Developed in a collaboration between Games Operators and Jutsu Games, 112 Operator is relatively deep simulation game, that puts you in the hotseat of a 911 dispatch officer. With the game having already spent four years adorning the Steam Store, the developers have launched the title onto the respective stores of Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.

Having spent the night sat on a small mountain of Red Bull playing it, I have taken the matchsticks from my eye lids and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the unlikely hero that is 112 Operator. A gem that sadly faces the risk of being overlooked and buried in the rough terrains of the console market.

112 A Job Simulator That Makes You Want to Work Overtime

My first impressions of 112 Operator weren’t of a positive nature. It’s so easy to see screenshots of a game and make rash conclusions, and for this I was guilty as charged. When I first read the synopsis, I was imagining a game that ran on similar rails to City Eye, a game I reviewed in the early access stages back in 2022. I was expecting video surveillance and the opportunity to watch arrests, firefighters fighting fire and paramedics saving the lives of the unfortunate; so imagine my disappointment when I first lain thine eyes on the screenshots. Regardless, I installed the game and settled in to some good old fashioned dispatching of emergency services.

First Impressions

112 Operator took a fair bit of time to get to grips with. While there is a little instruction in the early stages, it’s not done in a way that makes things as clear and as concise as I would have liked. Coupled with a seemingly awkward user interface (I will go into this soon), I at first thought I was in for a tedious and frustrating night. Oh, how wrong I was.

Once I had mastered the UI (this consisted of nothing more than learning that pressing “Y” switched between the map and the menus) I finally started to become absorbed in my new life as a 911 switchboard operator and found myself dispatching ambulances, police units and fire trucks with the deft prowess of a seasoned veteran of the switchboard.

Adding a real air of authenticity is the background radio chatter as units communicate both with you and with each other. It works perfectly to set the scene and really place you in that seat. As I relaxed into the oddly soothing sounds of emergency units conversing, I realized just how much I was enjoying this as I reflected on my premature opinions.

Of course, as a 911 dispatch guy (or guyette) most of your job involves answering calls. Ranging from the deeply sinister callers to the often hilarious pranksters and it’s your job to separate the wheat from the chaff. With each caller you are given dialog choices you can choose from to garner information or help the caller over the phone – chose wisely because the wrong words could quite easily lead to disaster. During my playthrough I talked a jumper down from a ledge, called a high school kid out on a bomb scare call he made to get out of lessons, an old but sweet old lady that wanted me to give her the code to unlock her phone, and so much more. Furthermore, this isn’t a half-hearted mechanism, all callers have their own voices, personalities and concerns.

Upgrade Your Fleet

I’m not sure if it was my job as a switchboard operator to manage the fleet of emergency vehicles but I was allocated to the post nonetheless (maybe the usual guy was off sick?). At the end of each day, you can use the money you have exhorted from the American citizens to buy more vehicles so you can help more people and exhort more funds along the way. The units are split into three branches; medical, fire, and police and each unit needs to be staffed. It’s a good idea to make mental notes as you play so you can best allocate your resources.

In Closing

What I first thought would be boring turned out to be my latest addiction. Try to look beyond the screenshots (that certainly don’t do the game justice) and think of 112 Operator as the deep simulation that it actually is. Any fan of simulator that require thinking and strategy will find countless hours of fun here due to it’s huge campaign that spreads across Europe.

Not many simulators actually make you feel like you’re actually in the role, but 112 Operator achieves this to extraordinary extent.

112 Operator is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC through the Steam Store. I’m now going to shutdown my PC and get into some serious dispatching. Have fun, gamers.