Organs Please Review (PC)

Canned meat seems to be in high demand, even though it’s made from human meat and blood. Everyone knows it, no one cares. So I shift my workforce around to deliver these orders as fast as possible, which will reward me with both money and some reputation with the Government and the Virtus Populi.

It might also be time to invest some of my cash reserves to upgrade some factory stations because requests seem to be coming in a little faster than I can deliver. The Ark is always the priority, with two people always working on what its construction demands, regardless of whether it's leather or bones. I might have to start ignoring one faction entirely.

With the factory mostly sorted out, I return to my desk, focusing on more administrative work. Individuals are constantly streaming through, some destined to go to the Ark and increase its chance to colonize a new world. But there are plenty of others that aren’t great candidates for space exploration. I need to keep the warehouse topped up, the factory needs fuel, and I also have to improve the quality of my own workforce. And I am sure random events will disrupt my plans as soon as I make a little progress.

Organs Please is developed by TECHHOME and published by HeroCraft PC. I played using Steam on the PC. The title combines two types of gameplay ideas, asking players what they are ready to sacrifice to ensure the survival of humanity.

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In the game’s universe, humanity is living in megastructures called Verticals after a major conflict and resources are running out. To survive, these cities need to consume their own citizens. Recycling is a euphemism for killing some individuals to get the resources others need to survive. The plan is to build an Ark in 30 days to take the best and the brightest to a new home.

Players will manage the process, which requires the death or basically slave labor of those who are unworthy of a place on the spaceship. The game uses a humorous approach but this is a grim universe. TV segments at the start of each day offer some extra lore, with decent writing. I still sometimes found it hard not to think about the people who are dying to get humanity to a new planet.

Organs Please splits the core gameplay loop into two: people management and factory production. The first one involves quickly evaluating a constant line of individuals to decide their fate. Their ID shows ratings. Those who present with all green are candidates for the Ark, only requiring a stamp from the player. Three reds are good choices for factory fuel or for recycling into building material. Some will also become workers in the factory.

Because any citizen with a positive trait balance benefits the spaceship, gamers need to quickly but accurately evaluate people. The IDs are treacherous, so make sure to glance at the numbers before taking a decision.

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This side of the game asks players to process the bodies they dump into the warehouse into useful resources. Ark orders need to be fulfilled but expansion and improvement require money that can be obtained by dealing with secondary requests. Workers’ traits will influence where and with who they do their best work. Events appear during the workday and players’ choices will influence their performance (don’t hesitate to recycle anyone who becomes too much trouble).

Players have to deal with four factions. They can issue quests and make factory orders. Good relations unlock bonuses but the priority is to keep the committee overseeing the spaceship building satisfied at all times. This can be tricky even when the factory works well and citizen sorting is fast.

They will ask the player to scan bodies for bombs and then drop the wearers into the furnace or disarm them when terrorists show up wearing them on their heads. They add variety to the main loop but some of them aren’t as fun as the simple act of choosing the fate of people.

Supplying the Ark while keeping the authorities happy and getting more money for factory expansion becomes harder as the days go by and launch draws near. Organs Please makes it easy to restart and plan for incoming challenges or to simply re-play a day and test new approaches.

Choosing the fate of the constantly moving river of individuals is the best part of the game. Snap judgments are required, the fates of those who go down are grim, and any mistake stings, but there’s a palpable sense of accomplishment linked to any spaceship survive-ability increase. Managing the factory is never as fun or exciting but that side of the game contributes to the tension.

Organs Please tries to use a cute look to offset the horrific elements of its gameplay. The worrying thing is that it mostly works. I felt a little satisfaction anytime I got to put the big green stamp on an identity card and some glee when one flecked with red got the wearer dumped into the furnace. There’s plenty of variety in the look of the people gamers have to evaluate.

The factory side of the experience could use a little more clarity when it comes to building and upgrading rooms. The sound design is decent, with a jaunty jazz soundtrack that clashes in interesting ways with the darkness of its universe.

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The Good

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