PlatformOVERALL
PC4.50
Overall 4.50
The Medium tried to sell itself on its hook of being able to control two characters at the same time in two different environments. This gameplay mechanic could have been used to make some devilish puzzles and quality gameplay moments but sadly the medium falls short. What we get is a walking simulator with some basic puzzles and interactions just so they can say there is a game somewhere in there.

Being a Resident Evil fan it was nice to see preset camera angles return, the entire game is presented like an old school adventure focused survival horror game. You will walk around creepy environments looking for anything that can be interacted with, lucky a cursor always appears to let you know where they are. A lot of times items are just simple keys, find object, use it on barrier, move on. That’s the biggest issue with this game, there is almost never any thinking needed. You run around an area, find the only things you can interact with and use them in the only thing that takes them.

I can count on one hand how many times there was an actual two step process of maybe having to use gasp two objects in a certain sequence that required some minimal brain power to solve. These moments usually used the split screen mechanic having the player in the real world and spirit, silent hill like, world. Some areas are blocked off in one world requiring you to untether and explore as the spirit player who has a few extra powers. These manifests as a shield that can block killer moths, which are basically barriers as they just sit in a spot and you need to find energy to use the shield to pass them. So some items are in the spirit world and you then pass it to the real world and that lets you progress. None of this is all that compelling and it’s basically what the entire game is, outside of the maw which serves as the only enemy.

The maw is some pan’s labyrinth looking creature that stalks the played in a few areas. This results in the most basic of stealth sections, you know the ones, the enemy has about three preset paths and you wait for it to turn and move to the next conveniently placed waist high wall. There are a few scripted chases where you just run for a while down winding hallways. That’s basically all there is to the game.

Most of the game is just walking and taking in the story which is the only saving grace, well that and the occasional interesting environments. The Medium as you can probably guess is about a Medium who can access a spirit world and talk to the dead, she has a recurring dream of a girl being killed and doesn’t know much of her past. She gets a mysterious call to go to an abandoned hotel where a massacre occurred and from there she starts to uncover a mystery that involves her past. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story and even though some of it can be deduced it still has a compelling narrative with a powerful ending.

If you are a fan of old school adventure games that have no challenge this will be right up your alley. It’s creepy, has a very good story and it’s basically stress free; clocking in at about 7 hours it’s a mostly painless experience. But I like games with compelling gameplay and there is little of that to be had here.
Posted by Dvader Sun, 14 Feb 2021 00:16:51
 
Tue, 02 Mar 2021 06:59:03
I would have thought the medium would have gotten a 5.0. Dissapointing.
 
Thu, 18 Mar 2021 14:01:50
Lol damn missed opportunity.
Log in or Register for free to comment
Recently Spotted:
*crickets*
Login @ The VG Press
Username:
Password:
Remember me?