All those budding veterinarians who happened to get a Wii for the holidays or their birthday will finally get a chance to marry their love for animals with their love for games, as Majesco this morning took the wraps off of Zoo Hospital, a Wii-exclusive game it plans to release this August.
In Zoo Hospital, players will take on the role of a recent Veterinary College graduate who must help “Aunt Lucy” heal dozens of exotic animals and save the once world-famous Zoo Hospital from a businessman’s bulldozer. Ironically, this saving grace comes not from new food or rides or attractions, but from performing surgery on animals to get them healthy and attract more visitors.
Using the Wii Remote, players can perform surgical procedures to eliminate parasitic pests, perform dentistry, conduct X-rays on organs and remove foreign bodies like gallstones to restore the health of 48 ailing zoo animals. Players can also soothe and feed each animal while following up on post-surgical patients, as this post-op care is just as important as precise operations.
Happy, healthy animals will increase the Zoo Rating, which in turn will affect the number of visitors patronizing the zoo. Zoo Hospital won’t feature your run-of-the-mill zoo animals, though, as Majesco shared with us that the game will include dolphins, gorillas, macaws and camels.
Zoo Hospital will support a single-player campaign as well as a cooperative multiplayer mode for two players total. Aspiring vets can also unlock new animals, new animal enclosures, medical mini-games and plaques by successfully performing procedures and raising the Zoo Rating.