“I know you love sim games!” That was the message that popped up in chat from the boss, and straight away, my interest was sparked. ‘Therapy Simulator’ by developer, Jemboy, was the title sent through. Now, as a guy in his 40s who’s spent way too many evenings than I’d like to admit dabbling with every kind of simulator under the sun, I wasn’t quite sure what direction this title would go. One quick glance at the Steam page and I instantly knew I was in for some fun; the store page showed a patient wearing a horse’s head. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be your standard simulator.

From the developer Jemboy’s own words from Steam, Therapy Simulator is a “Balance of humour, humanity, and the chaos of therapy.” Honestly, that’s exactly what it feels like as you walk into your small, dreary office. You are faced with a decision of one’s own morality, via a slider bar that measures your therapy interactions with your patients. It swings between good and evil depending on the advice you give to your patient and how they react to that advice.

I couldn’t help but smirk because it really does feel like one of those more realistic “choose your battles” moments, especially when telling a patient with an anger management problem that maybe he is the problem, not everyone else. Every patient interaction essentially gives you three possible responses, and how you respond shapes the conversation. Being too honest or giving terrible advice, and you can kiss your returning clientele goodbye. Offer something thoughtful and show empathy, and your patients brighten up, your wallet fattens and that Christmas bonus is starting to look good. 

To start your day, the doors of the elevator in your building open, and you walk to your office, entering what is a dull and bland office, giving you the sensation that you are a new therapist looking to make your mark in society. As we all know, you have to start somewhere.  

 The introductory mission points you towards the reception desk, where you interact with the computer to schedule your first appointment. As the days progress, you can see all appointments past and present, a nice little touch. It’s all these little touches along the way that bring a little smile to your face.  A simple click and place interaction, and the patient soon walks into the waiting room. You interact with them by clicking on the patient, then invite them into your office, and the appointment begins.  

The patients can have a long list of different issues, some examples are anger management, existential crisis, loneliness and mood swings, to name a few I have come across.  You click on the patient to start the conversation, and they tell you what is bothering them. You then have a choice of three responses, depending on what you choose, positive, negative or neutral will determine their next comment.  The patient’s facial expression changes based on your response, which is a great touch. 

As I am listening to my first patients for the day problems, I can see in the background my next patient walking in, another great touch from the developers, that means its time for me to wrap up this appointment with at times some hard realities, making the patient storm out and tell me they are never coming back, a little chuckle and its onto the next one.

I did have a few minor grievances with gameplay, though. Firstly, I wasn’t particularly fond of the black outline that glows above objects or patients when you have your arrow over them to interact. People stand out regardless, and it felt somewhat intrusive to the experience. Also, to finish your shift for the day you just walk into the elevator. It would be good if you could finish work via the computer, same as you begin work. Just a continuity element that would help tie it all together, I feel a bit better.

The background music is what you would expect from a simulator, think 1990s theme hospital and promotes a relaxing beat. Every now and again, a train goes past your window, making a racket, adding to the immersion of the office environment.  You can actually look out the window of your office building and see the train and cars along the streets, since this is more of a background feature, don’t expect anything super detailed, but a great touch nonetheless.

The graphics are very solid. The patients walk around and wear different clothes. You can interact with most objects such as lamps, doors and TVs, to name a few. With more patches coming, you will have the ability to buy new furniture and offices, too. Nothing groundbreaking, but they are decent at setting the scene. The game will take you from an aspiring new therapist to a grumpy, rich one who is looking at his watch, wishing the day was over, with a basic levelling system.

Overall, this game is very solid, and it needs to be in a somewhat self-care genre that is very niche.  Looking at the in-game computer and the loading screen information, there is still a lot more content to be added to Therapy Simulator after its full release.  To name a few things I have found, you will have the ability to hire staff and even comfort animals (dogs, cats and horses) to help you in your sessions.  There is a furniture shop coming to spruce up your dull office too, with an included need to budget as you will have bills to pay: rent, electricity and wages.

It seems like there will be an extra importance to keep your client happy or even just on the point of sad so they keep coming back and lining your pockets again and again. I feel that’s what the developer Jemboy has, a solid game plan to keep coming back, and I certainly will as new content is added. 

Written by: Mike Bridge