The Medium felt like a fairly short journey that left me feeling a bit lost in the end. I wanted to know more about this world but was left with an empty feeling. You play as a spirit Medium who helps the deceased find eternal rest, or so it seems. There’s a few unexpected twists that add a little depth to the game but don’t expect an action packed adventure like Resident Evil.
First I’ll cover the technical issues I experienced. I noticed a lot of problems with rendering especially when entering new areas or when interacting with objects. It was a little annoying but eventually it became a mini game for me. I tried to take screenshots before the object or area could load. It wasn’t noticeable for me to stop playing so that’s a plus. There were some glitches when interacting with enemies which led to the game over screen when I felt like I had successfully escaped an encounter. It is what it is.
The pace of the game edges far from survival horror. I recall 1 event that was actually scary to me, the rest was just dark and creepy. It has survival horror elements but I never felt danger. Just a bit flustered. The puzzles were easy which helped the story flow fairly well. There were some barriers that you needed a tool to cut through that I felt was the most bizarre thing I’ve had to do to continue forward. You do get some spiritual powers to fend off the dangers of the game. Nothing very exciting but it does add another layer of complexity to draw out the experience.
My favorite experiences in Medium were the environments and the split screen visuals. I felt like I was in the Silent Hill universe in some ways and really wanted to explore more. The game is fairly linear so the option to explore is limited. I think this was intended to push the story forward to the dramatic conclusion in the end. The Medium felt like an older point and click adventure on a PC meshed with modern gaming technology. There’s also a few collectibles in the form of documents, post cards, and pictures. I do enjoy a good read and additional visuals.
In the end I felt like I was inside of a movie driving the characters and plot forward with no choice in the outcome. I did enjoy playing Medium and following along with the morbid ghosts from the past. I do feel like this game has earned support but note it’s intended for mature audiences and does merit trigger warnings as it explores content that can be troubling. I fully support the developers and would love to see a follow up to The Medium or another similar experience.
The Hylian Vegan 