After playing Bloober Team’s Observer: System Redux on The PS5 about a month ago (you can read my review HERE), I was very excited to check out their follow up game, The Medium. Originally released on PC and Xbox at the beginning of the year, this timed exclusive is now getting the Playstation 5 treatment. Having never played it until now, and with such a fun experience I had with Observer, it seemed only natural to have some high expectations for this game. Unfortunately, while I still very much enjoyed this experience, perhaps my hype level was a bit higher than it should have been.
You play as the lead protagonist, Marianne, who has the very unique gift of being able to contact and help souls who have passed on. She is also very tied to the spirit realm, a place we get to visit quite frequently. In a very cool and unique way, a lot of the story plays out in our real world (set in Poland) and the spirit realm at the same exact time. In these segments we see the screen split into two. Both settings very unique to themselves and for the spirit realm, very stylized. A place of nightmares, I commend the production design for the look of the entire game, but mostly for their work on the spirit realm. With this game mechanic at play, it lends to many solid puzzles that need to be solved, as well as experiencing some legitimate scares.
The main antagonist named, The Maw, is expertly performed by the great Troy Baker. An awesomely designed creature that stalks you throughout the spirit realm and eventually in the real world. The Maw’s looming presence is a constant well for the game to supply the player with some great scares. I can’t remember a recent time where I was actually holding my breath as I was sneaking away so The Maw couldn’t get to me. Horrifying stuff!
Most of the game takes place in a grand hotel and with the two-realm perspective it really is a sight to behold. There is a lot of great cinematic shots at play in The Medium. A fun fact, it’s actually based off a real hotel in Kraków named Hotel Cracovia. If I’m ever in that area, I will certainly want to go visit and relive some horrific moments I had (probably not). Anyways, pretty much from the start of the game you are slowly lead on a journey that inevitably becomes a mystery you must unravel, hoping for a specific answer to one of Marianne’s life-long questions: How did she end up with these special abilities?
My biggest critique of The Medium unfortunately falls specifically on the gameplay itself. Much like the older Resident Evil games, or even the Silent Hill games, the player is stuck playing within stationary cameras. Moving from room to room, the camera will change, which makes controlling your character not the most fun experience. I can understand why the developers made this decision; the placement of the camera does help with selling a lot of the horror this game offers. But man, it’s a hard adjustment dealing with it. Just when I think I’ve acclimated to it, they do different and unique things to make it weird to adjust to again. Props to them for keeping things fresh throughout, but I suppose with my personal gaming preferences, this was not the most fun way to go.
The PlayStation dualsense does a lot of fun work here. The game utilizes all aspects of the controller in random parts of the story. You even use the gyro to move the camera as you move the dualsense in whatever direction. This can’t be done always, just in certain moments where you are observing specific areas, like a wall or a table. The load times and frames are quick, clean, and crisp. I can see why this wasn’t released on the PlayStation 4, this is by far the most beautiful game Bloober Team has released with some very clever technical achievements.
There’s a lot to love here and while this may not be my favorite game they have made; it certainly shows signs of growth in the company. I look forward to what they come up with next with their Silent Hill game.
8/10
Check Out The Medium gamescom 2021 Trailer:
For more information on The Medium, please visit www.themediumgame.com; Follow on Twitter @TheMediumGame; Like on Facebook @MediumGame, or follow on Instagram @the_medium_game
PlayStation 5 Review
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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