Trauma Center (video game series)

The gameplay and presentation of Trauma Center use two recurring features; surgery simulation carried out from a first-person view; and the narrative delivered using a visual novel style.[8][26][lower-alpha 3] Trauma Team includes surgery, but also uses five other professions; emergency medicine where patients at the scene are given rapid treatments, endoscopy for small-scale internal treatment, orthopedics which focuses on skeletal operations and reconstruction, diagnosis for determining medical conditions through a routine of speaking with the patient and examining medical scans, and forensic medicine where evidence from crime scenes and the victims are used to reach a conclusion to the case.[32][33][34]

During surgery, the player operates on the patient use a variety of tools; these include the scalpel, healing gel, a syringe for injecting health boosts and other substances, a laser, an ultrasound scan, a drain, forceps, and thread for stitching wounds. Later titles introduce the defibrillator for reviving dying patients.[35][36] Operation types range from organ repair and tumor extraction to skin grafts and bone repair.[37] The DS titles make use of the touch screen, with players selecting and using tools using icons.[38][39] For Second Opinion and New Blood, the controls were adjusted to work with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and added functions including the defibrillator.[13][35]

A recurring gameplay mechanic across the series is the Healing Touch, an ability which grants superhuman advantages to surgeons who hold it. Its effects vary between individuals, with demonstrated abilities including slowing time, healing patients, and stopping a patient's health from dropping.[40][41] It is activated by drawing a star shape on the screen.[19][38] The Healing Touch and similar fantastical elements were toned down or removed for Trauma Team.[42] Both New Blood and Trauma Team included local cooperative multiplayer options.[19][34]

The Trauma Center series is set in a near-future version of Earth where medical advances have led to the development of cures for previously major diseases such as AIDS and cancer.[7] A key organisation is Caduceus; while outwardly a medical research body for studying intractable diseases, it has a semi-covert role fighting bioterrorism using artificial viruses. Originally founded in Europe, Caduceus has branches established around the world.[7][43] A recurring element across the series is the presence of science fiction or supernatural elements in the narratives.[26][44] Trauma Team made less use of these elements, including not using the Healing Touch.[42]

All the Trauma Center titles share the same universe and timeline.[42] The original game and its remake are set in the year 2018.[7][40] Under the Knife 2 is set three years after the first game's events.[22] Trauma Team takes place at some point after the events of Second Opinion, though it is not directly connected to the rest of the series.[42] The action takes place around the locality of Resurgam First Care, a fictional hospital in the United States where many of the protagonists work.[24] New Blood is set ten years after the events of Second Opinion.[19] Two recurring characters are Naomi Kimishima, a player character in Second Opinion and Trauma Team; and Derek Stiles, who makes appearances in each title in the series.[44][24]

A recurring narrative theme in the Trauma Center series was saving life through surgery, and the passion of doctors to save lives.[22][45] In Second Opinion, a secondary theme was the damaging impact of surgery being used for the wrong reasons.[45] The narrative themes of New Blood are the battle to save lives and the preciousness of life.[46] The story of Under the Knife 2 incorporated issues of treating the poor, doctor shortages, and anti-aging medicine.[22] In Trauma Team, the story focused on how people lived full lives in a world that could see terrible life-threatening events, drawing direct inspiration from the 2009 swine flu pandemic.[47]