

The only time your playthrough features elements on the screen that aren’t a part of the game world is when you come within proximity of an item to interact with. With minimal UI, The Medium plays nearly uninterrupted by the traditional displays. The score keeps you on edge, pushing you further and further, and that is thanks to Yamaoka’s talent. Much of the heart-racing moments of The Medium come in the moments immediately before the scare. Even when walking down narrow hallways, there are elements that remain unseen.Īdditionally, the phenomenal score and sound design by Silent Hill’s Akira Yamaoka and his team is unmatched. From the limited field of vision to the small light attached to your chest, your knowledge of your surroundings is limited. The importance of the atmosphere in The Medium can’t be understated and every element of the level design and character design exists to push the fear and tension. Instead, The Medium balances the use of this element against traditionally effective and immersive techniques like lighting, shifting surroundings, and a static camera. That said, Bloober Team does a good job of not relying on the dual reality too much. When coupled with the transitions to the spirit world, it’s not the easiest to play.
For the cinematics, it adds awareness and eerie quality to the game, but for the gameplay itself, it’s slightly too distracting. To be honest, while the dual reality is visually interesting and used to its fullest from a mechanics standpoint, the two simultaneous worlds being on the screen made it hard to play at times. While some will find the flashing transitions between worlds pleasantly unsettling, others may find it induces motion sickness, which was my experience. By breaking the barrier between them, and seeing it be broken, you realize that nowhere is safe from the Maw, the del Torian monster that stalks you through certain parts.

Additionally, when fixing each of the memories that you come across adds to the dual reality as well by having Marianne interact with an object in the material world and then reconstruct it in the spiritual one.īut the most important mechanic of the two worlds is that what happens to you in one world happens to you in the other. This element of the game’s dual reality tells the story while using the mechanic to its fullest. While her powers help her interact with the hotel, you also utilize the second reality to access areas obstructed in the material world by spirit walking – leaving your body stationary in the material world as you explore the spiritual one. Each echo and supernatural element she experiences pushes Marianne to utilize her powers to discover hidden elements in the hotel. The dilapidated old resort is a hotbed of supernatural activity that rings through objects as echos that you can replay to piece together the pain that was experienced there. To accomplish this, you must research the mystery, collecting notes and interacting with the shattered memories that linger in the rooms. It’s a tragedy both personal and tied to the history of the place itself.

With all the best horror elements an abandoned hotel can provide, your time at Niwa is spent exploring and learning about a long-buried tragedy. It’s filled with fire and brimstone and all sorts of devilish aesthetics.Īfter the introduction, Marianne answers a call from a mystery man, bringing her to the abandoned Niwa Government Resort, where the bulk of the game takes place. It also gives players their first glimpse into the other side of reality, the place where the spirits exist.
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This introductory level teaches the player how to interact with the environment, use their powers, and showcases how Marianne uses her gifts to help spirits leave our world. The beginning of The Medium is centered on grief, with Marianne processing the death of someone close to her. To talk about the game’s story is hard, especially without giving spoilers. As her, you explore the real and spirit world both alternatively and simultaneously to uncover a dark mystery masked by disturbing secrets, sinister spirits, and devious puzzles only a medium can solve. In The Medium, players will play as Marianne, a medium gifted with a number of psychic abilities. Known for its immersive games that span the woods, cyberpunk, and claustrophobic hallways, the team has expanded on its usual bag of tricks with the introduction of dual reality. The Medium is the latest psychological horror game from Polish studio Bloober Team.
