Name The Thing They Stole This Imagery From 4
Not only is this game just utterly lacking in atmosphere and any sort of narrative drive (their beksinski "influence" is almost insulting to the visual diversity in his work when the locales have more in common with darkseed 2's cut-and-pasted hr giger painting world) but it also lacks any sort of faith in its audience to understand literally anything that happens. Marianne will narrate EVERYTHING CONSTANTLY regardless of how minor or unimportant it is meaning that the entire game is one long, boring monologue of Marianne explaining plot elements that have JUST been played, and every narrative beat that they're obviously setting up as a twist is so blindingly obvious the second its introduced that the story has no momentum whatsoever. Theres some bizarre attempts at broaching capital S Serious subjects like the holocaust - its trigger warning doesnt even bother to mention any of them, by the way - that are basically just spicy window dressing and go nowhere further than mentioning them as A Thing That Exists.
The game's """iconic""" monster is maybe the least scary thing I've ever seen in a game (oh no, its troy baker doing a stupid voice non-stop), and is also suspiciously similar to Hellboy 2's Angel of Death, a character who resides...wait for it...inside a Beksinski-inspired underground ruin! for fucks sake lmao.
The ending of this game is perhaps the worst I've seen in any game, it's so ill-thought-out and straight up fucking offensive that bloober team should be reminded of this absolute garbage any time they try to be prestige. Fuck this video game, fuck bloober team.
Not only is this game just utterly lacking in atmosphere and any sort of narrative drive (their beksinski "influence" is almost insulting to the visual diversity in his work when the locales have more in common with darkseed 2's cut-and-pasted hr giger painting world) but it also lacks any sort of faith in its audience to understand literally anything that happens. Marianne will narrate EVERYTHING CONSTANTLY regardless of how minor or unimportant it is meaning that the entire game is one long, boring monologue of Marianne explaining plot elements that have JUST been played, and every narrative beat that they're obviously setting up as a twist is so blindingly obvious the second its introduced that the story has no momentum whatsoever. Theres some bizarre attempts at broaching capital S Serious subjects like the holocaust - its trigger warning doesnt even bother to mention any of them, by the way - that are basically just spicy window dressing and go nowhere further than mentioning them as A Thing That Exists.
The game's """iconic""" monster is maybe the least scary thing I've ever seen in a game (oh no, its troy baker doing a stupid voice non-stop), and is also suspiciously similar to Hellboy 2's Angel of Death, a character who resides...wait for it...inside a Beksinski-inspired underground ruin! for fucks sake lmao.
The ending of this game is perhaps the worst I've seen in any game, it's so ill-thought-out and straight up fucking offensive that bloober team should be reminded of this absolute garbage any time they try to be prestige. Fuck this video game, fuck bloober team.
A world that can only be described as Silent Hill if the Otherworld was designed by Zdzislaw Beksinski, presented like Control, but does it live up to the sum of it's parts?
The puzzles are as good as they need to be and no better, the writing and voice acting is just fine, all the environments are... kinda varied?
It's split world premise is really cool and well utilised in big portions of the game, but sometimes they change the way it functions, sometimes just using the mirror system from Silent Hill Origins to travel between the mortal world and other world.
The story is engaging enough but lacking. Honestly that could describe the whole game, Engaging enough but lacking, it doesn't quite achieve it's enormous potential.
But let's take a step back, other than being published by Microsoft, this was made by a relatively small game, and is still at the scale of an indie title, this is a hugely impressive game that Bloober Team deserves celebration for this game, And I very much enjoyed my time with it, and it really scratched an itch I had for a game with a unique visual selling point.
I want to rate this half a star higher but I just can't bring myself to do it.
The puzzles are as good as they need to be and no better, the writing and voice acting is just fine, all the environments are... kinda varied?
It's split world premise is really cool and well utilised in big portions of the game, but sometimes they change the way it functions, sometimes just using the mirror system from Silent Hill Origins to travel between the mortal world and other world.
The story is engaging enough but lacking. Honestly that could describe the whole game, Engaging enough but lacking, it doesn't quite achieve it's enormous potential.
But let's take a step back, other than being published by Microsoft, this was made by a relatively small game, and is still at the scale of an indie title, this is a hugely impressive game that Bloober Team deserves celebration for this game, And I very much enjoyed my time with it, and it really scratched an itch I had for a game with a unique visual selling point.
I want to rate this half a star higher but I just can't bring myself to do it.
A surprisingly good title. Great atmosphere, nice visually, and short enough to not overstay its welcome.
If you're like me and love horror games that rely on the atmosphere and story instead of cheap jump scares, then you'll love 'The Medium'.
On the surface The Medium might sound like a good game, but it is not. It's extremely tedious, shallow and pretentious. If you enjoy non-existent gameplay, then you'll love it, because there's plenty of things to be picked up and interacted with.
The only redeeming quality I found was the sound design, but even that didn't save me from getting bored by running from one place to the other, very, very slowly.
What about the story you ask? Yes there is one. One that is uninteresting, predictable and full with one-dimensional characters. Not worth wasting your time, as it is as disappointing as the lack of any gameplay.
I honestly only played this through because it was on the Game Pass and would've refunded it before the two hour mark if I bought it by accident.
The only redeeming quality I found was the sound design, but even that didn't save me from getting bored by running from one place to the other, very, very slowly.
What about the story you ask? Yes there is one. One that is uninteresting, predictable and full with one-dimensional characters. Not worth wasting your time, as it is as disappointing as the lack of any gameplay.
I honestly only played this through because it was on the Game Pass and would've refunded it before the two hour mark if I bought it by accident.
I got a part of this review from other guy because He decribed very well how the game really is. However, this review have my opinion too and I hope be helpful for everyone.
-The game is a psychological terror, with more puzzles and explorations than scare and escape moments. 70% of the time you will walk and solve a mystery. The game has only one jump scare (but it is THE JUMP SCARE!). Beside that, the game is extremely linear.
-For understand the history and the characters I needed to turn on the character’s name in subtitles. Even been few characters I recommend you turn on the subtitles tips to not get lost about history.
-Something I didn't see anyone saying, is that the game is inspired in Stranger Things. The two worlds with monsters theme are very alike. Beside that , playing the game with two perspectives (two worlds) was amazing and very interesting, because some itens was just into one world, so you need to look better for this side of screen to find this item and proceed with history.
-The plot is the best part of the game, and the major responsible for making the player goes to the end. It is very good and with a lot of twists.
-The mechanics of the game are simple: walk, run, interact with objects, jump in certain parts and etc. But the unique mechanic is how the game uses the two worlds. There are moments which the player has two screens showing two totally different worlds, with specifics interactions each. There are other moments which the player can only move into one world because the other side is locked or something else. Without that mechanics, the game would be very generic.
-Puzzles are very simple, and even silly, but they are unique thanks to the two world mechanic, making they fun.
-The graphics are good enough. Sometimes it is nice, sometimes don't, but the majoraty of time I thought good. The game runs very well in most of times, but has a lot of frame drops at last hour, in specifics camera positions. The facial expression are very weak and seems like It doesn’t belongs to this beautiful created world.
-The level design is very good, and I think is the best point of the graphics. 98% of the game is in an abandoned hotel in Poland, and the studio could make the right atmosphere for it.
-The soundtrack was made by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) and Arkadiusz Reikowski. I think It could be much better because the memorables soundtrack were just two and sound at ending.
-It takes 7 to 10 hours to finish the game, even looking for all the collectibles (which there are a lot, but most part is linear). I finished it with only four achievements left.
I would like to inform here that Bloober Team is an indie studio, and I had the feeling the “The Medium” wanted to be a AAA game but couldn't do it.
The game worth if you are very curious to play it, has gamepass or if you find it in a very good price. It may be good for you too if have time to read a lot of notes telling about the story and like “walking simulator” games.
-The game is a psychological terror, with more puzzles and explorations than scare and escape moments. 70% of the time you will walk and solve a mystery. The game has only one jump scare (but it is THE JUMP SCARE!). Beside that, the game is extremely linear.
-For understand the history and the characters I needed to turn on the character’s name in subtitles. Even been few characters I recommend you turn on the subtitles tips to not get lost about history.
-Something I didn't see anyone saying, is that the game is inspired in Stranger Things. The two worlds with monsters theme are very alike. Beside that , playing the game with two perspectives (two worlds) was amazing and very interesting, because some itens was just into one world, so you need to look better for this side of screen to find this item and proceed with history.
-The plot is the best part of the game, and the major responsible for making the player goes to the end. It is very good and with a lot of twists.
-The mechanics of the game are simple: walk, run, interact with objects, jump in certain parts and etc. But the unique mechanic is how the game uses the two worlds. There are moments which the player has two screens showing two totally different worlds, with specifics interactions each. There are other moments which the player can only move into one world because the other side is locked or something else. Without that mechanics, the game would be very generic.
-Puzzles are very simple, and even silly, but they are unique thanks to the two world mechanic, making they fun.
-The graphics are good enough. Sometimes it is nice, sometimes don't, but the majoraty of time I thought good. The game runs very well in most of times, but has a lot of frame drops at last hour, in specifics camera positions. The facial expression are very weak and seems like It doesn’t belongs to this beautiful created world.
-The level design is very good, and I think is the best point of the graphics. 98% of the game is in an abandoned hotel in Poland, and the studio could make the right atmosphere for it.
-The soundtrack was made by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) and Arkadiusz Reikowski. I think It could be much better because the memorables soundtrack were just two and sound at ending.
-It takes 7 to 10 hours to finish the game, even looking for all the collectibles (which there are a lot, but most part is linear). I finished it with only four achievements left.
I would like to inform here that Bloober Team is an indie studio, and I had the feeling the “The Medium” wanted to be a AAA game but couldn't do it.
The game worth if you are very curious to play it, has gamepass or if you find it in a very good price. It may be good for you too if have time to read a lot of notes telling about the story and like “walking simulator” games.
It's fine. Some plusses some minuses.
Great style to the game throughout, soundtrack is decent too. Atmosphere is well done for the most part, the main problem with the game is the pacing. Too often it seemed to build to something as the grand finale only to tease another section. A better structure and clearer defined characters would improve things a lot. I figured out the gist of the narrative early on, a rarity for these kind of games for me. Mainly because there was no meat to it, nothing else to focus on. You'll hear a name mentioned and teased as a possible bad person then you'll find their scene and hear 3 voice clips about 10 seconds each telling their whole tale. It's about engaging enough for me to stick with but not one I'd heartily recommend. Observer is way better.
Great style to the game throughout, soundtrack is decent too. Atmosphere is well done for the most part, the main problem with the game is the pacing. Too often it seemed to build to something as the grand finale only to tease another section. A better structure and clearer defined characters would improve things a lot. I figured out the gist of the narrative early on, a rarity for these kind of games for me. Mainly because there was no meat to it, nothing else to focus on. You'll hear a name mentioned and teased as a possible bad person then you'll find their scene and hear 3 voice clips about 10 seconds each telling their whole tale. It's about engaging enough for me to stick with but not one I'd heartily recommend. Observer is way better.
Split screen with two different dimensions sounds like a really good mechanic, but unfortunately The Medium does nothing interesting with this mechanic. Actually its very distracting most of the time when you are in the Split Screen Mode.
The game shines when you travel between dimensions without the use of this Split Screen Mode.
Very good looking game, looks like a traditional Resident Evil game per-rendered environment but it's not per-rendered!
The pacing is all over the place. Slow at the start, then gets really interesting when you got different powers and puzzles and then it gets slow again.
I would recommend this game for the people who like those walking sim horror games like the games this studio has made before like Layers of Fear. It really feels like it.
But! They sprinkled new stuff to this game that has a lot of potential and I'm now looking forward what they are going to make next!
The game shines when you travel between dimensions without the use of this Split Screen Mode.
Very good looking game, looks like a traditional Resident Evil game per-rendered environment but it's not per-rendered!
The pacing is all over the place. Slow at the start, then gets really interesting when you got different powers and puzzles and then it gets slow again.
I would recommend this game for the people who like those walking sim horror games like the games this studio has made before like Layers of Fear. It really feels like it.
But! They sprinkled new stuff to this game that has a lot of potential and I'm now looking forward what they are going to make next!
The Good:
- The atmosphere of the abandoned resort is great
- Fixed camera angles work extremely well to keep you on edge during this type of game
- The voice acting on the demon was very good until you could see him
- Napoleon Dynamite reference in a game released in 2021
The Bad:
- The story meanders around until you get to one of the worst endings I've seen in a game
- All puzzles in the game are either spoiled by the main character saying the solution, or seen with her spider sense
- The design of the main demon made me laugh every time I could see him
- The atmosphere of the abandoned resort is great
- Fixed camera angles work extremely well to keep you on edge during this type of game
- The voice acting on the demon was very good until you could see him
- Napoleon Dynamite reference in a game released in 2021
The Bad:
- The story meanders around until you get to one of the worst endings I've seen in a game
- All puzzles in the game are either spoiled by the main character saying the solution, or seen with her spider sense
- The design of the main demon made me laugh every time I could see him
The Medium tried to sell itself on its hook of being able to control two characters at the same time in two different environments. This gameplay mechanic could have been used to make some devilish puzzles and quality gameplay moments but sadly the medium falls short. What we get is a walking simulator with some basic puzzles and interactions just so they can say there is a game somewhere in there.
Being a Resident Evil fan it was nice to see preset camera angles return, the entire game is presented like an old school adventure focused survival horror game. You will walk around creepy environments looking for anything that can be interacted with, lucky a cursor always appears to let you know where they are. A lot of times items are just simple keys, find object, use it on barrier, move on. That’s the biggest issue with this game, there is almost never any thinking needed. You run around an area, find the only things you can interact with and use them in the only thing that takes them.
I can count on one hand how many times there was an actual two step process of maybe having to use gasp two objects in a certain sequence that required some minimal brain power to solve. These moments usually used the split screen mechanic having the player in the real world and spirit, silent hill like, world. Some areas are blocked off in one world requiring you to untether and explore as the spirit player who has a few extra powers. These manifests as a shield that can block killer moths, which are basically barriers as they just sit in a spot and you need to find energy to use the shield to pass them. So some items are in the spirit world and you then pass it to the real world and that lets you progress. None of this is all that compelling and it’s basically what the entire game is, outside of the maw which serves as the only enemy.
The maw is some pan’s labyrinth looking creature that stalks the played in a few areas. This results in the most basic of stealth sections, you know the ones, the enemy has about three preset paths and you wait for it to turn and move to the next conveniently placed waist high wall. There are a few scripted chases where you just run for a while down winding hallways. That’s basically all there is to the game.
Most of the game is just walking and taking in the story which is the only saving grace, well that and the occasional interesting environments. The Medium as you can probably guess is about a Medium who can access a spirit world and talk to the dead, she has a recurring dream of a girl being killed and doesn’t know much of her past. She gets a mysterious call to go to an abandoned hotel where a massacre occurred and from there she starts to uncover a mystery that involves her past. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story and even though some of it can be deduced it still has a compelling narrative with a powerful ending.
If you are a fan of old school adventure games that have no challenge this will be right up your alley. It’s creepy, has a very good story and it’s basically stress free; clocking in at about 7 hours it’s a mostly painless experience. But I like games with compelling gameplay and there is little of that to be had here.
Score: 4.5
Being a Resident Evil fan it was nice to see preset camera angles return, the entire game is presented like an old school adventure focused survival horror game. You will walk around creepy environments looking for anything that can be interacted with, lucky a cursor always appears to let you know where they are. A lot of times items are just simple keys, find object, use it on barrier, move on. That’s the biggest issue with this game, there is almost never any thinking needed. You run around an area, find the only things you can interact with and use them in the only thing that takes them.
I can count on one hand how many times there was an actual two step process of maybe having to use gasp two objects in a certain sequence that required some minimal brain power to solve. These moments usually used the split screen mechanic having the player in the real world and spirit, silent hill like, world. Some areas are blocked off in one world requiring you to untether and explore as the spirit player who has a few extra powers. These manifests as a shield that can block killer moths, which are basically barriers as they just sit in a spot and you need to find energy to use the shield to pass them. So some items are in the spirit world and you then pass it to the real world and that lets you progress. None of this is all that compelling and it’s basically what the entire game is, outside of the maw which serves as the only enemy.
The maw is some pan’s labyrinth looking creature that stalks the played in a few areas. This results in the most basic of stealth sections, you know the ones, the enemy has about three preset paths and you wait for it to turn and move to the next conveniently placed waist high wall. There are a few scripted chases where you just run for a while down winding hallways. That’s basically all there is to the game.
Most of the game is just walking and taking in the story which is the only saving grace, well that and the occasional interesting environments. The Medium as you can probably guess is about a Medium who can access a spirit world and talk to the dead, she has a recurring dream of a girl being killed and doesn’t know much of her past. She gets a mysterious call to go to an abandoned hotel where a massacre occurred and from there she starts to uncover a mystery that involves her past. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story and even though some of it can be deduced it still has a compelling narrative with a powerful ending.
If you are a fan of old school adventure games that have no challenge this will be right up your alley. It’s creepy, has a very good story and it’s basically stress free; clocking in at about 7 hours it’s a mostly painless experience. But I like games with compelling gameplay and there is little of that to be had here.
Score: 4.5
Great Atmosphere with superb sound and art design.
Intriguing story
okay gameplay
Intriguing story
okay gameplay
This has to be one of the most boring and insulting games I've played in a long time.
The message in this game rivals the message in We Happy Few as one of the most dangerous messages in video games.
If you want the TLWGAS (Too Late Who Gives A Shit),
The game is all about trauma, may it be physical, sexual, or mental we all have some sort of trama, and at times we may feel that our pain, are trauma is hurting people around us and that we should try taking our lives to save other people around up (I know I felt that way for a long time).
Well, this game tells us we should kill ourselves, that we are "Lost Causes" and if we do kill ourselves we'd be making the lives of our loved ones better for it since they can't fix us, and that is bullshit.
Suicide is never the answer to any problem especially ones you have no control over.
(If you feel suicidal please call this number 800-273-8255)
I don't know if this was intentional or not but I can not stand for this kind of message being in Xbox's first next-gen title.
I don't even care that there are aspects to this game I do enjoy because it's all wrapped up in this awful game with an awful message.
Fuck this game and fuck Blooper Team.
(Side-Note I forgot to add this part of the game which adds to why I hate this game so much)
At one point in the game, the game tries to make you empathize with a child molester.
The game shows you how he went down this path because his dad died, he had an abusive step-dad, and his best friend was taken by Nazi
granted those are all awful things
but I don't think that gives him enough for me to forgive a child molester.
That's just another thing to add to the shit cake that is this game.
The message in this game rivals the message in We Happy Few as one of the most dangerous messages in video games.
If you want the TLWGAS (Too Late Who Gives A Shit),
The game is all about trauma, may it be physical, sexual, or mental we all have some sort of trama, and at times we may feel that our pain, are trauma is hurting people around us and that we should try taking our lives to save other people around up (I know I felt that way for a long time).
Well, this game tells us we should kill ourselves, that we are "Lost Causes" and if we do kill ourselves we'd be making the lives of our loved ones better for it since they can't fix us, and that is bullshit.
Suicide is never the answer to any problem especially ones you have no control over.
(If you feel suicidal please call this number 800-273-8255)
I don't know if this was intentional or not but I can not stand for this kind of message being in Xbox's first next-gen title.
I don't even care that there are aspects to this game I do enjoy because it's all wrapped up in this awful game with an awful message.
Fuck this game and fuck Blooper Team.
(Side-Note I forgot to add this part of the game which adds to why I hate this game so much)
At one point in the game, the game tries to make you empathize with a child molester.
The game shows you how he went down this path because his dad died, he had an abusive step-dad, and his best friend was taken by Nazi
granted those are all awful things
but I don't think that gives him enough for me to forgive a child molester.
That's just another thing to add to the shit cake that is this game.
I played the majority of this in a day, most of that day was spent with a migraine so maybe I missed the really problematic stuff but I thought this was pretty good. It looks beautiful, it's atmospheric and the music is bloody great too.
Would I feel differently if I'd paid £40 for it? Probably, as it can get a bit tedious at time but I played it on Game Pass so I suppose I don't judge it so harshly for that.
Would I feel differently if I'd paid £40 for it? Probably, as it can get a bit tedious at time but I played it on Game Pass so I suppose I don't judge it so harshly for that.
polonia
A pesar de un apartado artístico excelente, y una historia ligeramente por encima de la media, el gameplay repetitivo y el mal uso de dicho apartado artístico hacen que sea una experiencia totalmente olvidable.
I'd rate it half a star but the game broke halfway through and didn't let me progress so, to be fair, it was nice of the game to let me know that I did not need to play anymore
Jogo mal optimizado. Falta de polimento e direção tiram toda a imersão da história, triste.
Still unsre about it. It feels like the perfect Gamepasss Game.
I like this quote from the protagonist „ A name is more than whatever one calls you. It is that feels yourself to be.“
I like this quote from the protagonist „ A name is more than whatever one calls you. It is that feels yourself to be.“
I absolutely loved this game. Yes, it has some technical issues but the story, the atmosphere...it's all there. Partially a walking sim, partially a psychological horror... loved it!
I finished the game on Series S, so here is my opinion:
-The game is a psychological terror, with more puzzles and explorations than scare and escape moments. 70% of the time you will walk and solve a mystery. The game has only one jump scare (but it is THE JUMP SCARE!). Beside that, the game is extremely linear.
-The characters are well made, even been few. Marianne is protagonist that will make you like her. Even been in a tense situation, she make fun of it to give a safety feeling. The voice acting is also good.
-Something I didn't see anyone saying, is that the game is inspired in Stranger Things. The two world with monsters theme are very alike. The game is also inspired in classic fixed camera games and Alan Wake.
-The plot is the best part of the game, and the major responsible for making the player goes to the end. It is very good and with a lot of twists.
Here goes a little spoiler:
Is BRILLIANT how them game explore child traumas, showing they as our interior monters. A hell of a message. Nazism, holocaust and comunism is also well explored in the game. For mim, this part was the message of the game.
-The mechanics of the game are simple: walk, run, interact with objects, jump in certain parts and etc. But the unique mechanic is how the game uses the two world. There are moments which the player has two screen with the two world, with specifics interactions each. There are other moments which the player can only move in one world, or automatic changes between both. Without that, the game would be very generic.
-The puzzles are very simple, and even silly, but they are unique thanks to the two world mechanic, making they fun.
- If I remember, the player encounter the monsters 6 times in some way. The player can escape or pass through it in stealth. If the player got caught, it can defend itself using some power, if it have. It take a while to get how to escape from the monster (thanks to the bad player movement), but it gets easy.
- Speaking of the monster, after 3 encounter, it stop being frightening, 'cause there is no gore in player death. So you will have afraid of the expectations of the monster appearing, and don't of the monter itself.
-The graphics are funny. Sometimes it is nice, sometimes don't, but never next gen level. I had the feeling that the game could run in the Xbox One. The game runs very well in most of the times, but has a lot of frame drops in the last 40 minutes, in specifics cameras positions. The facial expression are very weak, and I think GTA IV does it better.
-The level design is very good, and I think is the best point of the graphics. 98% of the game is in an abandoned hotel in Poland, and the studio could make the right atmosphere for it.
-The soundtrack was made by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) and Arkadiusz Reikowski. Sometimes it gives more fear than the monster. Cool.
-It takes 7 to 10 hours to finish the game, even looking for all the collectibles (which there are a lot, but most part is linear). I finished it with only two achievements left, both about collectibles.
To short: the game if for the those who like psychological horror games, with an engaging and creative plot, and wants a new experience.
The graphics is nothing new or revolutionary, but does the basic. Bloober Team is a indie studio, and I had the feeling the The Medium wanted to be a AAA game but couldn't do it.
The game worth if you are very curious to play it, has gamepass or if you find it in a very good price.
-The game is a psychological terror, with more puzzles and explorations than scare and escape moments. 70% of the time you will walk and solve a mystery. The game has only one jump scare (but it is THE JUMP SCARE!). Beside that, the game is extremely linear.
-The characters are well made, even been few. Marianne is protagonist that will make you like her. Even been in a tense situation, she make fun of it to give a safety feeling. The voice acting is also good.
-Something I didn't see anyone saying, is that the game is inspired in Stranger Things. The two world with monsters theme are very alike. The game is also inspired in classic fixed camera games and Alan Wake.
-The plot is the best part of the game, and the major responsible for making the player goes to the end. It is very good and with a lot of twists.
Here goes a little spoiler:
Is BRILLIANT how them game explore child traumas, showing they as our interior monters. A hell of a message. Nazism, holocaust and comunism is also well explored in the game. For mim, this part was the message of the game.
-The mechanics of the game are simple: walk, run, interact with objects, jump in certain parts and etc. But the unique mechanic is how the game uses the two world. There are moments which the player has two screen with the two world, with specifics interactions each. There are other moments which the player can only move in one world, or automatic changes between both. Without that, the game would be very generic.
-The puzzles are very simple, and even silly, but they are unique thanks to the two world mechanic, making they fun.
- If I remember, the player encounter the monsters 6 times in some way. The player can escape or pass through it in stealth. If the player got caught, it can defend itself using some power, if it have. It take a while to get how to escape from the monster (thanks to the bad player movement), but it gets easy.
- Speaking of the monster, after 3 encounter, it stop being frightening, 'cause there is no gore in player death. So you will have afraid of the expectations of the monster appearing, and don't of the monter itself.
-The graphics are funny. Sometimes it is nice, sometimes don't, but never next gen level. I had the feeling that the game could run in the Xbox One. The game runs very well in most of the times, but has a lot of frame drops in the last 40 minutes, in specifics cameras positions. The facial expression are very weak, and I think GTA IV does it better.
-The level design is very good, and I think is the best point of the graphics. 98% of the game is in an abandoned hotel in Poland, and the studio could make the right atmosphere for it.
-The soundtrack was made by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) and Arkadiusz Reikowski. Sometimes it gives more fear than the monster. Cool.
-It takes 7 to 10 hours to finish the game, even looking for all the collectibles (which there are a lot, but most part is linear). I finished it with only two achievements left, both about collectibles.
To short: the game if for the those who like psychological horror games, with an engaging and creative plot, and wants a new experience.
The graphics is nothing new or revolutionary, but does the basic. Bloober Team is a indie studio, and I had the feeling the The Medium wanted to be a AAA game but couldn't do it.
The game worth if you are very curious to play it, has gamepass or if you find it in a very good price.
Primeiro com os positivos: voice acting é muito bom, além disso é um jogo realmente bonito, inovador com a técnica de Splitscreen e o uso de raytracing.
Mas, infelizmente, a otimização é péssima, o que me fez abandonar o jogo com menos de 4 horas (tenho um PC relativamente bom). Com uma RTX 2060, obtive em média 24 fps com configurações gráficas no "médio". Além disso, a história é realmente medíocre para ruim, com personagens muito superficiais.
Mas, infelizmente, a otimização é péssima, o que me fez abandonar o jogo com menos de 4 horas (tenho um PC relativamente bom). Com uma RTX 2060, obtive em média 24 fps com configurações gráficas no "médio". Além disso, a história é realmente medíocre para ruim, com personagens muito superficiais.
This review contains spoilers
English/German below
Spoilers ahead!
The medium
It took me 7 1/2 hours for medium and achieved 840 gamerscore. An entertaining horror story game that was told in a terrific way and that just lacked the threat of its horror element.
story
It was exciting, thrilling and well staged. The cut scenes, echoes, collectibles tell the intense ride of the medium Marianne. At no point did I feel any length in the game, on the contrary, you were actually always curious to see how it would go on. The story of Marianne and the uncovering of the past was a success from start to finish.
While playing, you are constantly encouraged to make assumptions and interpret in order to recognize the picture that is emerging.
Spoiler:
The parentheses at the end are also very well interwoven for me. It all starts with a dead girl and that's how it ends? It remains to be seen whether Marianne killed herself or Lilly. I guess the former.
Difficult topics are also addressed, where with some one can only guess what happened.
Gameplay
If you know the games from BlooperTeam, you know that it is probably a walking simulator. But the great thing about it all is the dual gameplay. That not only has to serve as a pure puzzle-solving aspect, but also shows a great staged world and is part of the protagonist. The creativity of the scenery really amazed me.
Spoiler: memory
The second memory from Thomas (Henry) was really cool, with the files etc., staged
You could also interact differently in both worlds and the simultaneous rendering of the worlds was amazing.
In terms of horror, the game could have gone better, it was way too easy to avoid the monster. You didn't even have to make an effort. The puzzles weren't really difficult either, but I don't think that's bad.
Graphics / performance
The Medium looks terrific in places, which is mainly due to the already mentioned very creative expression in its scenery. The two rendered worlds have very beautiful settings and yes, the demon world has a strange aesthetic in it too. Sometimes the game is staged in a pretty disgusting way (cutting skin).
Much, Much praise for the game. But now I have to leave something out on the technology. I had to stop the game on my PC (this is not a bad PC) because it did not run smoothly at all. I've tried everything, but no chance to get the game to work properly. Unfortunately, I don't know why.
Even on the Series X there were occasional FPS stutters, but it remained largely stable here. Despite all that, you always had such an uneven feeling when it came to the technology and that pulled me a bit out of the very dense atmosphere. I now have to look again in retrospect to see if there are better settings or something similar, but the problems were also reported in large numbers on Reddit and Co.
Conclusion
For me a terrific "horror" story, for me other story elements were much more intense than the horror aspect, which looks beautiful and is pleasantly entertaining. Unfortunately the technology weakens, therefore 4,5/5 skin flaps.
---------------------------------german-------------------------
The Medium
7 1/2 Stunden habe ich für Medium gebraucht und 840 Gamerscore erreicht. Ein kurzweiliges Horror-Storryspiel, das grandios erzählt wurde und dem nur etwas die Bedrohlichkeit in seinem Horrorelement gefehlt hat.
Story
Es war war aufregend, spannend und gut inszeniert. Die Cutscenes, Echos, Sammlerstücke erzählen den intensiven Ritt des Mediums Marianne. Zu keinem Zeitpunkt empfand ich Längen im Spiel, ganz im Gegenteil, man war eigentlich immer gespannt wie es weitergeht. Die Geschichte rund um Marianne und das Aufdecken der Vergangenheit war von vorne bis hinten gelungen.
Man ist während des Spielens auch ständig dazu animiert Vermutungen aufzustellen, zu interpretieren, um das Bild zu erkennen, dass sich abzeichnet.
Spoiler: Ende
Der Klammerschluss am Ende ist für mich auch sehr gut verwoben worden. Es fängt alles an mit einem toten Mädchen und so endet es auch? Es bleibt offen, ob nun Marianne sich oder Lilly gekillt hat. Ich tippe auf ersteres.
Es werden auch schwierige Themen angesprochen, wo man bei manchen eben nur vermuten kann was passiert ist.
Gameplay
Wenn man die Spiele von BlooperTeam kennt, dann weiß man, dass es vermutlich ein Walking Simulator ist. Aber die große Besonderheit bei dem ganzen ist das duale Gameplay. Das nicht nur als reiner Rätsellösungsaspekt herhalten muss, sondern eine toll inszenierte Welt aufzeigt und eben Teil der Protagonistin ist. Die Kreativität der Szenerie hat mich echt Staunen lassen.
Spoiler: Erinnerung
Die zweite Erinnerung von Thomas (Henry) war richtig geil ,mit den Akten usw., inszeniert
Auch konnte man in beiden Welten unterschiedlich interagieren und überhaupt war das gleichzeitige Rendern der Welten erstaunlich.
Im Horroraspekt hätte das Spiel noch drauflegen können, es war viel zu einfach das Monster zu umgehen. Da musste man sich nicht mal wirklich anstrengen. Die Rätsel waren jetzt auch nicht wirklich schwer, was ich aber nicht schlimm finde.
Grafik/Performance
The Medium sieht stellenweise grandios aus, was vor allem an der schon angesprochenen sehr kreativen Ausdrucksweise in seiner Szenerie liegt. Die beiden gerenderten Welten haben sehr schöne Schauplätze und ja auch die Dämonenwelt hat eine seltsame Ästhetik in sich. Manchmal ist das Spiel auch ziemlich eklig inszeniert (Haut zerschneiden).
Viel Viel Lob für das Spiel. Jetzt muss ich aber mal an der Technik mich etwas auslassen. Ich musste das Spiel auf meinem PC abbrechen (das ist kein schlechter PC), denn es lief überhaupt nicht rund. Ich habe alles versucht, aber keine Chance das Spiel ordentlich zum Laufen zu bringen. Leider weiß ich nicht woran es liegt.
Auch auf der Series X gab es ab und an FPS Ruckler, aber weites gehend blieb es hier stabil. Trotz alledem hatte man immer so ein unrundes Gefühl was die Technik angeht und das hat mich ein bisschen aus der sehr dichten Atmosphäre herausgezogen. Ich muss jetzt im Nachhinein nochmal schauen, ob es bessere Einstellungen gibt oder ähnliches, aber die Probleme wurden auch zur Häufe auf Reddit und Co berichtet.
Fazit
Für mich grandiose "Horror"Story, für mich waren anderen Storyelemente deutlich intensiver als der Horroraspekt, die wunderschön aussieht und angenehm kurzweilig ist. Leider schwächelt die Technik, deswegen 4,5/5 Hautlappen.
Spoilers ahead!
The medium
It took me 7 1/2 hours for medium and achieved 840 gamerscore. An entertaining horror story game that was told in a terrific way and that just lacked the threat of its horror element.
story
It was exciting, thrilling and well staged. The cut scenes, echoes, collectibles tell the intense ride of the medium Marianne. At no point did I feel any length in the game, on the contrary, you were actually always curious to see how it would go on. The story of Marianne and the uncovering of the past was a success from start to finish.
While playing, you are constantly encouraged to make assumptions and interpret in order to recognize the picture that is emerging.
Spoiler:
The parentheses at the end are also very well interwoven for me. It all starts with a dead girl and that's how it ends? It remains to be seen whether Marianne killed herself or Lilly. I guess the former.
Difficult topics are also addressed, where with some one can only guess what happened.
Gameplay
If you know the games from BlooperTeam, you know that it is probably a walking simulator. But the great thing about it all is the dual gameplay. That not only has to serve as a pure puzzle-solving aspect, but also shows a great staged world and is part of the protagonist. The creativity of the scenery really amazed me.
Spoiler: memory
The second memory from Thomas (Henry) was really cool, with the files etc., staged
You could also interact differently in both worlds and the simultaneous rendering of the worlds was amazing.
In terms of horror, the game could have gone better, it was way too easy to avoid the monster. You didn't even have to make an effort. The puzzles weren't really difficult either, but I don't think that's bad.
Graphics / performance
The Medium looks terrific in places, which is mainly due to the already mentioned very creative expression in its scenery. The two rendered worlds have very beautiful settings and yes, the demon world has a strange aesthetic in it too. Sometimes the game is staged in a pretty disgusting way (cutting skin).
Much, Much praise for the game. But now I have to leave something out on the technology. I had to stop the game on my PC (this is not a bad PC) because it did not run smoothly at all. I've tried everything, but no chance to get the game to work properly. Unfortunately, I don't know why.
Even on the Series X there were occasional FPS stutters, but it remained largely stable here. Despite all that, you always had such an uneven feeling when it came to the technology and that pulled me a bit out of the very dense atmosphere. I now have to look again in retrospect to see if there are better settings or something similar, but the problems were also reported in large numbers on Reddit and Co.
Conclusion
For me a terrific "horror" story, for me other story elements were much more intense than the horror aspect, which looks beautiful and is pleasantly entertaining. Unfortunately the technology weakens, therefore 4,5/5 skin flaps.
---------------------------------german-------------------------
The Medium
7 1/2 Stunden habe ich für Medium gebraucht und 840 Gamerscore erreicht. Ein kurzweiliges Horror-Storryspiel, das grandios erzählt wurde und dem nur etwas die Bedrohlichkeit in seinem Horrorelement gefehlt hat.
Story
Es war war aufregend, spannend und gut inszeniert. Die Cutscenes, Echos, Sammlerstücke erzählen den intensiven Ritt des Mediums Marianne. Zu keinem Zeitpunkt empfand ich Längen im Spiel, ganz im Gegenteil, man war eigentlich immer gespannt wie es weitergeht. Die Geschichte rund um Marianne und das Aufdecken der Vergangenheit war von vorne bis hinten gelungen.
Man ist während des Spielens auch ständig dazu animiert Vermutungen aufzustellen, zu interpretieren, um das Bild zu erkennen, dass sich abzeichnet.
Spoiler: Ende
Der Klammerschluss am Ende ist für mich auch sehr gut verwoben worden. Es fängt alles an mit einem toten Mädchen und so endet es auch? Es bleibt offen, ob nun Marianne sich oder Lilly gekillt hat. Ich tippe auf ersteres.
Es werden auch schwierige Themen angesprochen, wo man bei manchen eben nur vermuten kann was passiert ist.
Gameplay
Wenn man die Spiele von BlooperTeam kennt, dann weiß man, dass es vermutlich ein Walking Simulator ist. Aber die große Besonderheit bei dem ganzen ist das duale Gameplay. Das nicht nur als reiner Rätsellösungsaspekt herhalten muss, sondern eine toll inszenierte Welt aufzeigt und eben Teil der Protagonistin ist. Die Kreativität der Szenerie hat mich echt Staunen lassen.
Spoiler: Erinnerung
Die zweite Erinnerung von Thomas (Henry) war richtig geil ,mit den Akten usw., inszeniert
Auch konnte man in beiden Welten unterschiedlich interagieren und überhaupt war das gleichzeitige Rendern der Welten erstaunlich.
Im Horroraspekt hätte das Spiel noch drauflegen können, es war viel zu einfach das Monster zu umgehen. Da musste man sich nicht mal wirklich anstrengen. Die Rätsel waren jetzt auch nicht wirklich schwer, was ich aber nicht schlimm finde.
Grafik/Performance
The Medium sieht stellenweise grandios aus, was vor allem an der schon angesprochenen sehr kreativen Ausdrucksweise in seiner Szenerie liegt. Die beiden gerenderten Welten haben sehr schöne Schauplätze und ja auch die Dämonenwelt hat eine seltsame Ästhetik in sich. Manchmal ist das Spiel auch ziemlich eklig inszeniert (Haut zerschneiden).
Viel Viel Lob für das Spiel. Jetzt muss ich aber mal an der Technik mich etwas auslassen. Ich musste das Spiel auf meinem PC abbrechen (das ist kein schlechter PC), denn es lief überhaupt nicht rund. Ich habe alles versucht, aber keine Chance das Spiel ordentlich zum Laufen zu bringen. Leider weiß ich nicht woran es liegt.
Auch auf der Series X gab es ab und an FPS Ruckler, aber weites gehend blieb es hier stabil. Trotz alledem hatte man immer so ein unrundes Gefühl was die Technik angeht und das hat mich ein bisschen aus der sehr dichten Atmosphäre herausgezogen. Ich muss jetzt im Nachhinein nochmal schauen, ob es bessere Einstellungen gibt oder ähnliches, aber die Probleme wurden auch zur Häufe auf Reddit und Co berichtet.
Fazit
Für mich grandiose "Horror"Story, für mich waren anderen Storyelemente deutlich intensiver als der Horroraspekt, die wunderschön aussieht und angenehm kurzweilig ist. Leider schwächelt die Technik, deswegen 4,5/5 Hautlappen.
Gameplay - Ok
Story- Gut
Atmosphäre, Setting und Sound- Herausragend
Story- Gut
Atmosphäre, Setting und Sound- Herausragend
zdislaw beksinski girl i am so sorry they did you so dirty like this
This game is definitely gonna be hit or miss for most people, depending on what you’re looking for in it. If you’re searching for some tense horror gameplay or intricate puzzle solving, I would say look elsewhere. But if you are interested in exploring some incredible hellscape environments and unraveling a decently interesting story, then The Medium is definitely a game for you.
6.5/10
6.5/10
(Full review in the works.)
Troy Baker sounds like he's having fun and at the end of the day, that's really all that matters.
Troy Baker sounds like he's having fun and at the end of the day, that's really all that matters.
I wouldn’t be shocked to learn the developers slowed the running down to pad out this game. But, like Blair Witch, this is a game meant for the spooky atmosphere not the gameplay. Wandering a highly detailed abandoned Hotel? I’m in.
I played this over the course of three sessions, the third of which I played over half of the game. To say it gripped me would be an understatement - the story and the atmosphere pulls you in and does not let go.
The gameplay is pretty light, primarily being a walking sim type game with very easy puzzle sections and only one or two moments where reflexes are involved at all.
It reminded me a lot of an old school Resident Evil or Silent Hill game - just without the combat (there is literally none). The story is well told and, if you play the game at a normal pace and aren't pausing to ensure you get every collectible, it's pretty quick as well.
For the average horror enjoyer, I think there are much worse ways you can spend six hours.
The gameplay is pretty light, primarily being a walking sim type game with very easy puzzle sections and only one or two moments where reflexes are involved at all.
It reminded me a lot of an old school Resident Evil or Silent Hill game - just without the combat (there is literally none). The story is well told and, if you play the game at a normal pace and aren't pausing to ensure you get every collectible, it's pretty quick as well.
For the average horror enjoyer, I think there are much worse ways you can spend six hours.
Interessant Story, sehr schöne Aufmachung / Grafik. Speziell was auch die RT Effekte betrifft. Kein Schock Horror, sondern eher angespanntes / mysteriöses Szenario. Leider krankt das Spiel von einigen Problemen, die einen rausreißen können. Es kommt in bestimmten Szenen zu Rucklern und ab dem ersten Patch waren bei mir leider auch einige Abstürze bei Zwischensequenzen mit bei. Gelöst werden konnte das nur durch neu herunterladen des Spieles und danach mit verifizieren der Spiel Daten. Die RT Reflektionen im aller letzten Abschnitt sind fehlerhaft (rotes Wasser, hell erleuchtete Umgebung in der Reflektion im Dunkeln). Trotz alledem empfehlenswert, vor allem wenn man die anderen Spieler von Bloober mag.
I think this game could have been so much more gameplay-wise. The puzzles feel so... easy. So... Irrelevant.
Getting the razor to be cutting skin walls left and right feels stupid, because it's not like you stumble them much earlier and have to remember where you can use the razor later.
I think I wouldn't be writing any of this if this game was just a horror walking simulator and I knew that was what I was getting into from the start, because I actually enjoyed the story.
Getting the razor to be cutting skin walls left and right feels stupid, because it's not like you stumble them much earlier and have to remember where you can use the razor later.
I think I wouldn't be writing any of this if this game was just a horror walking simulator and I knew that was what I was getting into from the start, because I actually enjoyed the story.