2 
0 Following the success of 911 Operator, Jutsu Games has now released 112 Operator. Much like its similarly named counterpart, players are put into the emergency services hot seat whilst answering calls from cities around Europe. Recently released on the PlayStation Store, you can grab 112 Operator for £19.99. With new calls coming in and different scenarios to deal with, prepare to experience operator stress first hand.
Literally everyone’s life is in your hands… best get organised.
Gameplay
112 Operator approaches gameplay in a very simple manner. Examine the map with the right thumb stick, change your cursor with triangle and answer calls with L2.
Your first day on the job teaches you the basics to get you past the in-game probation period. Different events colour correspond with their matching emergency service – red for firefighters, blue for police and white for medical services. As they pop up on the screen, you can use the L1 button to jump to the different scenarios as they appear. This will give you more information about what is going on as, in some cases, you may need to assign more than one emergency service.
To break from assigning vehicles, there are operator calls that require you to react to a situation. These added a nice twist to the game and there was a wide range of scenarios for players to deal with. Ranging from gas leaks to bomb threats, 112 Operator throws everything at you. It even has calls where you have to remember basic first aid information. Don’t worry no prior knowledge is needed! You’ll learn this through your character’s emails that you access at the end of each day. As you finish each day, you get ranked on your performance as a 112 Operator, which can teach you how to handle things the next day so you can earn more experience to grow your team.
Is there a story…?
I found the story elements of the game felt incomplete. Whilst the game gets close to developing a narrative by introducing the characters daughter and giving her some aspect of a story, by the end of the game you still know nothing about who you’re playing as. You may be developing your dispatch team but there is no ultimate story goal which may make the game difficult for some to enjoy.
Repeat, repeat, repeat
Without playing the game, it might be difficult to understand the appeal. There isn’t any dynamic gameplay, no mystery to solve, just calls to answer and vehicles to dispatch. Fans of simulation games will, however, find themselves at home with simple controls yet a realistic approach to the in-game world. The repetitive nature of the game might put some people off. As there isn’t a big range of features, there isn’t much to do that changes the way you play (unless you’re causing chaos and not helping anyone at all).
Growing the map
112 Operator’s map expands very quickly. Once you have completed the first few days, your map grows and introduces new types of vehicles. It can become very stressful very quickly and there were times where I turned the game off because there was just too much going on. Obviously, this is to be expected given the subject of the game but I thought it would have taken a little bit longer to ease you into everything. The increase in map felt like it was over double the size of what I was initially dealing with.
Graphics & Audio
There isn’t much to say about the graphics beyond the fact that the map is clear and well labelled. The voice acting in this game, however, does need to be talked about. The same voices are used across all map locations, with addresses being muffled to avoid becoming too specific. Despite this, the voice actors went above and beyond in creating a realistic 112 caller. There is one specific scenario revolving around a boy and a gas leak. He rushes back into the apartment block and bangs on doors screaming for neighbours to wake up. I found that I was actually getting stressed out as I repeatedly told him to leave the building. It’s so realistic that it’s almost unbelievable a game could recreate something so well.
The voice acting is definitely one of the stand out elements of 112 Operator.
Longevity
The simplicity of 112 Operator could also be the very reason that people stop playing. It can get pretty repetitive pretty quickly given the lack of variety. Jutsu Games have said that they want to keep updating the game and introduce new scenarios. However, I can’t see what can be done to the actual gameplay elements to entice non-simulator fans. As mentioned, fans of simulator games will find the game comfortably difficult. New players might struggle to get into the swing of things. I could see myself hopping into the game every now and then as it definitely keeps you thinking and holds your interest with the call-in moments.
I wouldn’t sit and play for extended lengths of time but if I was ever stuck on what to play, I would definitely have it installed to pick up again.
Final Thoughts
I did enjoy my time playing 112 Operator. It has a very solid foundation for a simulation game but isn’t one that you can turn off to. It’s the perfect addition to the PS Library of a simulator game fan but can be daunting to anyone that isn’t 100% sure of what they’re getting into. The game has also made many positive improvements from 911 operator. I am very excited to see what Jutsu Games plan on doing next!
I have decided to award 112 Operator the Thumb Culture Silver Award. 
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
Check out other Thumb Culture PlayStation reviews here!
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