REVIEW : The Medium (PS5)
The fear. That feeling fascinates the human being so much while trying to avoid everything. This paradox has been exploited in the world of video games since almost its inception, and thanks to its golden age on PS1 and PS2, it has become one of the most valued genres in the industry.
After the disappearance and decline of Silent Hill and the drift of Resident Evil into action, new projects began to emerge that ended up becoming cult games and even entire sagas. Names like Outlast or Amnesia struck hard in people’s hearts after facing terror from other points of view.
On this occasion, Bloober Team, the creators of titles such as Layers of Fear, Observer or Blair Witch, have wanted to launch directly into the new generation of consoles with a title that, although it draws directly from their previous works, aims to explore new horizons in the genre of psychological terror. The title was launched in January 2021 on Xbox and PC consoles, now coming to the new Sony console ready to use the virtues offered by the hardware and the DualSense.
How has the change of generation made Bloober Team feel? Inside analysis.
Between two worlds
The plot of The Medium (set in Poland in the late 90s) revolves around Marianne, a woman with a unique gift that allows her to cross the barrier that separates the physical from the spiritual world. After the death of his stepfather, he receives a mysterious call from a stranger who claims to know about his condition and offers him answers to all his questions.
Out of curiosity, Marianne accepts the deal and sets out on a quest that will make her face her past, as well as the demons that inhabit our world.
Only a few hours of play are enough to realize the different influences that the Bloober Team has used to plant the seed of The Medium, the most current being the psychological terror that was born with Silent Hill, which has been recorded to fire the modus operandi of other studio titles.
Divergent mind
The gameplay of The Medium is based on two pillars: exploration and stealth.
Physically, Marianne is an average person; being her mind and her spiritual power makes her special. Thanks to him, he can separate into two halves, one present in the physical world and the other capable of travelling through the world of the dead.
A large part of The Medium’s gameplay is based on this premise, playing with both perspectives simultaneously to be able to advance if an obstacle blocks the way to one of the two halves.
These puzzles are not excessively difficult or elaborate, which can disappoint lovers of classic horror. However, thanks to the duration of the title and its pace of play, they do not get boring or become repetitive.
The spirit world holds all kinds of dangers.
Unfortunately, Marianne is not alone in this divergence of worlds. In addition to different characters that will shed some light on the Medium’s mystery, we find Las Mauces, a demon obsessed with the protagonist, capable of harassing her in both realities.
These encounters are short but intense and bring some variety to the gameplay. However, some other mechanics or way of interacting with the environment is missed, since little by little, they become repetitive, being a mere procedure to solve to continue advancing.
Through the mapping, we find different objects that provide content to the plot and memories of the people who lived in the scenarios we go through, following in the wake of other Bloober Team games such as Layers of Fear.
The beauty of mind and spirit
Although The Medium is considered a double A at the level of budget and size of the development team, Bloober Team has achieved a good result in a generational leap, although with inevitable ups and downs.
The scenarios are very well set, playing with the fixed camera in the purest Resident Evil or Silent Hill style to offer that feeling of “what will be behind this corner” while playing with the lights and shadows to make us do it. Let’s think twice before crossing a hallway.
The lack of polish is most noticeable in the animations of the characters, being somewhat crude and artificial if we compare them with other titles of the new generation. However, it is not something that affects the gameplay or the rhythm of the game.
Another brilliant section is the sound. Although the soundtrack does not stand out notably, the ambient sound and the sound effects of the scenarios maintain the tension of the gameplay perfectly.
The main addition of this version of PlayStation 5 is undoubtedly the feedback offered by DualSense. The Medium uses Sony’s new controller to convey further the sensation of tension that it seeks to offer with its gameplay using its vibration, speakers, and trigger resistors so that we can feel each interaction of Marianne with both worlds in our hands.
The loading times are not as well optimized as in the version of the new Xbox console, lasting almost twice as long as in the same. The frame rate has not changed compared to the Series X version, remaining stable at 30 fps. On the other hand, in the PlayStation 5 version, ray-tracing, something present on Xbox and PC, has been eliminated in exchange for the dynamic 4K resolution remaining firmer at all times, giving a greater sense of stability.
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