LifeSigns: Surgical Unit

is an adventure game for the Nintendo DS set in a hospital. Originally known as Kenshuui Tendo Dokuta 2 in Japan, this is the second game in a series that redefined the sim genre to make way for other medical games games such as Trauma Center: Under The Knife. Following the success of Trauma Center, LifeSigns was released in North America on November 6, 2007, and is released in Europe on July 25, 2008 under the name LifeSigns: Hospital Affairs. LifeSigns: Surgical Unit is the second game in the Kenshuui Tendo Dokuta series, but its predecessor has not been announced for foreign release.

The game is commented as being "like Scrubs crossed with Trauma Center", unlike Trauma Center, this game also placed emphasis on the daily life of the characters rather than surgeries.

Characters

Seimei Medical University Hospital

Tendo Dokuta (Age 25, Male)

Main character, a second year intern who is studying emergency medicine in prestigious Seimei Medical University Hospital. Talented but sometimes a little naive, Tendo devoted his life to helping people after witnessing his mother die from cancer. In the first game, he mistakenly diagnosed a patient which nearly ruined his career. His surname is derived from the English "doctor", transliterated with katakana.

Sachi Hoshi (Age 22, Female)

One of the nurses in the hospital, she is a little ditzy but nonetheless a talented and devoted nurse. She seems to have a crush on Tendo. Hoshi is one of the girls Tendo can date in the game.

Suzu Asou (Age 36, Female)

An extremely gifted surgeon, Asou is Tendo's supervisor and mentor. She recently got over her alcoholism after a disastrous break-up with Prof. Sawai (first game). She is the head of the 3rd Surgery Department, which specializes in heart diseases. Tendo seems to have a crush on her. She wears a bell choker around her neck.

Kyousuke Sawai (Age 52, Male)

A world authority in the field of immunology, and head of the 1st Surgical Department of Seimei Medical University Hospital. A cold and callous man who only seems to be interested in results. In the first game, it was revealed that he was Tendo's biological father and arranged his transfer to the Seimei. He is involved in the cancer treatment research and recently developed a miracle drug that might cure cancer called SPX (Sawai Power Plex). He also dated Suzu Asou for a short time which ended disastrously a few years ago. He is operated by Tendo in the final chapter, after a ballpoint pen peirced his heart in a car accident.

Yuma Aoshima (Age 24, Female)

The newest intern in the Seimei, Aoshima is an ambitious and stubborn girl who seems to enjoying eating more than anything else in the world. Because of her inexperience she makes many mistakes at the beginning of her career in Seimei. She is one of the girls Tendo can date in the final chapter.

Ai Ueto (Age 26, Female)

A pediatrician who started her internship a year before Tendo. She was Hikaru's doctor when she was treated in Seimei. She recently switched to glasses after deciding her shades were giving her a cold appearance. It is rumoured that she has a new boyfriend.

Keiichi Kashiwagi (Age 47, Male)

A fat, balding doctor specializing in internal medicine.

Florence Makiko Sakurada (Age 60, Female)

Chief Nurse of Seimei. She loves gossiping and seems to know whatever is going on in the hospital. Her nickname "Florence" is obviously a reference to famous nurse Florence Nightingale.

Sanae Kurai (Age 28, Female)

An operation room nurse who has a gloomy and mysterious personality. Despite her initial impression, she is one of the three girls Tendo can date in the game.

Utsujiu Masui (Age 30, Male)

An eccentric anesthesiologist who is interested in Hoshi. He is married and has children but was recently kicked out of his house by his wife for some unknown reason.

Hikaru Sawai (Age 10, Female)

Prof. Sawai's daughter and Tendo's half-sister. Hikaru was diagnosed with leukemia in the first game and was being treated in the Seimei. She recovered and returned to school when Tendo donated his bone marrow to her. Despite the tension between Prof. Sawai and Tendo, he and Hikaru are quite fond of each other.

Gameplay

LifeSigns is separated into five separate chapters, dealing with the main story in an episodic format. Each chapter contains one or more of the following elements:

Exploring

The first type of gameplay is common to all Japanese adventure games. The main character, Tendo, explores an area, conversing with other people and furthering the story.

Mini-games

There are many mini-games in Lifesigns, which can in some way affect the course of the story. Most mini-games involve simple tasks, such as catching fruit that's rolling down a hill, or catching fish.

• Persuasion - On occasion, the story will split, and can follow a different path. It is up to the player, in this mini game, to convince another person to do something. If the player is successful, then the story will continue along the good path. If not, then the episode may have a bad ending.

Diagnoses

When someone is sick or injured, the player may need to diagnose the patient and decide what is wrong with them. Diagnosis commonly involves taking a patient's pulse, listening to their breathing, and examining abrasions, bruises, and swelling.

Surgery

After diagnosing a patient, the player must perform surgery on them. During the surgery phase of the game, the player must perform a series of simple steps, one at a time, from disinfecting an area and making an incision, to the surgery itself, and finally closing the patient up. Unlike Trauma Center, the player in LifeSigns is automatically handed the tool they need at each stage. There are a total of eleven different operations in LifeSigns.

Reception

Some reviews have noted that far too much talking goes on in between missions. Many conversations must take place before further medical progress will happen. This has been mentioned in several game reviews.