The Medium

The Medium takes place in 1990s Krakow, in the abandoned Niwa Hotel, modeled after the actual former Hotel Cracovia. The main character is Marianne, the titular medium. She experiences visions of the death of an innocent child and sets out to solve the mystery.
✅A big plus is the sound design of the game – throughout the entire game, the soundtrack keeps the tension and uncertainty, which I really liked. Several times while playing with headphones, I got scared.
✅Very engaging storyline – while progressing through the story, we are really curious about what will happen next.
✅The game has a very good dark atmosphere, somewhat capturing the vibe of the Polish People's Republic (PRL).
✅The graphics are excellent.
✅The game offers a balance between the divided screen (not always) of the real world and the spiritual world.
✅The Polish studio also paid attention to Polish history and pop culture, incorporating them in collectables (in notes) and writings on the walls.
✅Well-designed locations inspired by Zdzisław Beksiński.
✅The game also includes a sneaking mechanic to avoid danger, which I consider a plus.
✅Very good acting and dubbing.
✅I really liked that some objects in the real world let us hear what happened before the main character, Marienne, arrived, while in the spiritual world, we could unlock memories of the characters.
✅The fixed camera adds a cinematic feel to the scenes.
✅❌The storyline is linear, and in my opinion, everyone should judge for themselves whether they prefer linear stories or open-world ones, which is why I didn't rate this as either a plus or minus.
❌The puzzles were too simple.
❌Despite having a good computer, the game is very poorly optimized.
❌In my opinion, the price is too high for less than 10 hours of gameplay (better to wait for a sale).
❌The game’s ending was weak and not satisfying for me
❌Im disappointed by the lack of Polish dubbing, especially since the game takes place in Poland and was made by a Polish studio (for Polish players).
✅✅✅ Verdict: Good game
If you have any questions about my reviews, feel free to ask. Im happy to answer them. All reviews are my own!! Best regards, King Viking Bezimienny, Polish Game Reviewer.

The Medium is literally torn apart, from its gameplay to its price. I'm going to start with the cons first:
- Terrible optimization at 4K, especially with ray tracing enabled; unexplainable frame drops and stuttering (my specs: R9 5900X OC, Mercury RX 9070 XT OC, 32 GB RAM, 4 TB SSD).
- For AMD cards, FSR 1.0 is the only available option.
- Gameplay feels simplistic, almost on rails.
- Puzzles are easy and won’t require much effort.
- Horror elements are present but not fully exploited.
- Mediocre lipsyncing.
- The price.
Pros:
- Excellent sound design, you can almost feel it when walking over smashed glass, and there’s detailed rumble during dialogues with certain enemies, among other great effects (headphones are recommended)
- A catchy story that will keep you playing for 6 to 8 hours.
- The OST deserves a special mention, big thanks to Arkadiusz Reikowski & Akira Yamaoka for their outstanding work.
- Beautifully crafted levels with numerous tiny details that will make you reflect on the story of the places you pass through.
Overall, I have mixed feelings, as if the game was trying to be everything at once but couldn’t master any of the aspects it attempted. Sometimes I felt like I was playing Syberia, then Silent Hill, then Soul Reaver. The €50 price tag adds to the confusion, as if the devs weren’t sure whether their game was a AAA title or an indie project. It's too expensive to be indie, yet still needs work to meet AAA standards.
That said, I really enjoyed my first playthrough, otherwise, I wouldn’t have written this much. Thank you for reading, if you’re still here.

I have to admit the first time I tried this game I discovered it was 3rd person but with a cinematic fixed camera rather than behind the back with free mouse look and I immediately closed it and uninstalled, as I really do not like this POV in games and I find not being able to free look very frustrating.

However recently I have gotten bored of shooting and general combat in games and started to want more story based experiences, so I decided to give this game another try and damn am I glad I did.
Okay so the 3rd person cinematic fixed camera perspective is still something I dislike and this game really is better with a controller, when I definitely prefer mouse and keyboard. However within minutes I was engrossed and I have to say that while not perfect, I actually loved this game overall.
To be clear though, this game is not for everyone and if you're only into fast paced combat or you're an edgy PVP kid, you are going to HATE this game. However if you are interested in an immersive psychological thriller based on spiritual themes then I think you will appreciate this game, I know I did and I really wasn't expecting to even finish this one.
Firstly the environments are stunning and very immersive, despite the awkward fixed camera POV. The voice acting is brilliant, with the very talented Troy Baker providing his services for the main enemy you will encounter at various points and he does a typically amazing job here. I especially like how the real and spiritual worlds overlap and how game play revolves cleverly around negotiating obstacles and opening up paths by crossing between the real and spiritual realms. These sections are often broken up by split screen like you used to see in console games long ago and it really does create a unique perspective of both worlds that I found really impressive.
The negatives? The game stutters quite a lot in DX12 mode and I found when Ray Tracing was at max settings, the FPS dropped to a slide show when I looked at certain clues, this could only be resolved by using medium settings for RT and ultimately I think most people will prefer DX11 mode as it runs a lot better, still looks great and most of the stuttering problems go away. I also had an annoying issue where every time I reloaded or started the game, I had no sound until I went into the settings and clicked on the sounds tab - nothing I tried fixed this.
However minor technical annoyances aside, I think they have done a fantastic job of creating a truly memorable and eerie world with this game, they also managed to not have any irritating characters either! Something that is actually all too common today for some reason...
Oh and achievement hunters will be happy to hear you can get 100% achievements on a single play through, just be aware there are a couple of areas where you cannot get caught/seen even once and you will have to reload rather than choose to continue, otherwise you will fail the achievement. This is a slow paced game and taking your time is essential too, otherwise if you trigger a cutscene that progresses some parts of the story, some collectables become inaccessible.
Overall I am so happy I gave this game another chance and I feel this game probably did not get the recognition and success it deserves as it really is a great experience. If you are on the fence I would suggest watching some game play videos on YouTube to see if you like how it plays. However if you are into this type of game, I very highly recommend this game and for me personally this is one of the more memorable games I have played in the last few years.

This game did something that I truly have a desire to see more games do, that single player split screen of being in two locations at once whilst simultaneously being in the same place. The whole concept of between worlds always fascinated me and this game I believe is helping pave the way to seeing more of these types of games.
The story is intriguing enough, the atmosphere and world are really lovely and of course the Maw is a fun antagonist. I think if someone likes horror games with some puzzles, collectible finding and most importantly adventure then I think you will enjoy this game, I know I did.

I have had The Medium on my wishlist for a very long time. I only recently picked it up, part of a game bundle and I have to say that this is such a unique and cool concept for a game to do. You experience a parallel spirit world while in the real world, both of which are active at the same time during gameplay.
So, is the game worth it in 2021? Is it good? Optimised? Worth the price? Well, below I will let you know based on my own gameplay - completed to 100% in 5.5 hours - so, let's get to it!
Pro's
⚫As mentioned above - you experience the "real world" and a parallel "spirit world" at the exact same point during gameplay. Not only is this unique - the game pulls it off flawlessly. Making you collect "spirit world" items to solve puzzles in the "real world", or, vice versa.
⚫The parallel spirit world is so... gloomy, haunting even. Full of dangers, little collectable notes to reveal the hidden stories of the dead. I think they nailed this concept so well. Not many games do this type of "system" so it's not a "generic" copy and paste game.
⚫The graphics of the overall game are excellent. Not only does the game look good, they worked on another world, another Marianne even.
⚫You know how I said - ANOTHER MARIANNE - you control physical form Marianne and Spirit form Marianne at the same time during the story. Her animations are all spot on for both "worlds". Again, showing expertise.
⚫Going against "MAW" was fun. That "STEALTH" mechanic you needed to do - holding your breath - was just thrilling. Is the monster going to hear me? Is it going to find me? This had me nervous and anxious at times. I loved it!!
⚫The acting from Troy Baker (MAW) is just beyond excellent. Not going to spoil anything but... IS IT BEHIND YOU RIGHT NOW?!?!
Cons
⚫The puzzles lacked... depth? What I am trying to say - nothing challenged me, puzzle wise. It was more of a tedious task just to progress/hinder the player.
⚫The game crashed on my PS5 over and over again. Which is why I never bought it. it's still crashing to this day and even on my PC. It needed a little more optimisation. This can set you back 20-40 minutes worth of progress if you are on Thomas's levels.
⚫The price of the game - in my opinion of course - does not justify 5.5 hours worth of gameplay and lack-thereof replay-ability. (worth it on sale though)
⚫Sometimes the camera angles messed up for me, like walking around the starting apartment and then all of a sudden camera turns around, so does my character, walks out the room, camera turns around again, character turns, goes back in room - REPEAT, till I manage to get a hold of myself. Personally - this was more of a "ME ISSUE", I think.
⚫Compared to other Bloober Team games, the camera angles didn't add any sort of scariness? Dread? Goosebumps? Hair-raising moments? (for lack of better words) - the camera angles didn't make me feel uneasy or un-nerve me at all like a horror game tends to do (and other BT games).
⚫If you miss a note, and you progress to far - there is no way to backtrack to collect it. Once you beat the game there is no chapter select for you to go back and grab missed items. INSTEAD - you are forced to replay the ENTIRE game again. Yes, that's correct - the WHOLE game again. To me, this does not justify "replay-ability" at all (or price).
My Verdict
After waiting almost 5 years to pick up The Medium (after playing it on a PS5 that crashed relentlessly) - Personally - I would not recommend the game for £40. Not a chance. It's way to short and offers no replay-ability - BUT - If the game was around £20 or less, I would recommend the game tenfold.
After playing it to 100% completion in 5.5 hours (crashed 3 times), I can see if you miss a note you are forced to replay the entire game again to find ALL the notes for an achievement... which I think is very... scummy to do in my own opinion of course.
On the otherhand - the game has a pretty good story which kept me gripped and, not once did I want to "leave it, take a break and return tomorrow". It also offers a unique concept of gameplay and an amazing cast to go along with it. Especially Troy Baker's performance as "MAW". 10/10 for that!!
I would however recommend the game, but not for that price. No way.
6.5/10! If it wasn't for the crashing, lack of chapter select (for collectables) and a 5-8 hour story, it would be a 9/10 from me.

The Medium is not a survival-horror game, nor even a true horror game. There was only one effective jump scare in it. Instead, it can be described as a modern evolution of the point-and-click adventure game complete with clunky movement and puzzles.
The Medium is set in the Poland of 1999 but most of the game takes place in and around an abandoned communist-era resort called Niwa. So, the game actually explores an older, more oppressive time in Poland's history. This time period complements the theme and story of The Medium well. The developers are from Poland and so, the game is authentically Polish in every way possible. Even the Niwa resort is a real-world abandoned building that has been recreated faithfully in the game. All of these details make for a perfect crucible in which to concoct a story and this is The Medium's most alluring feature.
The game starts out very strong, bolstered by the atmosphere, the theme, and a mysterious phone call. The Medium tells its story mainly through cutscenes but also through letters, "echoes" found through exploration, and "memory shards" that replay an event that occurred at that specific location.
However, while the story The Medium was trying to tell was intriguing, it suffers from a confusing narrative fairly early on. Even in a work of fiction, there are rules that operate within the framework of that fiction. One would not expect to see a ferrari in Lord of the Rings. It would simply violate the logic of that particular framework. Sadly, the Medium has a lot of problematic ferraris whizzing about obnoxiously. Let me explain:
In The Medium, there are two parallel worlds; one is our reality and the other, the spirit world. So far so good. The spirits of the dead look as they did when they were children even if they died as an adult. The faces of the child-spirits are obscured by an eerie, unemotive porcelain mask. However, one dead person's spirit remains in adult form. (spoiler: Jack. How?)
A medium, in this universe, is someone who can inhabit the real world as well as the spirit world at once. A medium's spirit looks like their adult self and not like a child with face mask. Except, for a particular medium, her spirit is a child with mask. This forced exception is used to give the impression that she's dead, but plot twist, she is still alive.
A medium's spirit has its own mind and does its own thing and wanders where ever it pleases. Except that one medium, The Medium we play as, has one mind for the real-body and the spirit-body. (Ok, there is a note in the game that explains this a little bit.)
Some mediums can enter other people's minds like the Psychonauts. And they can explore the mind-world and meet the person's child-spirit-with-mask. huh? Aren't spirits supposed to only be in the spirit-world and not in mind-worlds? Is there a nexus between the mind and spirit worlds the game forgot to explain?
Do you see what I mean? Even if there is a coherence that is purposely obscured by design, what is the point? How many rules does one bend before everything stops making sense? I diligently read every note and explored every corner to try and piece together this strange world and its events all the way to the end, but I was left befuddled. The game-wiki helps but only a little.
There was one aspect that was interesting in the game-world. People who experience traumatic events birth monsters that manifest in the spirit-world, entities separate from the child-spirit of the person. But even with this aspect, the game bungles it. It comes dangerously close to saying that it is the monster-spirit that makes a person commit vile acts, thereby separating responsibility for the crime from the criminal.
So, if you enjoy an atmospheric, creepy, adult story told with crisp graphics, go for it. But don't look too closely or you will be haunted ... by illogic.

Unique game.
The story is good. Despite leaving much unsaid, it touches on some very dark themes rarely found in games. I recommend going out of your way to find all the letters and "Echoes" since they contain a lot of extra information connected to the story, which makes everything come together.

Its visuals are fantastic.
The split-screen mechanic and static camera work well together. I've never played a game that renders two worlds simultaneously like this one does.
Unfortunately, the game suffers from really bad stutters, mostly shader compilation stutters.
This is especially frustrating because it's a one playthrough type of game, and it's so easy to add a shader compilation step for an Unreal Engine game.

If you can look past the stutters, I recommend it. If you got it for free with Chronos: The New Dawn, definitely try it.