Sick Business by very dark lord

[raw]
made by very dark lord for LD 44 (JAM)

You just started in the hospital business. To get things running you borrowed some money from the Mafia. In return they expect ridiculous amounts of danegeld from you as the doctor. So it’s up to you to keep the cash flowing, no matter what the cost, or your business will be closed down! But beware, the police is not too keen on seeing body bags being dragged around the streets...

WASD / Arrow keys, Space bar and number keys to control the game. Esc pauses the game. No mouse needed. Gameplay happens in your browser, so no additional download is required.

Story, gameplay, graphics, music, etc. were exclusively created for this game by us. Just some sound effects were taken from freesound.org (all CC0-licensed).

sickBusiness1.png

SickBusiness2.png

sickBusiness3.png

Bugfixes - since the release we fixed a couple of bugs in the game. Here's an overview about all the changes we made: - ending screens could be closed accidentally by pressing space ingame just when the screen appeared; added a short delay where user input is ignored to prevent players from not being able to see the ending screen - it was possible to continuously restart minigames by holding return key, which was especially confusing with regards to the "give organ" treatment - fixed minigame description text display to make clear players should use the space key, as some players tried return instead, accidentally ending the training mode (potentially resulting in failed patient treatments and thus casualties and difficulties to beat the game) - attempt to fix a bug causing game freezes on rare occasions, but unfortunately it didn't seem to work (note: in case you encounter such a crash, it would be quite helpful if you could open the browser dev tools (usually via F12) console and let us know about the error message) - there was a bug where restarting the game after winning or losing would play the second soundtrack over the first one

NOTE: Please use Chrome or Firefox to play this game for now. Other browsers may not fully support the game, or not run it at all. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Ratings

Given 106🗳️ 113🗨️

Feedback

slotha
30. Apr 2019 · 07:56 UTC
Very nice Game, The soundtrack was really good.
sanjeev
30. Apr 2019 · 08:05 UTC
Pretty much everything in this game is amazing! The visual art, menus are all nicely polished and well put together. The minigames were fun and really added to the humour. Also loved the idea of being a crooked doctor, trying to make as much money as possible. Really awesome work guys! 👍
Christopher Wong
30. Apr 2019 · 08:15 UTC
Very Interesting game, I really enjoyed the minigames within the main one. However I didn't get to far as some point the Mafia was taking like 4 thousand at a time and I was sure if there was a possible win state.
Yngvarr
30. Apr 2019 · 08:27 UTC
This is ridiculous! XD WarioWare-like minigames are the best, I wish I saw this kind of stuff more often. =)

"Prescribe Drugs" seemed a bit too difficult. And the game would benefit from the ability to run faster (e.g. by holding Shift key). The character looks chilling when he/she should be rushing.

Visuals and music are great. =)
Majadroid
30. Apr 2019 · 08:27 UTC
Interesting and fun idea, good mood, nice graphics. Also the game mechanics and the minigames are well made. Although it could be a little bit harder, it felt a little bit to easy to play.
blednaya
30. Apr 2019 · 08:49 UTC
Awesome! Craziest thing i've seen lately! Corpses near registration, throwing organs into patients, free placebo using.
I am amazed :D
monkeyDvrus
30. Apr 2019 · 09:45 UTC
I love this game! I could play it lot of hours.
Good game rythm.
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
PseudoBytes
30. Apr 2019 · 10:19 UTC
The game looks and sounds amazing. Definitely something I would want more of. A very nice tough on the theme of the jam. I felt like movement was a bit slow though, maybe you could have made it just a little bit faster.
GabrielGaspar
30. Apr 2019 · 14:05 UTC
Really well made game, it is nice to have the overall gameplay going with smaller details to pay attention to. The story is also nicely tied into the theme where you have mafia vs police, so you have to choose to scam people with the surgeries or be on the ethics side. Very well done!
MathiasAWK
30. Apr 2019 · 14:29 UTC
Incredibly addictive, wonderful art style, hilarious idea. I wish I had this idea, but I'm certain I wouldn't have executed the idea as well as you managed. Very impressed!
DrVernichter
30. Apr 2019 · 15:23 UTC
weird champ haha! 5 stars
GaryS
30. Apr 2019 · 17:30 UTC
This is fantastic... loved the minigames and the strategy. All really good - except, I played a few times and on each occasion the game would just freeze up at around 5 minutes in. Shame, because I reckon I could lose a couple of hours on this!
Belea
30. Apr 2019 · 17:37 UTC
Waw, that was amazing. Music, visuals and mechanics are really nice. I love the detail that you can choose your gender at the start

5 :stars: !!! Good job
Sir Shoe
30. Apr 2019 · 18:05 UTC
Nice game, haha. There were parts that left me in despair. The art is very cool and the minigames too.
Duke
30. Apr 2019 · 18:07 UTC
@garys Thanks for your feedback mate! Very much appreciated. We hope to fix the bug you mentioned as soon as possible
DarSpace
30. Apr 2019 · 18:13 UTC
Very nice game! :D
GaryS
30. Apr 2019 · 18:15 UTC
@duke ping me when you do, I'd love to play this a bit more!
Duke
30. Apr 2019 · 18:24 UTC
-
Skyball
30. Apr 2019 · 18:49 UTC
Ooff...
Not that easy!
It's actually pretty fitting, as the longer your patients live, the more money you get...
kyavi
30. Apr 2019 · 19:40 UTC
wow, the first game i've given all 5s to this jam! beautiful presentation, mini games that are actually fun and interesting is ~really~ amazing to see, and the humour is just right! even though this game isn't similar to Theme Hospital, you've captured a different kind of humour to the same positive effect. thank you for making this :)
Rancoud
30. Apr 2019 · 21:10 UTC
Very fun to play, good work team :)
Keys highlighted for commands explantion in the beginning is really a good idea!
Mini games are fun but I understand too late how the practice mode works
Nayaki Anandan
30. Apr 2019 · 21:33 UTC
That was some dark humor! overall this game feels really polished and nice. Thanks for making it!
benmcnelly
30. Apr 2019 · 22:26 UTC
How.... I mean like... Theme, on point, game-play and idea are stellar. Just solid execution on all points. $5 says this wins it all.
castrolol
01. May 2019 · 01:25 UTC
MAAAAAAAN.... IT'S Awesome, I spent about one hour playing... it's a professional work !!
Megan Kozun
01. May 2019 · 03:25 UTC
Absolutely LOVE this game!!! Super polished feeling and I love the practice mini-games before the real one, made it very easy to understand the mechanics. This kind of reminds me of the way that Diner Dash and similar games play (used to play those all the time so that's probably why i liked it so much lol). Easily on of my favorite games I've seen so far! Good work!!! :)
paulhocker
01. May 2019 · 05:06 UTC
that was fun -- i loved the games in the game -- well done -- thanks for making it
cozmic
01. May 2019 · 12:53 UTC
The page sadly doesn't load for me (I'm using Edge as a browser)
This is the only console output:
![Unbenannt.png](///raw/bff/71/z/241c4.png)
Jiri Hysek
01. May 2019 · 13:06 UTC
Great work guys! Funny gameplay, I like the houmour, minigames, music.. oh and I almost forgot the graphics which was great as well! I don't really know what I would suggest to make the game better. Amazing entry!
damantisshrimp
01. May 2019 · 13:06 UTC
I loved it! Tough to keep patients alive, but the choices are always funny. It is very polished, congratulations!
karreg
01. May 2019 · 13:07 UTC
Woaw, my favourite entry so far !
There is fun, humor and the content is huge !
I perfectly understood the context and how to play the game. And there is even a practice mode !

I love the ambience too, there is a good mood thanks to the graphics and the music.

Congrats !
Oleg Tarusov
01. May 2019 · 13:08 UTC
Love it! Hard to imagine how to do somethimg similar in three days!
🎤 very dark lord
01. May 2019 · 13:30 UTC
@cozmic thanks for trying! It seems Edge is having trouble with a relatively recent JavaScript-Feature. We're looking into whether Edge can handle it after we replace it with an alternative right now and will let you know if we find a way.

At everyone else, thank you so much for your kind feedback, really makes our day!
🎤 very dark lord
01. May 2019 · 14:27 UTC
@cozmic Unfortunately there are more issues with Edge we couldn't resolve yet. For now we'll have to ask players to use Firefox or Chrome instead. Sorry about the inconvenience, and thanks for letting us know!
Barbiche
01. May 2019 · 14:55 UTC
This is so great, had much fun with this game! Despite its appearance, it is way simpler and intuitive that I thought, and going through minigames is just excellent! The general atmosphere is awesome, as the graphics, and the games remind me how great playing WarioWare was. Keep going like this, I could continue for hours!
Entropy
01. May 2019 · 15:38 UTC
This game is just extraordinary, everthing about it is fun. I had a really good time trying it and I wish you guys develop it further.
I wish the character could move a little bit faster, but apart from that everything feels so good. The minigames are a good amount of fun, the idea is brilliant, the execution is perfect.
Kuddos to the team of creators, it's my favorite game so far !
Roilbauk
01. May 2019 · 15:58 UTC
Really good game, I had fun playing it thanks ! :smile:
Nillard
01. May 2019 · 16:39 UTC
One of my favorites so far. Expected to just press a button and be done with treatment, but the minigames caught me off guard! Great mood setting moment. Found it a bit easy to make money by giving any high budget patients placebo surgeries. But hey that part could be true to life...
shaner421
01. May 2019 · 19:36 UTC
We saw your review of our game and decided to take a look at yours, and by gosh we were completely blown away! This is so polished, so well executed that I honestly would pay money for this. My girlfriend literally spent so long in it that the only reason she stopped playing was because it crashed! If a publisher doesn't pick this up I'd be seriously disappointed. This is probably in my top 3 for this ludum dare. Incredible work, and I really look forward to seeing what you do post-jam with this absolutely awesome game.
Amerigo Gazaway
01. May 2019 · 21:50 UTC
Great work! Love the organ transplant and surgery scenes, and the whole concept is hilarious use of the theme. Nicely done!
Lazertrax
02. May 2019 · 00:25 UTC
Fantastic game! It got me hooked for almost an hour! I really loved the risk factors and the fun minigames with the surgeries and prescriptions...etc I felt it needs a bit more balancing but that didn't keep me from playing! Loved the graphics so much as well! very well done :thumbsup:
malero
02. May 2019 · 13:25 UTC
Wow! This game is a ton of fun! Nice work.
tshiif
02. May 2019 · 13:29 UTC
Dang, I very much enjoyed this. Impressed by the variety of minigames, the presentation and the grim humour. It's a rough life being a doctor these days!
Jin9310
02. May 2019 · 13:54 UTC
This is really amazing what you were able to create during such short period of time. It feels really complex and well polished! Not to mention great idea. One of best submissions I have so far seen and will definitely get back to this again! Thanks a lot for such nice entry, Great Job!
Hugimugi7
02. May 2019 · 17:32 UTC
Really well made minigames and hilarious!
Faithcaio
02. May 2019 · 17:52 UTC
Great game. Love the amount of minigames
I should probably not become a doctor.
Rahtainka
02. May 2019 · 23:59 UTC
I love your game!

**Positive things: **

- nice graphics
- nice music and ambient sounds
- verry polished and complex
- i love the mini games
- it's fun


**Negative things: **

- I don't get how it fits the theme

Great work, well done!
🎤 very dark lord
03. May 2019 · 06:54 UTC
@rahtainka thank you! Regarding the theme: Our hospital is run like a business, and the patients are considered valuable in that they earn us money while they're alive (they pay rent for the bed they use, and we can do our lucrative surgeries/treatments on them. When they die, we pay a penalty). That's the main way in which we incorporated the theme.

On top of that, but that's more of a lucky coincidence, your own life is coupled to the money you possess due to the nature of your relation to the mafia. The amount of money thus always reflects the player's risk of dying themselves.
Rahtainka
03. May 2019 · 09:42 UTC
@very-dark-lord thanks for your explanation.
JamesOliverMusic
03. May 2019 · 09:49 UTC
This game is great! very funny and entertaining. Very innovative use of the theme. I'd like to see more content and for this game to go further post-jam. Maybe being able to expand the hospital? Hire additional doctors? :)
gimblll
03. May 2019 · 10:33 UTC
That was a pleasant surprise. High production values all around. Minigames were quite funny, but started to get a bit old in the long run. But I had fun, excellent entry!
Enver Arco
03. May 2019 · 13:34 UTC
Very nice pixel art and general mechanics. Good idea turning each action into a minigame and the pixel for each was great
Mika la Grand
03. May 2019 · 14:24 UTC
Great game, really liked playing it! The humor was great. At one moment there was a dead body laying just outside of the hospital and I figured it wouldn't get moved to the bin, but it did.
Duke
03. May 2019 · 14:52 UTC
@mika-la-grand Thanks for your kind feedback, always appreciated.
And yes, the facility manager always goes the extra mile to clean the streets ;)
AwesomeAlliterationAlliance
03. May 2019 · 19:46 UTC
Very impressive level of detail! I allways love it when games have that amount of content. The minigames are a lot of fun and very versatile. The story ties everything together really nicely and really nails the theme. Very impressive work. Good job!
Shunaky
03. May 2019 · 20:49 UTC
This game is really funny, I laughed a lot on this game, when I saw that GIANT pill that the patient had to take I just couldn't stop hahahaha
nettaigyo
04. May 2019 · 13:32 UTC
The concept is so cool. All minigames are well suited to the theme, and very fun! Nice work!
cheesepencil
04. May 2019 · 23:09 UTC
Great entry, good work!
caranha
05. May 2019 · 03:55 UTC
Ha! I loved it! Having to balance all the patients was really fun, and the little details on the whole idea of the game "what a real doctor would do" was quite fantastic.

I think that it was a little hard following all the messages. Maybe making a box for them? or changing the font a little bit? It was not quite clear to me when the mafia would show up next, or how much money they would charge me.

Fantastic game! Thanks!
GhostGoatsGames
05. May 2019 · 05:54 UTC
This is excellent. I played it for a very long time.
Duke
05. May 2019 · 08:01 UTC
@caranha Thanks for your feedback! Time ran out and we couldn't afford it anymore to fix the readability issues of the text messages throughout the game. We are currently working on a post-jam version that fixes all main usability issues. So, thanks for letting us know!
zuzupd
05. May 2019 · 19:56 UTC
This is a good well polished game. Minigames are great and funny. Well done.
Pusheeneiro
06. May 2019 · 13:13 UTC
Very nice "Crazy Hospital" Simulator. :herb: