Table of Contents 64q43
Borrowing from the tension of classic horror games that marked generations, the game The Medium arrives as the first major exclusive of Microsoft, available for Xbox Series X/S and also for PC. As part of the great attraction of the manufacturer, the title is developed by Bloober Team and will be available from Thursday (28) directly on Game , game subscription service, and also sold separately in digital stores. a2r29
Unlike last year's releases, which came to both new and old consoles, The Medium The biggest difference is the fact that it is created 100% directly in the Xbox Series X, aiming at optimized performance. As it also has a unique gameplay proposal, we understand in advance the platform requirements, but is the game really worth it? I was able to play it in advance and I'll tell you here in this review all about The Medium, the grandiose horror debut on Xbox.
All of the following images were captured by me, in standard Xbox Series X screenshot mode, without edits.
Plot 4i212y
Em The Medium, you control Marianne, a young woman who has apparently been used to her psychic psychic sensitivity for a long time – that is, she communicates with spirits and has direct with another dimension. In her view, there is a clear delimitation between worlds: the spiritual and material. With a psychic ability, Marianne can then explore this plane parallel to our reality, which functions as a shadow copy, where (as the game explains)"everything we repress can take shape".
After a tragic event, we understand the protagonist's unfortunate routine and dive headfirst (and soul) into this gloomy narrative. As a surprise, she receives a phone call that almost makes her search for answers mandatory. The set? An abandoned and clearly haunted resort, where we have to face a dense atmosphere full of mysteries.
From there, we embark on a journey that merges both worlds, encouraging exploration at every corner, in order to solve puzzles, find secret items, read texts that contribute to the lore the game and escape from entities that want to make your life more difficult.
What surprises gamers used to a certain pace of modern games - and it's a very predictable information for those who have played others of the genre - was discovering that The Medium has an estimated 10 hours of gameplay. Even if you watch all the cutscenes (cinematics), it takes less than an hour of gameplay between learning a mechanic and applying it in multiple levels and challenging contexts. In this way, it is easy to imagine that the game will “only” take place in a single scenario, but I can tell you, dear reader, that surprises take care of the unfolding of this supernatural plot.
Gameplay 106d5e
When it comes to gameplay, it's best to promptly address the “elephant in the room”, which is simultaneous play in two worlds. The sets follow the same architecture, but there is a clear distinction between color schemes and atmosphere as a whole. At one point, Marianne has severe headaches and the screen then splits – as well as her conscience and spirit.
Depending on what's going on, you can choose to focus on either side, which results in the chosen view taking up 3/4 of the screen. Due to the limitation of structures in different environments, it is soon noticed that not all ages and platforms are shared on both planes, which forces you to have an "out of body experience" (projection of consciousness) to control only the " negative Marianne”. This allows you to solve puzzles and return to the body, with an object in hand or a lever activated, for example.
Even though it is the biggest attraction of the game, to make this unique moment of The Medium even more special, the developer chose to make only 30% of the game psychic ability enabled. This means that about three hours are spent in this division. The rest, for the most part, happens only in the material world. detail that, in cutscenes, the separation usually changes fluidly to the scenario, but in most moments where we are under Marianne's control, the divide is vertical.
Speaking of exploration of the environments, we have a gameplay aspect where there is nothing that can be done to distance itself from the predecessors. Go to a room, investigate items, collect text documents, find keys, and so on. O twist two-dimensional, however, gives an extra layer to objects that exist exclusively on “one side”. For you to break a chain in the real world, for example, you need to do a series of actions in the spirit world and interact with a room where you will find pliers.
A system present in games for decades that is present in The Medium is the “detective mode”, where the environment often loses color and more emphasis is placed on objects you can interact with. Since the objective in this game is exploration, sometimes you need to follow tracks, for example. At other times, it must identify supernatural items that, without this activated sensitivity, look like ordinary objects. Throughout the game, the obligation to use this function occurs in the right doses.
After checking your inventory, you can examine and match items, mechanics introduced in the first few minutes. By the way, the player's first with the new mechanics (and new puzzle concepts) happens in a very fluid way, without looking like it's just a tutorial. I emphasize that, many times, I was prevented from investigating an object because I had to wait for the conclusion of Marianne's monologue - sometimes they are superfluous comments, but I discuss more in the next topic. Furthermore, this pillar of the game has no flaws.
Some items are treated as collectibles, such as the Eco (a light emitted from certain objects you examine) and the Fragmented Memory (object seen in one dimension that brings memories in the other). This contributes to the game's replay factor, referencing players who "need" every item to extract all the content available in exploration titles like The Medium.
Returning to the “camera” topic, I noticed an unavoidable peculiarity when talking about this game. series is known resident evil certainly helped to popularize the system of fixed camera, which can even have angles that follow the player, but is stuck to a single point in the scenario, similar to a security camera.
nothing surprises that The Medium follow in the footsteps of the pioneering horror game, then, and follow a similar logic: the camera always follows the protagonist, but it's like running along rails, never being under the player's control. Positive point, because the Bloober Team knew how to take the classic recipe, abandoned over the years (and remakes) of resident evil, and applied to a modern 2021 title.
The immersion is there, we cannot deny that. However, in of gameplay, there is a certain point that should be taken into : the control adapted based on context. To explain better, let's suppose: the camera shows a runner and the character's back is shown; you enter a room on the left; the camera shifts its position into the room, but its command to “turn left” now causes the character to move forward. Unless you release the analog and resume steering, the joystick context is the same as when you were in the previous scene.
Certain old fixed-camera games, such as the acclaimed Grim Fandango in a remastered version, they made it possible to change these camera controls (either turning automatic adaptation on or off), a simple menu function. I it that this is a gameplay detail in The Medium I only noticed by spending hours on the aforementioned titles/franchises, but a game in the 2020s should already have functions suitable for the player – or, at the very least, the option to turn off such a function.
Except for this point, command customization deserves to be mentioned, with possible shortcuts for any button to be remapped (something that can also be done inside the Xbox itself) quite easily. In of accessibility, The Medium hits this point and also the option to hold/press buttons for certain actions, but lacks brightness/contrast adjustment and other aspects aimed at gamers with visual and physical disabilities.
Visual, audio and immersion 1u4l5s
The architecture of the material world needs to be recognized as you enjoy the game's universe. The art direction hit the nail on the head in conveying, with a pure design of environments, both the feeling of comfort and the feeling of absolute dread. Fun fact: works by the Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinsky (who has already had his art reused in black, death and industrial metal covers) were used as a reference for the game.
When we see the two simultaneous realities from the same point of view, subtle details can give you the chills. There are not many jumpscares (explicit scares); instead of, The Medium chooses to build the immersion that haunts the player's subconscious. Textures and lighting from the spirit plane were what made the whole experience darker. There are enemies to reinforce the fear, however, certain comments from the protagonist describing what she feels add up to result in an optimal creation of the atmosphere. I won't soon forget the first time I had to cut through a door made of (human?) skin to clear the way.
In particular, nostalgia took over my game of The Medium. The camera and the two-dimensional proposal remind me a lot of the little known Silent Hill: Origins, a game that scared me in my teens and was released over a decade ago. Being able to enjoy a title that applies this and other “rights” of classic horror games satisfied me throughout the narrative. The soundtrack of both games, by the way, was composed by the illustrious akira yamaoka, a master at what he does since his work with the first Silent Hill.
Even with these accolades, I'm disappointed to see that the main point of the game, called by Marianne the “rift” (division between two worlds), has an exaggeratedly convenient justification. Without needing to say if there is an explanation or lack thereof in the course of the story, I see the need to transcribe an introductory speech by the protagonist herself in a few hours of play: “if a place has a story to tell, i'll be there to hear it“. In other words, if the developers think it's favorable for the rift to happen at that moment in the game, it does.
Except for that, everything that is constructed in of audiovisual in The Medium have good intentions. Marianne sometimes exaggerates in commentary, but the writing and acting are good; the villain Boogeyman is voiced by none other than Troy Baker, award-winning, excellent actor and present in any imaginable gamer franchise; and the sound design contributes to the creation of the universe, even if in graphic the game disappoints from time to time.
How is it The Medium on Xbox Series X? 6k4i1s
It took almost three months, but we finally have the first big game made entirely for performance in the Xbox Series X. As said earlier, The Medium is a platform exclusive in the new generation, which also won a PC version. Perhaps limiting it to new consoles would be a shot in the foot, but : for those who subscribe to the Game , the game enters the library at no additional cost. As of the time of this review, the game subscription service is still on the “three months for R$5” promotion, which shouldn’t even be thought twice.
In this whole dimension, the least that a gamer interested in the game should do is assume that the performance is worthy of "new generation", right? It is at this point that we can deconstruct a little what would be an ideal game for the current generation of consoles. Maybe it should bring ultra-realistic graphics, reflections and shadows? Or just have convincing animations? Or, who knows, you just need to have a good performance in of frames?
Se The Medium should fill in these specific gaps, I'm sorry to say that it doesn't fill any. Scenery and camera placement impose cinematic scenes, that was the least to be expected. As much as the textures are disgusting and have good artistic reference, I felt like I was playing a game from the last generation. Even though this is a post-transition game, Gears 5 e Forza Horizon 4 (both exclusive to the previous generation, optimized for the new one) are peak graphics quality and frame rate.
Even if the game doesn't meet these expectations, it has its own graphic style. When you are delivered and immersed, in the game itself any graphic “choke” gains focus. Shadows and jagged textures aren't part of the game, for example, but they still exist. Artificial intelligence, the biggest flaw of another recent game, sometimes disappoints too. And ok, at least the game performs well in of frame rate?
You don't have to play a lot, because in the first hour of The Medium (before getting to the moment of the synopsis, quoted above) freezes and dropped frames happened. Almost all were between changes of scenery or in the midst of cutscenes not very demanding on performance – a single dimension, without many particles/textures. It surprises me that, further on, along with the occurrences of the rift, the game has remained consistent in not lacking in performance.
It is also important to mention: there were about 15 seconds de loading for saved game, accessible via start menu or pause menu. The strangest thing is that this time remains, even if it was in a checkpoint seconds before loading it (which happened once with the sort of “boss” in the middle of the game). For reference, other games I've tested on the same console, like Assassin's Creed Valhalla e Fenyx Rising Immortals took half of time to load huge open world maps. The console exclusives Gears e Strengths they were also so agile.
It's sad to say, but trying to The Medium, a game that was sold with the proposition of providing a refined experience for the Series X, the optimization was terrible. At one point, the character even ignored my controls after loading the game. I had to pause and do another one load – where I understood that it should be in running animation, which was not “activated” the first time. In between glitches visuals and time-consuming loading, we have a compilation of imperfections that let down the game experience.
Conclusion 60664y
No “fear” of making mistakes, The Medium recreates formulas and reproduces familiar game mechanics. The title bets on the successes of these, both in themes and in of gameplay. The risky proposal of launching a great title that arrives as a great debut of an exclusive for Microsoft puts a weight that the game would not have, if it were multiplatform. It has successes, but it frustrates those who would like a game worthy of a “new generation”.
The Medium will be released on January 28, for PC and for Xbox Series X and S – included in Game , subscription to platform games or sold separately by R$166,45. Today (one day before) it is still in pre-sale promotions, for R$143,91 na Steam and slightly higher, for R$145,79, in the store of Epic.
The cost-benefit ratio comes to the fore when we think of the trifle of around 150 reais for a 10-hour game. So far we have a direct competitor equilibrium (the Spider-Man from last year which had less time and was even more expensive), but The Medium its main attraction is the creation based on the current generation, dispensing for the first time with Xbox One/PS4 consoles.
Because it is based on puzzles and in a dark atmosphere, tension takes over and makes the game really worth it, after all, for most players it will arrive virtually “for free”. Even those who pay full price won't feel the weight of a current-gen title in their pockets – even because, in some ways, it isn't.
So, what do you think of the game? The Medium? Do you have Game and will you it on Thursday? Tell us in the comments!
