When Two Point Hospital first launched in 2018, it became an immediate favorite of sim genre fans. Taking major influences from Bullfrog's beloved 1997 release Theme Hospital, the game eventually saw console releases to bring the management sim to a wider audience. Now, a more comprehensive version called Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition is available, and it justifies the new release with the most definitive console edition yet.
Two Point Hospital is the medical equivalent of games such as Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo. The player is tasked with taking control of the management of a hospital, expanding to look after more and more patients with ever-increasing demands. A big part of the experience comes from its quirky, absurd humor, with illnesses like Mock Star which sees patients become Freddie Mercury impersonators.
The Jumbo Edition of Two Point Hospital comes complete with the game's four key expansion packs. The DLC packs expand the geographical scope of Two Point Hospital alongside new gameplay features, from the snowy climate of the yeti-themed Bigfoot pack through to the coastal region of Pebberley Island. Also available are the sci-fi, desert pack of Close Encounters and Off The Grid, which focuses on sustainability, as well as some additional items.
The base game of Two Point Hospital is fantastic, and thankfully the four expansions add an awful lot to the overall experience. Following the template of The Sims (but with better consistency when it comes to both the quality and depth of the content involved), the add-on packs take the core gameplay of Two Point Hospital and either expand it via a broader experience or add in extra elements that give experienced players something new to think about.
The best of the packs are most likely the Close Encounters and Off The Grid packs. Off The Grid's focus on eco-living and sustainability is a nice switch up of the usual game, much like Prison Architect's Going Green expansion, and players will likely get a lot out of these additional features. Meanwhile, Close Encounters is perhaps the most successful of the expansions when it comes to Two Point Hospital's humor, full of conspiracy theories and sci-fi tropes.
While some management sims can struggle to work well on consoles, it's fair to say that Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition is generally successful. It manages to avoid being too complex for consoles a lot of the time, although the controls on the Switch can still sometimes feel a little fiddly. Nonetheless, in comparison to some other simulation titles, it's well handled overall.
It helps that the main game is so good. Two Point Hospital really is a gem, from its engaging gameplay through to a style of humor that truly matches its Theme Hospital roots. For those who haven't picked up Two Point Hospital just yet and want to play it on console, now's a decent time to pick it up.
Overall, Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition works as a good place to start with the core game. The additional content packs add a lot to the base title, but without it becoming overbearing for those entirely new to Two Point Hospital as a whole. Although the game is probably still best experienced on PC, thanks to some slight issues with clumsy controls on other platforms, nonetheless it's a strong and worthwhile release.
Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition is out now for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Screen Rant was provided with a Switch download code for the purposes of this review.