The Medium is available on both Xbox Series X and Series S as well as PC, meaning that this is the first title we've played that cannot run on prior generation Xbox One hardware - and that makes sense, factoring in the unique presentation. Resolution-wise, The Medium uses dynamic resolution scaling with a wider variation than is typical, most likely due to the dual viewport display used throughout the game. While exploring the world in full-screen, resolution tops out at native 4K on Series X and 1080p on Series S: during these segments, DRS scaling averages out to roughly 1440p on X and 900p on Series S. However, when exploring in split-screen mode, the minimum resolution drops further. On Series X, the lowest case is around 900p while the Series S equivalent is 648p. Remember, the game is literally rendering two independent scenes at the same time, explaining the drops in pixel count.
In terms of the ray tracing support, The Medium features RT reflections - but only in certain locations and only on Xbox Series X and PC - with Series S dropping back to more conventional screen-space reflections. They do the job, but simply cannot reproduce detail that isn't present in the current camera view, so detail can to vanish in some scenarios. There are other differences between Xboxes as well: shadows, for instance, are rendered at a lower resolution on Series S. All shadows in The Medium are traditional rasterised shadows, it should be noted, rather than ray traced shadows - with the exception of shadows visible within a ray traced reflection. That said, the reliance on fixed camera angles helps avoid artefacts often associated with traditional shadow maps and the result is superb. Shadows dance around as your flashlight passes across the scenery, while Unreal Engine 4 contact shadows are also used to improve close proximity detail.
And experience it, you should! While there's no doubt that The Medium is a little rough around the edges in terms of polish and its overall production values, the fact is that it's a beautiful and memorable horror adventure, and I'd rank it as the best title to emerge from Bloober thus far. It's also available on day one via Game Pass, so I'd hope to see an impressive game get a lot of extra exposure as a consequence. I do think it's worth stressing that despite being an Xbox platform exclusive for now, The Medium is not a triple-A juggernaut in the traditional sense, but it is different, it is unique, and I highly recommend checking it out.
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