The Nacon Life games have presented many different simulators since the label started. They’ve all been fun, despite a few quirks. Which is exactly my current thoughts on Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator. Developed by Aesir Interactive, Ambulance Life is exactly as you would expect. Put into the shoes of a paramedic, responding to emergency calls. Making sure the right care is given and getting those patients to hospital.

Speaking of quirks, I did encounter one right out of the gate. And in performing more shifts, I saw the full extent of said quirk. In the ambulance for the first time, getting ready to pull out of the HQ, there’s a traffic jam. Siren on, I want to get moving. There’s an emergency, people! Look to the traffic lights to see they’re green. After trying to navigate around the massive pile of cars, I turn the siren off and just wait. Now they move!

As I’d come to learn, the traffic can only respond in a few limited ways whenever that siren is on. They will pull off to the side to create an emergency lane to use, but then those at the front of the traffic don’t want to go beyond the lights. So now I’m stuck. And on lanes of more than two, that emergency lane doesn’t take into account where I’m positioned. And good luck if you ever head to the opposite lane to skip the queue then want to turn right once the lights turn green.

There’s also pedestrians who will be crossing the roads who can be a menace. Their AI seems wild, always running whenever they hear a siren. When crossing a road, they will sometimes stop, but then run back along the road at the most inopportune times, which can cause a game over. Fortunately, it’s possible to restart from the last checkpoint, which means the frustration of such is lessened. A game over will also happen if crashing into other vehicles.

When part of the core gameplay is so inflexible to my own position on the road, it’s already a bad sign. A huge quirk, for sure. But despite that, I’ve still had fun navigating the roads, as the ambulance driven is weighted right. Easy to control. And when the traffic is in my favour, I can breeze around the district getting to emergency calls or the hospital. Which is just over half the time.

As for other aspects of the game, that tutorial saw me respond to one emergency call, with the partner directing me through all aspects of caring for a patient. Performing the anamnesis, the verbal examination. Focusing to examine the body and what needs to be done. Using the patient protocol screen. Getting a patient into the ambulance to perform further examination and stabilise them. And lastly to the hospital.

All of this is easily worked through, with button prompts always visible so I knew where everything was located. There are always the same questions for each patient with the anamnesis, with everything seen and heard being listed as evidence in the patient protocol. Depending on the evidence found, a rating for each condition will be shown. There can be many potential conditions a patient may have, but only one that needs to be recognised and treated on the field.

Sometimes, recognising what is needed is easy, such as with third degree burns. Others can be tricky, especially if there’s multiple conditions a patient is suffering. In such cases, going with the most serious condition is usually a safe bet. The right choice can elevate the rank given once a patient is delivered to the hospital, since the right diagnosis also allows the right treatment.

The experience system is based upon those ranks, along with the length of the shift. Each new level provides new equipment, new cases that can come up, longer shift lengths, and new events. Events include training, where much like the tutorial, the partner will walk through what needs to be done for the condition the training relates to. And catastrophic events, which are an interesting experience. Those will test analysis skills a lot, with many patients awaiting triage.

The continuous loop of Ambulance Life is a fun one. Analysing and helping patients, even with the limited amount of dialogue for each type of emergency, keeps me engaged. The levelling system stops things from becoming too overwhelming, as there’s quite a number of emergencies to be dealing with. And though progression is district based, emergencies can happen across all which are unlocked, so the knowledge of each is still important in the end game.

In looking back at the major quirk of Ambulance Life, combined with all the positives, I feel the balance is leaning toward a maybe recommend. Though if the traffic system can be made more responsive and aware of the ambulance’s position to react accordingly, I could easily see myself able to recommend Ambulance Life.

Images Taken From:
Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator | Xbox Series S