Fall of Porcupine review

The charms and challenges of becoming a small-town doctor

Despite an anthropomorphized cast and stylized backdrops that resemble a Tex Avery cartoon, Fall of Porcupine has a few truthful insights it would like to share. Players assume the role of Finley, a junior doctor at St. Ursula’s Hospital who also happens to be a pigeon. Like many medical dramas, Fall of Porcupine’s world is viewed through the eyes of a newly arrived physician, who not only is still learning about the nuances of his vocation but is also grappling with acclimating to small-town life and is still learning about the idiosyncrasies of his colleagues.

Finley’s acclimation was also complicated by a recent incident. While trailing a patient named Mr. Arndes up to the top floor of the hospital, a stack of boxes tipped over, requiring the young doctor to obtain care of his own. But now you’re back on the job, working a daily shift that entails treating three patients.

The Pigeon Physician

Despite rigorous study back at medical school, Fall of Porcupine captures the inevitable feeling of uncertainty associated with the complexities of being a physician. Diagnosis and care are performed via different mini-games. Developer Critical Rabbit doesn’t want to sail through these undertakings, so instructions can be deliberately abstruse. You’ll have to learn as you go.

And like an actual resident GP, you’ll be evaluated on your performance. One of your first duties will be changing a wound dressing for Mr. Arndes. Fall of Porcupine’s recreation of the task is intended to make you feel uncertain, as your fingers become entangled around a controller, attempting to duplicate the button presses of an intricate quick-time event. Soon after, you’ll mix different medications to achieve proper hormonal balances and take diagnostics.

Move over, Dr. Derek Stiles

Oddly, it’s the more unconventional mini-games that work better. Taking a person’s vitals can feel a lot like a rhythm game, as you switch tracks and tap buttons in unison with note icons. When these tasks feel familiar, the sense of apprehension is missing and you won’t get a ribbing from your superior, the perpetual perfectionist, Dr. Krokowski. Sure, television shows like Scrubs have scrutinized the tumultuous relationship between supervisors and their employees, each watching the rapport gradually warm. So, getting praise at the onset doesn’t make the feeling of ultimately earning respect feel as impactful. But that’s a relatively minor qualm compared to the game’s other flaw.

Expectedly, Fall of Porcupine doesn’t offer the campy charms of Atlus’ Trauma Center series- and that’s a good thing. Instead, the frequent swatches of dialog reveal many of the interpersonal complications of being a physician. Undoubtedly, Finley is a likable resident doctor, brimming with enthusiasm and an indefatigable wiliness to help the sick. But smartly, he isn’t perfect. Watching him deal with the inevitability of slip-ups makes him less of a typical health worker archetype.

A Truthful Account of Vocational Frustration….

While others in the hospital and town have a similarly enthusiastic perspective, positivity isn’t ubiquitous in the sleepy town of Porcupine. And yes, I would have had to dock points if the game didn’t explore some of the tough issues that doctors face. I’m not quite sure how a person can give a terminal diagnosis and immediately channel optimism during the following appointment. Smartly, Porcupine doesn’t provide a direct answer, but lets us observe how disheartening the medical profession can be at times.

While Fall of Porcupine has some things to say about malfunctioning health care systems (how could it not?), this isn’t Michael Moore’s Sicko. While the game isn’t afraid to point the finger at systemic problems, it rarely veers too far from Finley’s perspective. As such, more interpersonal issues like maintaining a healthy work/life balance and developing a connection to those around you. Smartly, Fall of Porcupine isn’t just about work, with evenings offering just as much character development as your daily work.

…Until a Rushed Third Act

But here’s the thing: the first two-thirds of the game is splendid and establishes a rather relaxed tempo. However, the game’s culmination radically races through key events, tainting the preceding experience. Even worse, so many expositional elements are abandoned that I thought the final credit roll was some kind of gag.

It wasn’t, and I ended up reflecting on the game’s loose ends for some time. While I have no reservations about narratives having ambiguous endings or the reminder that a sense of closure isn’t always possible, Fall of Porcupine’s ending felt like the game had exceeded its budget or had gone over schedule. Frustratingly, there are enough unanswered questions to warrant a sequel. But when a work abandons its audience without warning, trust is lost.

Sometimes games don’t stick their landing. And often, that’s forgivable, especially if the previous hours delivered enjoyment. But for a narrative-focused game like Fall of Porcupine, the build-up hints at some kind of insight about what kind of people are attracted to the medical field and some of the difficulties they valiantly face. But the game’s ending elicited as many questions as answers, ultimately making me regret my time at St. Ursula’s.

Fall of Porcupine was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.