Bloober Team is not a studio that has stood out so far with its works. Beyond the dubious honor of having given birth to one of the worst games of the past generation of consoles, to the point of having to remake it (without success), this Polish team has become fond of horror video games in the last five years .
After a couple of chapters of Layers of Fear, Observer and the Blair Witch license, Bloober Team gives way to his most ambitious work to date, this The Medium that stands out for those two realities that its protagonist will experience , reaching the point of witnessing some scenes with both realities at the same time. Does this mean that this study has reached its maturity? The truth is that he is on the right track.
The way forward for the Bloober Team
That Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) appears in The Medium credits for contributing his grain of sand to the soundtrack of this adventure, was in a way a harbinger of the horror style that awaited us here. Because it is committed to a classic spirit within survival horror , more psychological than Capcom is accustomed to with its Resident Evil, where there is more action.
The creators of Layers of Fear have opted this time for a fixed camera, with cinematic shots , to recall a golden age in the nineties that reached the masses in an unforgettable 1996. Therefore, this first decision is surprising, since we were getting used to first-person horror games . And the reason is simple here: the role of the two realities.
This mechanic is what the whole adventure will revolve around thanks to Marianne’s special ability as a medium, but it won’t always show up in the same way. The game will sometimes allow us to alternate between the two realities, seeing them at the same time on a split screen, while in others we will do it independently, moving away from the point where our other self is. The result in all cases is impressive , being one of the great attractions of its history.
It is not, in any case, a complex adventure, in the sense of embracing one of the essential points of survival horror of yesteryear, such as puzzles. The Medium timidly goes through the puzzles , except for two specific points in the final section, being a fairly linear game, in this sense: every object that we find will be used with another object located a few meters away, so it will be practically impossible to get stuck. Even for exploration.
There is no map , but it is not something you need either. The game itself takes us on the fly, almost without our realizing it, so that we do not lose sight of the main objective: answering the mysterious call from the Niwa hotel and, incidentally, knowing what the recurring dream of the protagonist means, in case it keeps some special connection to that abandoned place that hides something gloomy …
The setting, we insist, is one of its great strengths, although technically it does not suppose an evolutionary leap by not taking advantage of all the power of Xbox Series X | S or Windows 10. But it was already known in advance that this was not a project triple A. If we stick to its universe, it is fascinating, for showing two such opposite realities , which, in turn, cause that there is not always the same path between the two, seeing how Marianne has to alternate between them in order to continue advancing … and with several surprises in the process.
The Medium has a lot of potential to discover
Obviously, we do not want to smash any surprises with this analysis, but we can say that The Medium does not stick to a single mechanic to progress in its plot , but that it adapts according to the situation. In this sense, I have loved an apparently insignificant detail, but that has its logic, such as the fact of differentiating the real world with the X button and the hidden world with the A.
What does this mean? That, for example, if we are with both realities at the same time, we will know at all times with which version of Marianne we will perform a specific action … just as when one of them has to do it without the presence of the other. . Like the triggers and analog sticks for the brothers of the unforgettable Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which we inevitably associate with each of the two. Except that in this work by Bloober Team, the movement control makes Marianne move in both realities at the same time, yes.
These two planes carry more differences, apart from the visual, with that touch more of Silent Hill for the world of the dead , taken from our worst nightmares. Without going any further, in that dark reality, Marianne is able to use the so-called spiritual burst, where she channels her energy to unleash a discharge with which she can activate certain mechanisms. And it will not be the only ability available, apart from being able to speak with the dead, of course, with the aim that they can rest as soon as we discover their name and mission in life.
There will be few secondary characters to dialogue with, although all of them will have an important weight in the story. This is complemented by a lot of documents to discover (as there is little exploration as such, it will not be difficult to find them all), drawings or echoes of the spiritual world that we can see or hear thanks to Marianne’s perception. For the latter, it will be necessary to find the exact point that shines on an object, or recreate the ideal position of a spiritual figure.
Personally, I have enjoyed trying to locate all those collectibles, in the absence of a couple that I missed and prevented me from obtaining the 1,000 G, since they provide interesting details to the plot (especially in the final section) and help us to understand in perspective everything that surrounds Marianne.
There is a certain twist, in fact, in the middle of the story, which is totally catalyst for what will come next . In addition, the game takes a quality leap from there, taking better advantage of Marianne’s skills and with more colorful environments if possible. There are even a couple of tributes to the Blair Witch project, so you can see what her last job was before this adventure. And well managed.
More survival horror of this kind, please
The aspect that The Medium deviates the most from other survival horror games is action. There will be no shots here, not even kicks or punches. Does this mean that there will be no dangers? Not exactly … Throughout the story we will come across a haunting-looking being from whom the only thing we can do is run or hide with stealth. Although there will be other types of situations …
It is not something that this production especially shines in, in any case: in the running parts I had problems with the first section, due to a slightly abrupt camera movement and a slight tendency to get stuck when colliding with the edges; while the stealth parts are a bit slow and I was lucky that I was never discovered by that creature nicknamed The Maw, voiced by Troy Baker , by the way. Yes, the game comes with voices in English, standing out for its dubbing and for the same position with the subtitles in Spanish, being able to control the size or even color of the texts, to differentiate all the characters.
But going back to the action parts as such, it is one of the few points in which The Medium does not excel , partly also because of that collision detection that can be improved with some projections or doors, the vision of some cameras being partly to blame, who do not always opt for the best plane. And despite everything, it borders on a good level, better than expected, considering the trajectory of this Polish study.
Yes, I have missed a greater force for its soundtrack , as it does not have any memorable song, except for the final section. More than anything because of the presence of Master Akira Yamaoka. In any case, your BSO can be heard in its entirety and free from Bandcamp, for those who are curious.
The game itself has surprised me for good , anyway. I was going with some suspicion and fear as it was not a studio with the experience of the greatest, but the adventure evolves in a satisfactory way, leaving a good residue at the end. You may be attributed to linear or freckle that has no difficulty puzzles, but his story immerses you fully and interest going in crescendo as you progress.
It is one more example that you can continue to do survival horror away from weapons, as happened with Song of Horror. They are purer proposals, based on the fear of the unknown, with the simple objective of passing it wrong well within an environment in which we could hardly survive in the real world.
In short, Bloober Team makes a leap in quality with The Medium . Finally. With this production it has reached maturity. Now he lacks an extra to reach excellence, pampering the whole set, as the greatest do. If you let yourself be carried away by his proposal, you will love it . And with Game Pass there is no excuse.
The Medium
| Platforms | Xbox Series (analyzed version), Microsoft Store and Steam |
|---|---|
| Multiplayer | Not |
| Developer | Bloober Team |
| Company | Bloober Team |
| Launch | January 28, 2021 |
| Price | 49.99 euros (and standard with Game Pass) |
The best
- The use of the two realities
- The most immersive atmosphere
- The twist that hits the middle of the story
- And the quality improvement of the final stretch
Worst
- Freckle of linear and with easy puzzles
- Some glitches with collisions
