The Plague Doctor of Wippra to visit Steam early next year

Written by Jack Allin — November 21, 2021 at 10:46

As horrible as a plague is for all of society once it begins spreading, how much harder must it be on doctors toiling day and night to help the sick and dying? No, I'm not talking about COVID-19 but rather the Black Death, which tore through Europe in the Middle Ages and devastated the populace. Hitting more than a little close to home, this is the challenge facing players in Electrocosmos's upcoming The Plague Doctor of Wippra.

Players control the titular physician Oswald Keller, who lives in medieval Germany during a time when the Bubonic plague is spreading "fear and agony in the small town of Wippra." With deadly illness all around, you must "make diagnoses and help your patients with medical prescriptions or surgery." But just like today, the battle is not only physical but mental as well; when "medieval superstition and religious zeal mix into a deadly threat," you will also need to "stand up against misbeliefs and deal with the ignorance of the people." It's a perilous task that is "not without danger," but duty calls and it's the only way you'll have any hope of ever discovering the cause of this vile disease.

Originally conceived as a short escape-themed entry in the $105 Adventure Game Challenge under the title The Pest-Doctor of Wippra, the game has since been expanded into a full-fledged adventure for commercial release. (The free game jam version is still available, but developer Alexander Leps cautions against playing it now, as it "spoils the ending of the full game.") While still fairly short at less than two hours of play time, The Plague Doctor of Wippra promises a richly atmospheric experience "filled with medical puzzles, interesting characters, historical knowledge and a gripping story," all presented in decidedly retro pixel art style. 

There is no firm target release date just yet, but it's not far off as the game is due to launch on Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux sometime early next year.