Published by Developed by Released Also For |
Description
Life & Death is a game which casts you as a doctor in a hospital. Your job is to diagnose patients and administer appropriate therapies, or even perform surgery when necessary.The game was created in conjunction with by Myo Thant, a Hematologist.
To diagnose a patient, you have to press on his or her abdomen, to see which portions of the stomach cause pain. Based on triaging the patient (observation, medication or referring to another specialist), administering a X-Ray or ultrasound scan, you have to make a decision about the care, including surgery or medication.
In some cases, surgery will be necessary. You're the surgeon and you have to perform the operation very carefully, adhering strictly to the procedures, preserving hygiene, and maintaining care when cutting up the patient.
Should you mistakenly administer the wrong therapy, or kill your patient at the operating table, you're kicked into the medical school, where you're given hints as to what you've done wrong.
Screenshots
Promo Images
Alternate Titles
- "Life & Death: You are the Surgeon!" -- Tag-lined title
- "Life and Death" -- Amiga/DOS title screen title
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
The game that started it all, for me that is... | Anonymous Gamer (162) | unrated |
Critic Reviews
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) | Sep, 1989 | 882 out of 1000 | 88 |
The Games Machine (UK) | Sep, 1989 | 84 out of 100 | 84 |
The Retro Spirit | May 29, 2008 | 5 out of 6 | 83 |
Just Games Retro | Sep 29, 2006 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
80 |
Jeuxvideo.com | Oct 07, 2011 | 16 out of 20 | 80 |
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) | Sep, 1989 | 8.5 out of 12 | 71 |
The One | Sep, 1989 | 70 out of 100 | 70 |
Play Time | Sep, 1991 | 56 out of 100 | 56 |
Forums
There are currently no topics for this game.
Trivia
Cover art
One of the surgeons on the cover is Glenn Wichman.Game Package
The game came with extremely realistic materials. It included an internal memo and pathology course, both typed with a dactylo, photocopied and then stapled by hand. And if you looked under the bottom cardboard in the box, you could find a real pair of surgical gloves and a surgery mask!References to the Game
At the end of the fourth episode in the anime about otaku lifestyle Genshiken (1st season, 2004), when Saki asks her boyfriend Kousaka "What was your first time like?", he misunderstands the question and, being an otaku, starts naming the first anime series and games he tried. Among the games he first played, Life & Death is mentioned, alongside Ultima (without specifying which one) and The Manhole. Regarding Life & Death Kousaka adds: "I don't even know how many people I killed in that". Usually however, both in the anime and the original manga, all the titles of popular entertainment products are altered to avoid copyright problems (e.g. The Chanp of Fighters 95 instead of The King of Fighters '95, Berserker instead of the popular manga Berserk). Other notable exceptions to this are the Puyo Puyo and Guilty Gear game series.Simulation
The simulation is actually quite strict: Deviate a hair too much from the proper incision technique, and you'll find your license revoked or your physician alter-ego kicked back to medical school. This was done intentionally to emphasize the importance of the topic.Sound
This game had a few digital sounds that came out of the PC Speaker, which was quite uncommon back then, and led to compatibility problems on certain machines.Awards
- ST Format
- 1992 (Issue #5) - #4 Most Weird and Stupid Plots of All Time (Atari ST games) (Comment: "Thankfully, the game only includes those two operations, otherwise SD would be somewhere in the 700s. But where's Life and Death 2: The Brain? Think of the possibilities.")
Related Web Sites
- Crap Shoot (A humorous review on PC Gamer)
Olivier Masse (449) added Life & Death (DOS) on May 06, 1999
Other platforms contributed by Infernos (36943), Martin Smith (78737), ZenicReverie (2137), Echidna Boy (587) and Terok Nor (32358)
Credits (2 people)
Project Manager: