Forgotten Hill Surgery — Play Free Online

Forgotten Hill Surgery is a dark point-and-click adventure by FM Studio, the makers of the whole Forgotten Hill series. It is the third chapter of that series, coming after Forgotten Hill: Fall and Forgotten Hill: Puppeteer, and it was published on Poki in October 2020. It is played with the mouse on a computer and with taps on a phone or tablet.

The story

You play Mister Larson, who wakes up in a cold room inside a clinic with only a hazy memory of how he got there. A nurse greets him and explains that he had a bad accident but was brought in just in time, and that the Colonel will be operating on him soon. Everyone keeps telling him he is in good hands. It does not take long to see that this clinic is not what it claims, and that Colonel McMillan's idea of "improving" a patient is something to run from.

The ward has a list of rules pinned up for patients, among them: obey the nurse, don't look in the mirrors, don't talk with patients, follow the rules and don't leave your room. Getting out means breaking them, and the nurse does not take it well when she finds you somewhere you should not be.

How to play

Click on anything that looks interesting to examine it. Objects you can take go into your inventory; select one there and click it on a door, a device or another item to use it. Some items need a close look before their use becomes clear, and the game often reminds you to check your inventory or look at a location more carefully.

Puzzles and characters

Alongside the usual hunt for keys and tools, the clinic has several self-contained logic puzzles:

• A plumbing puzzle where you rotate pipe sections until the water flows again.
• A light puzzle where you place blocks so a beam reaches every valve.
• A tile puzzle where each coloured section must sit next to one of the same colour.
• A formula you have to work out and a map you piece together.

Other patients matter too. A playful patient who has the nurse's permission to play wants marbles, and you find red, blue and green ones for him. Another patient who claims he has "seen the truth" hands over his own eye. Listening to what these people say is part of the solution, and one hint simply tells you to remember what the patient said.

Tips

• Return to earlier rooms whenever you pick up a new item and try it on places that did nothing before.
• Read every line of dialogue. The patients' odd remarks often point to an object or a code.
• Keep notes of symbols, colours and numbers you come across while exploring the rooms.
• If you are stuck, the game's hint menu lets you pick a hint for the current problem.