Bite-sized Review: The Plague Doctor of Wippra

By Chris Picone, 06 October, 2022

The Plague Doctor of Wippra is a short but high quality point and click jaunt. There’s only around 2 hours of gameplay but they’re a memorable 2 hours. Apparently started as part of a game jam but it certainly doesn’t feel like it, it’s very polished.

Aesthetics

Pixel art, of the super chunky retro variety. Things like faces are left blank and subjective while scenes are super detailed (impressively so, given the art style). The blend makes the world come to life and the foley deserves a special mention.

Gameplay

Classic point and click although it’s worth noting this is a game that takes itself seriously so there’s no corny humour or self-debasing comments when you click on something redundant or try to mix inventory items inappropriately. The game also won’t let you roam around picking up every strange object you find; many only become selectable when they become relevant. Instead, Plague Doctor of Wippra offers you a role in an emotional story in an authentic-feeling world. Your dialogue and actions affect how the story plays out, and – if you don’t know your history – some of the twists and turns will probably shock you. There’s only one real “puzzle” in the game; although there are plenty of problems to solve – and there’s no pixel hunting or broken logic. Plague Doctor of Wippra doesn’t break any new ground but it does what it does extremely well.

Accessibility

Features dyslexic and easy-to-read font options. Hotpoint highlighting optional. 6 languages supported.

Verdict

I love it and expect the majority of point and click fans and anyone who enjoys their history will took. The closest thing I have to a complaint is that the game is very short. I would love to have played it for another hour or so – on the other hand, I don’t know how the dev could have actually achieved that without diluting the experience, so it’s probably for the best.

Links: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1811740/The_Plague_Doctor_of_Wippra/