The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is the latest hit from Surrey based Supermassive Games, best known for the 2015 horror hit Until Dawn. Since that breakout game the team has been toiling away on some smaller titles like Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Hidden Agenda, The Inpatient and the very disappointing Bravo Team. While Man of Medan can also be described as a smaller title, it’s the team going back to the formula that gave them so much success with Until Dawn. So let’s break down how it fares.
GRAPHICS
Graphically the game looks good without ever having any moments that wow you. Where the game does excel is in it’s direction. Supermassive have utilised stationery camera shots much like you would see in the original Resident Evil games and it really does a great job to heighten the tension as you never know what’s coming next. I didn’t encounter any pop in, clipping or drops in frame rate either which all added to an atmospheric experience.
GAMEPLAY
This is an area that is likely to divide opinion. Personally I have always liked this style of game, made popular by David Cage with the likes of Heavy Rain but I can certainly understand why some may find it slow and plodding. In a horror setting such as Man of Medan I do feel it helps breed tension and fear about what is coming around the next corner.
In case you aren’t aware most of the gameplay tasks you with exploring whatever environment you find yourself in for objects that uncover more about the story. Action sequences are handled with QTE events which work well, but unfortunately sometimes suffer from short loading screens between scenes that goes a long way to breaking the immersion.
STORY
Your opinion on the story is likely to be the deciding factor on whether or not you enjoy Man of Medan. Overall I thought they told a decent truncated story in the time they had. Just be warned, to get the most from this shipwrecked thriller you will have to take the time to read the many collectibles scattered throughout your journey. Without spoiling anything the story does come to a rather abrupt end, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt that the subsequent games will tie the anthology together.
TROPHIES
While not a difficult platinum, Man of Medan will certainly test your endurance, requiring multiple playthroughs both on your own and at least one with a friend. Many of the trophy requirements also do not have cut and dry objectives, so I would recommend using a guide if you want to obtain the platinum.
VERDICT
Man of Medan reminds me so much of the jump from Heavy Rain to Beyond: Two Souls. The story and the action just don’t flow as well as Until Dawn which unfortunately can take you out of the experience at times, especially when there is a 3-4 second load screen mid chase scene. It does however retain enough of the charm that made Supermassive’s 2015 hit one of the best experiences on PlayStation 4. If you are a fan of this genre I recommend picking it up.
-Craig 🧐
Reviewed on PS4 Pro.
