the macabre and true crime in general, with autopsies being part of the overall package (she still however refuses to watch horror films as they’re too scary…). Whilst the life of a pathologist might be a lonely one, it is without a doubt an interesting one, and with ‘simulator’ video games being all the rage these days, it was only a matter of time before someone thought “hang on, there’s an idea…”. That someone is polish indie dev and all-around conservation effort of the simulation genre: Woodland Games (Taxi Simulator and Oil Rig Simulator are other titles of the studio) with their ode to the macabre: Autopsy Simulator, which has been made in conjunction with real life pathomorphologists and forensic doctors to ensure every case is accurate, down to the bloody and gory details.
The game features two distinct ways to experience the game, a story-based campaign that also acts as an overlong tutorial called Dead Memories, following Dr. Jack Hanman, who must battle for his own sanity in a lonesome profession following the loss of his wife, where most of his company comes from the corpses he performs autopsies on. The story mode covers five distinct chapters of Hanman’s life as a pathologist, set in the backdrop of 1990’s New Orleans. Following a tragic event involving the untimely death of his wife: Alice, Hanman buries himself in his work, whilst simultaneously struggling with mental health issues, alcoholism and prescription drug abuse, altering his very sense of reality. In addition to the campaign, is the ‘Autopsy Only Mode’ which is where the ‘simulator’ aspect of the game comes into play, giving you three distinct corpses, each with up to ten different possible causes of death that is different every time, in the respect of the generic causes of death, as each individual corpse also has their own unique cause too, which can be discovered from playing the mode. I would only recommend diving into the secondary mode once you’ve got the main campaign out of the way (it’s only around 4-5 hours long) as it acts as a bit of a tutorial, in respect of how the different tools, tests, procedures and symptoms all work as part of an autopsy.
Nip/Tuck: Autopsy Simulator is one gruesome ride, touching on a subject that is probably taboo for a lot of people.
From a gameplay perspective, Autopsy Simulator is kind of a mixed bag, at its best it’s great, it just doesn’t stay there for very long. The Dead Memories campaign is the main focal point of the game, offering five different chapters, showcasing a different autopsy every time, within the backdrop of Hanman’s mental health in decline. Each chapter showcases more and more of Hanman’s personal life, his declining mental state, as well as the mysterious goings on surrounding his work and his wife’s death. Billed as a horror game as well as a simulator, the game holds down an atmosphere that is hard to describe as anything other than unnerving; the lifeless corpses, the stellar lighting and eerie sound design all come together in a dense web of isolation and despair. This is the game’s strongest suit, and is lessened in my opinion with the occasional asinine, jump scares that are shoehorned in, as it does well enough without them. In terms of the actual meat of gameplay though, the campaign primarily stands as a tutorial as the whole thing is one of the largest hand-holding affairs I think I’ve ever played. Every incision, every test, every requirement; very little is actually left for the player to deduce and is otherwise saved for the ‘Autopsy Only Mode’ which is where the game truly shines.
In respect of the ‘Autopsy Only Mode’, as aforementioned, this is where the game shines in my opinion; allowing you to take on the role of an unnamed, silent, student pathologist (with Dr. Hamnan’s recordings offering guidance). Autopsies themselves are quite in depth, requiring you to be able to think outside the box in respect of the possible causes of death, as they differ every time, ranging across three different bodies with around 30 different causes of death in total (10 per body, 1 of which is unique). This mode emphasizes hands-on forensic work, requiring players to perform detailed external and internal examinations of cadavers, offering a grading system that evaluates performance based on examination thoroughness, accuracy in determining the cause of death, efficiency, and the quality of final stitching etc. Minigames relating to tests and checks require precision, and following instructions from written guides, offering a very intuitive gameplay structure comprising various, authentic autopsy tasks, demanding mastery of specific techniques and improving overall efficiency. Once you’ve ran the tests, and concluded the cause of death, you get scored on your performance, which gives you a breakdown of where you went wrong and where you were correct, allowing you to build upon your knowledge and aim for greater challenges.
Whoooooo are you: Autopsy Simulator’s minigames are morbidly accurate, developed in conjunction with real life pathomorphologists and forensic doctors.
In terms of performance, Autopsy Simulator isn’t anything special to write home about. On the base PlayStation 5, the game runs at a stable 30fps with a dynamic resolution; there were noticeable hiccups throughout the campaign, with frame rate drops on occasion, and some texture glitches, but nothing that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, Autopsy Simulator exists as a proof of concept; interesting in terms of its ideas, but lacking any real flair or polish to make it stand out from the already oversaturated simulation genre. Whilst it does hold down a solid atmosphere, the attempt to shoehorn in some shoddy jump scares, coupled with the amount of hand-holding, really make the whole experience feel a bit too guided. The autopsies are grotesque, and the level of accuracy afforded to the different tests are commendable, but unless you’re a massive fan of CSI or simulation games in general, I would wait for this one to go on sale.
A PlayStation 5 review code was provided by Team17 Digital Ltd.
This review is featured on OpenCritic.
