Simulation games are some of the most intriguing time-pass games I have ever played. You emulate a whole environment on your PC or console and unleash your creativity to the fullest extent. 2019 has proved to be quite a year for simulation games in general – with titles like Foundation, Dawn of Man and Anno 1800 really excelling in their fields. Today we take a look at another similar simulation game which plays a bit differently from the rest. Rescue HQ: The Tycoon is a simulation game that puts the player in command of Emergency Services – and does a good job at it.
Story and Narrative
Like most simulation games, there’s no real “narrative” behind Rescue HQ. You aren’t a one time hero chosen by fate to save the world – you are one of the everyday heroes. Control the headquarter of one of the emergency services in a fictional city, and help the people stay safe. In our day-to-day lives, we often encounter emergencies and they need heroes to solve them. As for you, you’re a tycoon who manages a fictional agency which runs these services and competes with other tycoons.
The game world is pretty restrictive in its approach, and otherwise, there is a mission structure which needs to be followed. The missions are occasional objectives which earn a lot of cash (which is a resource in the game, like real life). These can include picking up mafias for questioning, ensuring smooth execution during a month of soccer, and so on. The main objective otherwise is to become the biggest provider of emergency services.
The game is mainly played through Scenarios. You are asked to deal with a set of objectives on a map. Each scenario also includes challenges which are the end-game “conditions” you must meet to successfully complete the scenario. There’s also a sandbox mode to create and curate according to your heart’s content. I’m not exactly sure why the option for Sandbox isn’t on the menu but is disguised as a Scenario instead. A large part of simulation games is the sandbox mode which allows one to do stuff without any form of limitations and hiding it from plain view isn’t something that works out in the long run. (Also, at the time of reviewing there were only six scenarios. While scenarios do take time to complete, can we expect more in the future?)
Gameplay and Mechanics
The game puts you in command of the headquarter of the emergency services. Start modestly, managing only the fire department, sending out the crew to handle fires and save people. Grow slowly, expand into police services, process documents, solve cases and attend to calls for help. Later, tend to injured and sick people, treat patients while putting in some work in research on medicines and vaccines.
The game’s management system is pretty impressive in the amount of micromanagement it offers. You lay the foundation for the buildings then lay every piece inside it – be it furniture, electronics, supplies, or equipment. That’s the wonder of simulation games, you can simulate the functioning of some aspect of real life inside it, and get away by calling it a video game – it’s a wondrous idea at best (and sometimes even seems absurd).
The headquarters for an emergency service provider should always be well equipped to deal with all sorts of problems. You have to be prepared with all sorts of equipment for dealing with different sorts of emergencies. When you start out, you will be dealing with minor issues which require basic equipment. As the game continues, more difficult issues pop up which requires the player to react using a variety of resources. For example, firefighters will need ladders and oxygen cylinders to reach out to more people, while police will need riot gear and swat gear for advanced operations. The difficulty scales gradually, allowing the player to adapt to the changes and unlock stuff on the go. Advanced stuff is unlocked using prestige points, and it is necessary to unlock key stuff to keep up with the emergencies. Some stuff, like vehicles, can break down and need to be repaired before they can be used again.
Staff is the main resource in the game (besides money, of course). Staff comes to work in two shifts, and staff of one shift cannot work in the other (nope, there is no concept of overtime, though it really would be a cool addition to the game). Every emergency needs a certain amount of staff to be sent out, who are not available for other activities temporarily. Staff can be injured during emergencies and will need to be nursed back to health to be fully effective for their next emergency. Staff also have other needs that need to be attended – like eating, drinking, showering and sleeping. The staff becomes better by dealing with emergencies over time and become specialized in particular types of emergencies. Expertise helps, though there isn’t much you can do to enhance it. Training equipment does exist, but they provide a generalized training for particular types of emergencies.
The game’s strategy as a simulation is particularly impressive. You start out with only one department and need to address emergencies of a particular type. Every emergency solved adds cash and prestige to the headquarters. Cash is used to buy equipment, furniture, vehicles and everything else you need to keep the building functioning. Prestige is needed to unlock new stuff. The game scales up difficulty slowly but can snowball at a bad time if prestige hasn’t been invested in the right areas. You can opt for another agency to take up the emergency to solve the emergency if you don’t have enough equipment or personnel, which costs prestige points. Ignoring an emergency can hurt the reputation of the agency, but is probably the best choice when you’ve almost enough prestige to unlock some equipment which can help later. Striking a balance between the two is often required to manage the headquarters properly. Tending to the staff’s needs, while making sure there is enough staff is also a challenge since staff will leave the headquarters temporarily for satisfying their needs, and won’t be available to take up the summons for an emergency.
Visuals, Performance & Sound
The game fares well in the graphics department. It isn’t a graphical feat to boast of, but it certainly isn’t bad looking either. Objects are detailed quite well if one cares to zoom up close, though the same cannot be said for the staff models. The staff models are severely lacking for a simulation game, which ruins the immersion a lot.
[toggle title=”Review Specifications”]CPU : AMD Ryzen 5 2600 GPU : GTX 1080 RAM : 16 GB DDR4[/toggle] [/toggles]
The game does pretty miserably in terms of music. The only sound that is enticing is when staff takes up the summons for an emergency.
There is zero voice acting in the game (spare the miserable Mayor who likes to “give you work”). Adding voices can be a thing in a future patch, but when the staff models itself lack details, it is hard to ‘demand’ voice acting.
The game did not have any noticeable sort of bugs or glitches and run smoothly at a constant frame rate.
Verdict
Rescue HQ is a cool simulation game that is too simplistic in its outlook. For an average guy who wants to get into simulation games, it’s a decent game if bought at a discount. Fans of the simulation genre need to look elsewhere for inspiration.