And we’re back in Two Point, with some hot, brand new, tropical beach inspired DLC!
I’m not quite done with the snowy challenges of Bigfoot yet, since I’ve been alternating between those and the regular map, but I took a summery break and checked out the challenges and content of Pebberley Island. This new area of the map can only be accessed after completing one star in Flottering (just like in Bigfoot) or by reaching Duckworth-upon-Bilge, so new players might fight themselves discouraged by the amount of gameplay required just to unlock it.
Pebberley Island brings three new scenarios to Two Point Hospital, packed with challenges, as you make your way through the jungle. You start in Pebberley Reef, the peaceful and picture-perfect atoll area. It’s a sticky, hot, humid area, so climate control will be a major concern. You’ll need a large and good cleanup crew, so hiring and training janitors is a priority. The weather is rather crazy here and will damage your hospital, so you need to balance the large influx of patients with repairs and maintenance. To make things a little more complicated, the layout is made up of little islands connected by bridges, which increase patient waiting times. Overall, Pebberley Reef has a rough start but it’s rewarding to see it coming together.
As you move into the jungle and the unexplored area of Overgrowth, you will notice you basically have a field hospital. No exterior walls aside from trees. Expanding your hospital requires completing specific goals, as you will notice when exploring the map, and there are LOADS of them – 33 plots in total, to be exact. Basically, this is explained by the sentient trees allowing you to expand as you provide better care for your patients. The challenges can be anything from curing or sacrificing a certain number of patients to reaching a certain balance, research points or hospital value. It’s really a mixed bag that puts all you have learned to the test.
Last but not least, Topless Mountain awaits as you attempt to achieve eternal life. This stage has perfect, flat building conditions, and attractive ruins all around the plateau, but the progression is far from perfect. In fact, you earn stars by surviving and curing the “hordes” through completion of Horde Challenges, increasing waves of sick tourists that keep coming in looking to be cured. Income is also based on cure rates and increases with each 10 patients cured… but only for as long as you maintain your cure streak! Topless Mountain is the toughest scenario yet, and one I have not been able to conquer.
With the new scenarios come new items that fit the theme: bamboo benches, wicker furniture, palm trees, pirate-inspired decor, pink birds. The new rooms, Indentification, Escape Room and Correcting Pool cure patients with three new visual diseases, respectively Blank Look, Wanderust and Screwball. Other visual diseases have been added, as well as several others that don’t alter a patient’s aspect, all of them offering a laugh and a half with their names: Camel Toe, False Tan, Sandy Crack, Crispy Skin, Brain Farts, Beach Wail, Painapple.
The climate is rather different in this island, with new events including water tornados, frogs falling from the sky and solar flares that can cause some serious damage to your machines AND burn patients.
I have finally found my match, as I’ve really struggled with keeping these hospitals financially stable. The challenges of Pebberley Island have given me several hours of gameplay, lots of fun and plenty of things to do and manage. And after many failed attempts, I brave the hordes of Topless Mountain once again. Who knows, maybe this time I will finally conquer it.