Gore Doctor Review (PC)

It goes without saying, really, but I wasn’t expecting to witness sunshine and rainbows when it came to descending into the twisted labyrinth of Gore Doctor. With a title like that, I knew that, if I didn’t have the stomach for grotesque horrors and barbaric torture devices, I probably wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it. For full disclosure, I don’t have the stomach for it; I tolerate it — similar to how I just about tolerate the likes of SAW, Hostel, or Terrifier, for that matter. But, for the sake of providing a definitive answer for your own amusement, I thought I’d throw caution to the wind and dip my toes into its tainted pools of blood and bone for, you know, research. I can’t say that I wanted to be an instrument in some deranged doctor’s unholy contraption, but, there you go — I was. Thanks, Salient Games.

From the moment you plunge into the opaque corridors of Gore Doctor, the general aesthetic of the game becomes abundantly clear: it isn’t your bog-standard survival-horror, but rather, a gore-centric art installation that revels in mindless violence and questionable medieval practices. It’s a love letter to John Kramer, is what I’m saying, in the case that, it isn’t uncommon for killers in pig masks to slaughter you with hacksaws, or severed limbs conveniently shackled to chains and intestines to dangle from the ceilings. Gore Doctor has all of that, which of course illustrates the point that, this isn’t a game, per se, but a vessel for controversial ideas, and thus, an excuse to push the boundaries of modern horror to sickening new heights. Kudos, I guess?

So, is it actually worth playing? Or a better question would be, does it even hold a candle to its textbook adversaries? Let’s talk.

Oh, the Barbarity!

Contrary to what the title implies, the so-called Gore Doctor wasn’t always a sadistic practitioner; in fact, the labyrinth in which you explore was once the home to revolutionary medical research, and not to mention a beacon of hope in the minds of its patients. But times have since changed, and the aforementioned doctor has slipped into a rather dark state of denial—one of which stems from the ill-timed fate of his former wife—and has thus made the ultimate decision to transform the institute into something of a different, more grizzly nature. This is, unfortunately, where you begin your journey—in the cesspit that is now the home to some of the world’s most barbaric contraptions and medical utensils, and on the lookout for an exit point that doesn’t require a sacrifice to fashion a key.

Gore Doctor plays out like a lot of survival-horror games, in the fact that, your primary objectives either tie in with exploring the eerie corridors of the medical institution, or solving relatively simple, albeit arguably mundane puzzles that don’t stretch much beyond the basics. There’s a bit of combat, too, though these duties aren’t quite as fleshed out; case in point, you can acquire basic melee weapons, but they don’t often require much input to be utilized out in the field. To cut a long story short, you hit things — a lot, but doing such things doesn’t necessarily add much to the overall experience. Aside from that, tasks mostly revolve around tiptoeing between areas, and searching for new ways to progress, whether it’s through a simple puzzle like matching the radio waves on a panel, or using tool A to crack door B, and so on and so forth.

Shock Horror

It‘s pretty much embellished in black and white at this point, but if you are the type of person who gets a little queasy whenever a droplet of blood cloaks the screen, then you’re probably going to hate—and I mean hate just about everything that Gore Doctors bathes in. Simply put, its themes aren’t for the faint of heart, as you’ll come to realize almost immediately as you step foot into the ominous chambers of the underground facility. Its visuals, while a little janky and outdated, tend to prioritize mindless bloodshed over anything else — which is appropriate, given that blood, bone, and rotting flesh are essentially what make up the whole aesthetic that it aims to adopt. It isn’t quite on the same wavelength as Scorn, but it does make an effort to at least match the same vibes as, say, Saw: The Video Game, or perhaps even Manhunt.

Speaking of Saw: The Video Game, Gore Doctor is, for lack of a better comparison, a direct clone of it — and in more ways that one, if you can believe it. From its dingy setting to its slew of inappropriate, gore-obsessed mechanisms and traps, the game itself doesn’t hide the fact that it’s an avid fan of Twisted Pictures, nor does it make a major effort to deviate from its original script or design, either. And that’s exactly what it paints itself as: a love letter to the art of shock value—an appreciation that, while highly controversial in parts, is enough to get people talking, for better or worse.

You Probably Won’t Survive

There are a few issues with Gore Doctor, one of which is the game’s combat mechanics. I’m not about to say that they’re poor or anything, but in no way shape, or form, are they something to brag about. The shooting, for example, is incredibly mismatched and borderline laughable, and at no point does it aim to emulate the core mechanics of a full-fledged shooter. But then, it isn’t a shooter; it’s an experimental work of “art” that encompasses a multitude of genres, only one of which carries any form of artistic value, and that, unsurprisingly, is the ambience—a well-orchestrated palette of disturbing sound effects, screams, and canned echoes. I’m not going to slate any of that, because honestly, the game is rather creepy, and that often speaks volumes in the world of horror, for sure.

The character AI is another story altogether, though. Now, I’d be lying if I said I was impressed with it, or even in a position to ignore it. Having said that, as I knew what I was getting myself into, I was sort of able to gloss over the wall-hugging killers and the paragliding inanimate objects, for I knew all too well that it was an independent game, and thus, a project with far fewer assets and tools to work with. Even still, it was often difficult to experience the “horror” of being the victim in a mask-sporting murderer’s death trial — especially when I was spending more time laughing at their desperate attempts to land a hit in the complete opposite direction for the umpteenth time. Was I petrified that it might’ve killed me? Not even in the slightest, no — but I admired their determination, nonetheless.

Verdict

I can’t say I was surprised to see such a thick layer of gore strewn between the outlines of Gore Doctor, what with it practically relying on it to embellish its shortcomings. With that said, I couldn’t quite decide whether or not it was enough, or if it was a little one-sided and ultimately overcompensating for the lack of storytelling and gameplay mechanics. As the saying goes, you can never have too much of one thing. Well, it turns out that, you know, you can — and I think that’s where Gore Doctor loses itself. Sure enough, it wants to revel in gory theatrics and horrifying imagery, but there comes a point where it doesn’t seem to know what else it wants besides that.

For the record, Gore Doctor isn’t a bad game; it’s an independent game, and therefore a benchmark that’s worthy of celebrating, regardless of whether or not it’s entirely playable, or even the slightest bit enjoyable, for that matter. On that note, I’d personally approach it with some level of caution, as it isn’t likely to amaze you, so to speak, but rather wax that inner morbid curiosity that’s no doubt looming over your shoulder. And if that is the sort of thing that you’re after, then honestly, you needn’t look any further than this.