The Mortuary Assistant | As I See It
Table of Contents
About The Mortuary Assistant
Having completed your degree in mortuary sciences, you have taken on an apprenticeship at River Fields Mortuary. Over the past several months you have logged many hours aiding the Mortician in daily tasks along with learning the ins and outs of the embalming process as well as how to properly handle and care for the deceased.
Late one night, you are called into work to handle some embalmings. Death doesn’t keep daytime hours. But there is something different about these bodies because there is something different about you. The phone rings with the Mortician on the other end. The rumors are true, and you can not leave.
Perform embalmings, handle the various jobs around the mortuary, and exorcise demonic forces. All in a day’s work.
The Gameplay
The Mortuary Assistant has a lot of repetitive play. You are constantly embalming the dead. As the protagonist, this is your job. As the player, it can become monotonous. However, the repetitive play is consistently broken up by random events. There are several types of events.
Some of the events can be very quick. In fact, you can miss them if you look away for a fraction of a second. There are a couple of instances where I went back to look at my gameplay recording to see what I missed. They can be quick but you’ll know they happen because there tends to be an audio queue and sometimes it is loud.
Some events last longer and can be random or expand on the storyline. The longer events that I experienced generally gave me queues on where to go to progress the event. You may find yourself exploring the morgue or transported to a new location. Some of these events expand on the storyline where you find out more about the protagonist’s background. I have to say that her background story is quite intriguing.
You play The Mortuary Assistant in shifts. Once you get used to the game mechanics, you can get through a shift in about 75 minutes. There are multiple endings so the shift time can vary depending on which ending you are going for. With each shift, you will embalm bodies just like any other time but everything else changes. The events will be different, the story will expand, and so much more.
The Atmosphere
The Mortuary Assistant’s design of River Fields Mortuary deserves recognition. I have been to several funeral homes but I have never been to a mortuary. River Fields Mortuary is what I picture in my head. There are plenty of movies that depict The Mortuary Assistant’s representation of a mortuary but this one feels right in my mind.
The mortuary’s entrance and front office feels warm and welcoming. The lighting and colors make me think of a viewing. The combination gives you a vibe that prepares you for meeting the dead. You feel comfortable but grief at the same time. You’ll find a front desk, a bathroom with a closet, furniture, and decorations.
From the entrance, you go down a long hallway to the embalming room. This is where you’ll find all the tools you need to embalm the dead and perform business tasks. There is enough room to perform one embalming and the tools are laid out in a manner that is easily accessible.
From the embalming room, you go down another hallway. I may get some of the terms wrong here because I am not an expert in mortuary terms so please bear with me. At the end of the hallway, you come to the storage room. This is where the dead are stored. They are specially-made freezers that have the equipment to help with transporting bodies. You’ll also find the crematory in this room.
Combine all of this together and you get an awesome depiction of a mortuary. While the mortuary may feel warm and welcoming, the random noises create tension and consistently remind you that you are not alone and in danger.
As I See It
The Mortuary Assistant is a fun video game. There are repetitive gameplay aspects but the random events keep you guessing at what will happen next. I feel like I am always waiting for something to happen and I’m generally not waiting for all that long. The events tend to be quite effective and downright scary. I’ve played several shifts and I have enjoyed every one of them.
The Mortuary Assistant makes me feel like the mortuary assistant.