Developer: Bloober Team
Publisher: Bloober Team
Release Date: 28th January 2021
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S and Steam
Reviewed on: Xbox Series X
* A code for this game was provided by the publisher.
Ever since I picked up my Xbox Series X on launch day I have been looking forward to checking out the new horror game from Bloober Team. It feels like the first proper next-gen exclusive (albeit timed) on the Xbox family of consoles of note and has rightfully been pushed by Microsoft. Their two most recent games, Layers of Fear 2 and Blair Witch had both shown promise but not managed to deliver in the way many had hoped, so this was the chance for the team to work on something entirely new.
You play as Mariane, an orphan who has been able to live between two realities for as long as she can remember. She is able to communicate with the dead, which makes the fact that she was adopted by an undertaker borderline hilarious. The story begins with Mariane trying to come to terms with the death of her stepfather. She is contacted by an unknown man, pleading for help. The caller asks her to come to Hotel Niwa, a holiday resort that was abandoned after a massacre.
Marianne – apparently not arsed about the fact that this resort is likely to be full of undesirables in the other realm, heads to the hotel in search of answers. The setting itself is pretty cool and I was interested to find that it is actually based on a real building; Hotel Cracovia in Kraków. The atmosphere is very tense throughout the relatively short runtime and this is in large part due to the setting and story that unfolds. The fixed camera, similar to the old Resident Evil games, was a great addition and helped direct your attention exactly where the developers wanted, allowing them more control. The game deals with a lot of really sensitive subjects, including various forms of abuse, which may be triggers for some people.
The main hook of the game is that Mariane is often navigating two realities at the same time. The real world and the Split. This is actually a concept that Bloober Team had been kicking around the studio since 2012, but technical limitations at the time meant that it had to be put on the back burner. Enter the Xbox Series X|S and the team were able to execute their vision. It’s a novel concept and one that works for the most part, although at times I did feel myself wanting to just experience the “real world” with a supernatural element.
Gameplay consists of some light puzzle-solving and the odd bit of stealth. Advancing throughout the game consists of using both realities to traverse the world and reach new areas. Despite her supernatural abilities, Mariane doesn’t know how to jump, so you will frequently be stopped in your tracks and have to find alternate routes. Often times the Split is more complete than the real world and so, fortunately, you can have out of body experiences where you explore the spirit world and manufacture ways to advance.
These dual realities are handled via split-screen, which works much better than I had initially thought. I was never a fan of split-screen in local multiplayer games back in the day as each users experience would be diminished. However, here that isn’t an issue, with both the graphical fidelity and frame rate holding up surprisingly well. Monitoring both screens at once does take a bit of time to adjust to, but it is less distracting than I had feared. The stealth sequences were a bit of a lull for me, usually ending in trial and error. While the story in the Medium is tense and intriguing throughout, the game isn’t very scary and so I never felt like the stakes were high when trying to sneak and stay hidden.
The achievement list is pretty good overall, with no difficulty or timed tasks on the list. Everything can be done on a single playthrough but it is worth noting that if you are looking to get the 1000G in one run, you need to collect everything as you go. Each collectable has an achievement linked to it for finding them all “on a single playthrough”. My advice would be to look up YouTube and find a spoiler-free guide that only shows the locations of all these items.
All in, The Medium is a good psychological thriller that while not overly scary, offers plenty of tension and an intriguing story. I enjoyed my time with the game and would recommend it to anyone looking for something different but do beware that some of the themes and issues addressed are disturbing. Most Xbox users will have access to the game via Xbox Game Pass, so what have you got to lose?!
-Terry 🦊