Game Theory - The SICK Lore of Animal Hospital

Episode Date: August 24, 2026

Animal Hospital is a brand new Roblox management sim that appears cozy but quickly takes a DARK turn. As monsters are killing your patients, there is actually something much worse putting the entire hospital in danger…

Two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, join thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Walk. Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcfwalk.ca.ca. Roblox has a new management sim and it is dark. What starts as a cozy game helping patients in a hospital quickly turns into a game of deduction to stop monsters from killing your patients.

But as you might expect, there's something much worse that we should be worried about, and it's hiding in plain sight. Hello internet. Welcome to Game Theory. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not the biggest fan of hospitals. The blinding fluorescent lights, the constant waiting, the death rituals being performed in patients' rooms and Ugh, it just gives me the creeps. Okay, that last one doesn't actually happen that I know of. However, it is a very common occurrence in the new game that I've seen a bunch of you suggesting I look at animal hospital.

This game takes a hospital management sim and kicks it up a notch. Because amongst having to admit patients, treat them and put out figurative and literal fires, you are also responsible for keeping creatures known as anomalies from coming and wreaking havoc. Think of it as a management sim crossed with, That's Not My Neighbor. You are a simple intern, who is given a lot. of responsibility, constantly working shift after shift, trying not to lose your sanity, which we solve like any sensible adult with a lot of coffee. You should see me after a new FNAF game comes out. But the more shifts you work, the more you realize that something

sketchy is going on. You know, besides the random death rituals, characters begin to drop more clues about the origins of these anomalies. So now I've got to stop the anomalies, treat the patients, fix cameras, and go snooping around for law. Interns really are expected to just do it all, but fear not theorists, dapper Dr. Tom is on the case. We are going to figure out what these anomalies are, where they came from, and if there's a way we can get rid of them for good and save these poor animals. So grab your stethoscope's friends, because we're about to go exploring the dark secrets hiding inside of this animal hospital. There are two major threats you have to deal with on this shift. Anomalies and monsters.

Anomalies appear as creatures disguising themselves to look like regular animals. But some are better at hiding it than other. They literally show up looking off with hollowed eyes, creepy smiles, or three eyes, a very not normal amount. But some can only be seen when you look through the security cameras, appearing to have disfigured bodies or just black silhouettes. There's also one that only shows up when you take a photo. So each time a patient comes in, you'd better be covering all your bases. Monsters, on the other hand, affect your sanity level. If it reaches zero, you lose.

These enemies are guys like headbanger who just bang their heads against the reception glass. Stalkers who lurk around corners. ones that are in patients rooms like massive eyes and bed monsters. But the most dangerous anomaly is the mimic. The mimic? No, not that one. Mimics look like an animal, but with a giant toothy jaw and will try and eat you or the other patients. When the game initially came out, they were actually called skin walkers inspired by the creatures from Navajo folklore who mimic humans and disguise themselves. However, the Navajo culture keeps the stories around this creature highly sacred and see anyone using them in modern media as deeply disrespectful. So I've got to give it to the creators for recognizing that and making the change.

But as you can see, there are many anomalies lurking around every corner of animal hospital. Although the hospital staff are acting like everything is normal. Dr. Harlow, the lead doctor of the animal hospital, simply tells us, If things get strange, just keep working. Some patients may seem unstable. Now, that might not seem super surprising for an indie horror game. I'll take negligent business for 200, editor. However, what is surprising is he is basically,

the only person acting like this. In the lobby, the game lobby, not the hospital lobby, two NPCs talk about how they've seen strange things. The same patient dying twice. A spike in anomalies recently. And they call out the doctors that won't speak about it or what's in the basement. So now there's a secret basement tow. Jeez.

There's also a news report that calls the incident we're dealing with an anomaly attack. And some recurring characters talk about them very matter-of-factly. One of them is Ron from accounting. Actually, his full name, by the way. Ron says he works for the Animal Corporation and is obviously sketchy because he carries around a top secret briefcase. But when it comes to the anomalies, he actually talks about them quite freely. The last guy got eaten by a bed monster. You ever feel someone watching you from the corner of your eyes?

Yeah, I used to work with that guy. He doesn't say it in a cryptic way, he just comes out and says it. These creatures are no secret to the public. So either it's only the hospital staff who know nothing about these anomalies, or Dr. Harlow is hiding something. And my gut tells me it's the latter. But it's not just the hospital that is hiding secrets. Another character called Liz comes in and says that she used to work for Animal Corps News Channel, but was fired. I had a huge scoop, but they said it was fake.

Sounds more like Liz was silenced to me. But it doesn't stop Liz. She is determined to continue her research. I think all these anomalies are not a coincidence. Something strange is going on and I'm doing an investigation. And everything led me to this hospital. Then there's Rathieu, a black bouse who keeps snooping. around the hospital. He starts out by giving ominous advice. My advice, don't trust anyone around here.

The people with the suitcases are hiding secrets. See, I knew that suitcase would be important, but it's not just run who carries one. Dr. Harlow also carries a suitcase, which already looked suspicious to me. But Rathieu continues to tell us sketchy stuff that's been going on in this hospital, and if you continue down the Rathew storyline, he gives you a big chunk of law to chew on. I had a twin sister, Ratina. Smart one in the family, that's for sure. She worked for for the Animal Corporation. Then one day, she just vanished. No, nope, no goodbye, nothing.

I've been looking for her ever since. Rathieu has been investigating her so much that the corporation is now after Rathew and he has had to go into hiding. And the fact that he's snooping around the hospital once again points to this place being the epicenter of the anomaly controversy. I mean, why else would he be here?

Ron from accounting even mentions Rathew. That rat was in my office once. To do some experiment reports, I wasn't supposed to see. Really making it clear, Rathieu believes the hospital is responsible for his sister's disappearance. But the final piece of evidence is at the end of Rathieu's story. He leaves you with a key that he swiped from the doc, Dr. Harlow.

Going into room 5 and taking down the poster reveals a locked safe. Open it and inside is another top secret briefcase. A photo of Ratina and a note that says, The experiment was a success. The shadow now sees everything. Rathieu was absolutely right to keep sniffing around this hospital. But there's something I wanted to highlight. The note said, the experiment.

And when Rathieu was in Ron's office, he said that he chewed through some experiment reports. This is a hospital, right? So why are we talking about experiments? What kind of secret experiments are going on here? Thankfully, Ron is not very good at keeping secrets. In one of his interactions, he just lets the cat out of the bag entirely. You want to know a secret? They're testing something here.

The patients. They're not sick. They're infected. So not only does Ron confirm there are tests or experiments going on at the hospital. he tells us how it relates to the anomalies. So far we've been treating patients ailments. But according to Ron, these patients don't just have a normal illness we are treating. They are infected with something related to the anomalies.

And when you look at how we treat the patients, it all lines up. Maple syrup is one of the treatments, which, as I'm sure you know, while tasty, isn't a real medical treatment. However, when talking to Ron, he mentions how the last intern got eaten by the bed monster and now he always carries maple syrup. This is a hint that giving the bed monster maple syrup will make it go away. But we also give maple syrup to the patients because it is doing the same thing. We are treating the anomaly infection inside them so that they don't become a bed monster. The same thing can be said for cough syrup.

Another treatment that can also be used to clean slime faster. Slime is a secretion that comes from patients, gross. But it also is seen inside the jaws of the mimic. meaning, this cough syrup actually removes the slime and prevents patients becoming a mimic. And finally, there's the death rituals. Despite a patient having zero anomaly telltale signs, death rituals can still occur in a patient's room. And the only way to put out the candles without losing your sanity is with the eyedrops. It's not about if they are an anomaly.

Everyone is infected with this. We aren't treating sickness. We are trying to cure anomalies and the treatments we have work against them. First of all, this is what the hospital could be experimenting and testing, cures for the anomalies. But if that were true, it wouldn't be kept a secret, and there wouldn't be so many people wondering what secrets they're hiding. Surely, for a hospital, testing cures is business as usual. Instead, we have people investigating missing people and claiming the mystery of the anomalies comes from the hospital, which means Dr. Harlow, as complacent to everything as he tries to appear, is a lot more involved in the conspiracy lurking in the dark corners of the hospital.

First off, he has a top secret briefcase, the same as the one in the vault. The key to the vault was also in Dr Harlow's possession when Rathews stole it. But also, later on in the game, Dr. Harlow can be seen exiting the hospital to talk to a guy in a hazmat suit driving an animal corporation van. Dr. Harlow tells them to start using the back entrance because we, the player, are nosy. You're darn right we are. After this exchange, he then takes the package and goes to the office. That right there is enough to tell you that he's involved. He is performing these experiments and he is.

responsible for the secrets around this town. However, it may not be by choice. Even while at first Dr. Harlow seems pretty tight-lipped about the anomalies, given the right circumstances, he will struggle to keep his mouth shut. For example, when Dr. Harlow sits in the lobby, he will start chatting with you and what he says is really intriguing. Something terrible happened here long ago. I won't bore you with it. There were others before you. Before all of us, I haven't been the same since. Parts of me never came back. The corporation, they saved me. What was left to me anyway? I work for them now. We all do in the end.

Once the research is done, everything will be better. No more patience, no more nights like this, you'll see. Everyone will see. Whatever happened to Dr. Harlow all that time ago, it left him on death's door until the corporation kindly saved him and then used that debt to own him, making him do what they want. I wanted to know more about what this corporation actually was. And if you give Dr. Harlow a mint tea, his favorite drink, you can ask him about it.

The corporation owns the hospital, just like they own the schools and the other businesses in the city. The research I'm doing with them is very important. Some sacrifices must be made. Maybe even I might be one of them. But it's going to change the lives of all the animals. That's why we must keep working. The corporation owns the entire town. Sounds like some big brother dictatorship.

And it also sounds like the people involved, much like Dr. Harlow, are not doing it of their own volition. But they are being forced to buy the corporation, which ties into another thing that Dr. Harlow says. Some sacrifices must be made. Maybe even I might be one of them. In the game lobby, if you look up at the animal hospital in the window is Dr. Harlow, except his eyes are hollow.

He is also an anomaly. That's what happened long ago. The corporation were able to keep Dr. Harlow's anomaly form at bay, just like we're doing with the patients. But the deal was as a doctor with medical expertise, as a thanks for their service, he would work with the corporation and continue performing tests. The hospital is now testing on animals to make more anomalies. And that's what happened to.

Rathew's sister. It could be thought that she was just made to disappear because she learnt too much. But the fact the picture is alongside the note about the experiment and the shadow sees everything, it leads me to believe that Ratina is therefore the shadow. Based on the enemies in the game, the community has suspected that the stalker is Ratina. It makes sense. It's all black, has bunny ears and lurks in shadow, so sees everything. But there's an issue with this theory. Ron talks to you about the stalker and says he is shy. meaning the stalker is, or at least was, male, not Rathew's sister.

The only other anomaly that could be the shadow is the camera figure. The camera figure is an anomaly that could only be seen in the security cameras. It is a black entity oozing with darkness, red eyes and jagged teeth. If you stare at it for too long, the camera zooms in on its own and it jumps scares you, losing 20% sanity. This entity is still a mystery and is rare, but given what we know, that it is black and it gives off some shadowy energy, and that it lives inside the security cameras able to control them,

sounds like a shadow that can see everything. Rathew's sister has been made into the camera figure. The hospital isn't performing experiments to treat anomalies. They are trying to make anomalies. The corporation wants these anomalies to take over. The treatments we are being told to give the patients are not cures, but rather a band-aid, only keeping the problem at bay momentarily

so they can continue their experiments until the next time it crops up. But there is a cure. And we know what it is thanks to another character that we've yet to talk about. In Animal Hospital, you encounter a character named Barney. He is not, in fact, a big purple dinosaur, which was disappointing, but I'll get over it. He comes in and asks you to give him coffee on a few occasions. You can say no, but by giving him the coffee, his storyline does progress, and it's the most important one on how to stop the anomalies. Barney continues to ask for coffee, but he also asks for some other things like hiding a suitcase for him and giving him a scalpel.

I mean, as a hospital receptionist, not the best choice, but as a law finder, it works. Barney asks you to take a photo of him, but when you do, it reveals that he is also an anomaly. Strangely enough, though, he seems to be docile and just wants coffee, not to eat my face. And he never asks to be admitted to the hospital like all the other secret anomaly patients. Clearly, Barney knows something we don't. Eventually, Barney asks to hide with you in the reception room, and a police officer comes in asking if you've seen a serial killer. The picture they give us is the anomaly. picture of Barney.

Ah, so that scalpel we gave him was really not a good idea, huh? When you turn around and then look at Barney, he now looks like his anomaly. But if you choose to cover for him, Barney will thank you with another coffee machine, which is great for managing your sanity because now you can have two pots on the go. Man, this guy really does love his coffee. Wait a minute. We know Barney is an anomaly, or at least infected with it. But he seems to be able to keep control of all of his faculties, only ever asking for coffee.

He never gets admitted or asks for things like maple syrup or cough syrup, the things we know that keeps anomalies calm, it feels like this coffee is connected to the anomalies in some way. While there is one thing that Ron says early on that can be totally missed, two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, join thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation walk. Challenge yourself, friends and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcf walk.ca.ca. Hear that? It's your money calling. It wants a promotion.

Elevate your savings with the Scotia high interest savings account. Always earn high regular interest rates that grow the more you save and invest. Conditions apply. Visit scotiabank.com slash H-I-S-A to learn more. Scotia Bank. You're richer than you think. I work for the corporation. I process the paperwork every night. Some people go mad over it.

You know, hollowed eyes and stuff. It's grueling work. That's why coffee is important. When people go mad, their eyes go hollow. They become an anomaly. But not just that. Drinking coffee stops that from happening. Coffee has a direct correlation to curing anomalies.

We also see it with the headbangers. The only way to stop them without losing sanity, is to give them coffee. But of course, the most important example has been staring at us the entire game. The whole game, we have been drinking coffee to keep us from losing our sanity. And if we don't, the game says,

your sanity depleted and went mad. We die in a sense, the game is over. But we don't literally die. We become an anomaly from insanity. That is the infection. And by restoring our sanity, we are keeping ourselves from turning. Look at the other items that help restore our sanity.

chocolate and mint tea, both of which can have trace amounts of the exact same thing we primarily drink coffee for. Caffeine. Mint tea is also Dr Harlow's favourite drink and he too is turning into an anomaly. That is why Barnett keeps asking for coffee and not admitting himself. He knows all he needs to control the anomaly is caffeine. That's why he's carrying around a coffee machine. He's not just a coffee nut because it's a cool personality trait. It is keeping him from turning.

So we figured out the cure. Good, right? Except we never treat any of our patients with coffee. The coffee is exclusively for us. Dr. Harlow tells us to use it, Ron uses it, and Barney asks for it, but all the patience, we never use it on them, or chocolate or mint tea. We're just giving them cough syrup, eye drops, maple syrup. As we've said, these aren't the real cures.

They only cover up the issue to make it seem like we're doing something while in reality we're just keeping the experiments going. And the corporation is then blacklisting anyone who stands in their way. But now that we know the secret to curing the anomalies, maybe, just maybe, we can put a stop to the corporation. The game is still getting updates regularly. Just as I was wrapping up recording this episode, they dropped a law-specific update. Hi, Future Tom here. Fortunately, it doesn't really change anything I've said.

We get a little more interaction between characters that are in on the conspiracy, seeing a note that talks about the anomaly gene and how supplies need to be turned into medicines quickly so they don't go bad. So it seems like these experiments are more like what happened to Deadpool in those movies, where they aren't creating anomalies from nothing, just exploiting the genes, and the medicines help to suppress that gene. If they go bad, then maybe that's what turns them from simple anomalies into models. But I guess we're just going to have to wait and see.

But in the meantime theorists, remember, that's just a theory. A game theory. Two in five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, join thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation walk. Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire. and help create a world free from the fear of cancer.

Register today at pmcf walk.ca.ca. Thanks for watching.