Galacticare Is A Cozy Management Sim With Just Enough Chaos Mixed In
Galacticare is a relaxing management sim that’s chaotic enough to stay exciting. It has a simple process that’s easy to pick up on. The story mode has challenges but most objectives have no time limit. Patients can die if treatment takes too long. However, there’s usually enough patients to meet each objective. The humor is wacky and pun-filled, which keeps the atmosphere light even when there’s an unfortunate pile up of corpses.
Players take on the role of a new hospital director. It can be easy to plop down rooms without much care, until there’s no extra space to unlock. Each room has minimum dimensions that’s needed to place all parts. This leaves players with closet-sized spaces to place strange contraptions meant to cure even stranger diseases. Each machine has a unique animation that ranges from funny to just a little horrifying. Keeping with the space theme, there’s also plenty of aliens with interesting looks. They have their own needs that have to be balanced with those of humans to raise the hospital’s rating.
Since the gameplay loop is so easy to get immersed in, placing enough diagnosis rooms can avoid problems even in later levels. Galacticare is a good starting point for new players since it doesn’t change mechanically. This might not draw in anyone who isn’t already a fan of the genre. There isn’t a lot of direct control beyond squishing parasites and collecting alien insects. Different kinds appear depending on how well each hospital is doing. Most things are tied to individual levels, including staff, which can get annoying. The game also runs a little slow when first loading up, but I didn’t encounter any bugs.
Galacticare let’s players move at their own pace. Many quirky characters will be introduced like Baz the space “whale” who often drops by frequently to sell needed items. If money is managed well there’s never any real fear that players won’t have what they need. That leads to a sameness about objectives but the quips by HEAL, a cynical AI, and Medi keep up a steady stream of entertaining banter. Galacticare is surprisingly fun and challenging without making players sweat too much. Hours can pass by in a flash as you become focused on keeping patients happy so you can make more money.
