The Medium |OT| Dual Sensed

JDHarbs · Feb 1, 2021

Finished last night. This game shows signs of greatness, but ultimately seems to never capitalize on them. A sequel, if done right, could be something really special. I'm excited for the future of this series.

The dual-reality stuff has potential for some really great mind-bending puzzles, but everything felt simplified in the end which was a shame. I honestly think the split-screen idea should go and have the dual realities be toggle-able instead. Like imagine if RE let you swap realities to a second version of Spencer Mansion at the press of a button because I want that and The Medium can totally be that kind of game. The best puzzles in the game were the ones where I was mirror-hopping between worlds. More open-ended level design would be nice too, the linearity just added to the over-simplicity of it all. Some better combat and stealth mechanics would go such a long way too.

I love the environments. This game is seriously gorgeous aside from the AA character animation. The world is really intriguing and the art designs feel like Del Toro crossed with Hellraiser which is awesome. The music is fantastic at times. The story never really gripped me, but it held my attention. The Thomas sequences, while cool at times and a welcome change of pace, went on way too long. It's like if Arkham Asylum's Scarecrow stuff lasted 30-60 minutes. It's so overkill.

also I hate cliffhangers

saintjules · Feb 1, 2021

origummy said:
Is anyone else experiencing visual flickering on LG CX/XSX? The screen flickers like wild when I'm in darker areas. I've never seen that happen with HDR content before, but maybe it's normal?

[update: turning off "Instant Game Response" fixed it for me]

I turned off that Instant Game Response feature a while ago, so didn't get a chance to see it happening. I'm on the C9.

digitalrelic · Feb 1, 2021

origummy said:
Is anyone else experiencing visual flickering on LG CX/XSX? The screen flickers like wild when I'm in darker areas. I've never seen that happen with HDR content before, but maybe it's normal?

[update: turning off "Instant Game Response" fixed it for me]

This comes from VRR. All LG OLEDS have a black level fluctuation issue when VRR is engaged. 90% of the time it's not noticeable, but it's really apparent in this game for some reason.

Skunkalot · Feb 1, 2021

panda-zebra said:
I didn't see any other sign of this, where else did you see it? I can't imagine it's that widespread really. Just to make sure though, do you know of any games

The only games i could test were medium and cold war. Cold war works with rt off but freezes when I turn it on. Sadly in the medium I cant deactivate rt. I dont know how widespread it is but it could go unnoticed for some time.

Montresor · Feb 1, 2021

I just reached the following point. How much more do I have before the game is done? I'm loving the game. It's a 5/5 for me so far. Maybe I can see it drop down to 4.5/5 depending on how I end up feeling about the story overall, but I'm really enjoying how it's like a mix between horror and walking simulator and Life Is Strange type of game. For a game of this type, they need to nail atmosphere, and they absolutely did. The visuals and set pieces and atmosphere is always so eerie in a satisfying way.

I recently got the bolt-cutters, and I entered the Dayroom.

Nexus2049 · Feb 1, 2021

Anyone else still experiencing flickering on the Series S when set to 120hz output?

Still really enjoying myself. I'm at like an 8/10 right now, I'm really glad this came to GamePass because I wouldn't have played it otherwise.

EDIT: Saw the post above. Its not annoying me enough to disable VRR or 120hz.

Dec · Feb 1, 2021

Montresor said:
I just reached the following point. How much more do I have before the game is done? I'm loving the game. It's a 5/5 for me so far. Maybe I can see it drop down to 4.5/5 depending on how I end up feeling about the story overall, but I'm really enjoying how it's like a mix between horror and walking simulator and Life Is Strange type of game. For a game of this type, they need to nail atmosphere, and they absolutely did. The visuals and set pieces and atmosphere is always so eerie in a satisfying way.

I recently got the bolt-cutters, and I entered the Dayroom.

quite a lot. You are maybe 1/3rd through

Montresor · Feb 1, 2021

Dec said:
quite a lot. You are maybe 1/3rd through

Wow, thanks.

panda-zebra · Feb 1, 2021

Skunkalot said:
The only games i could test were medium and cold war. Cold war works with rt off but freezes when I turn it on. Sadly in the medium I cant deactivate rt. I dont know how widespread it is but it could go unnoticed for some time.

Sorry, I left off mid-sentence, was going to ask if you knew of anything else on game pass to test my S with, I think Call of the Sea is one and I have it installed.

Kalik · Feb 1, 2021

how are the RTX effects in the game?...2) approximately how long is the game if you take your time to explore everything?

Ricker · Feb 1, 2021

ShinAmano said:
It is not that bad...caught me off guard a couple times...but follow dorys advice...just keep swimming (running).

Yep,after taking a break from that first chase scene and failing 4 times,I got it on my first try today and the subsequent stuff on my first tries as well.

The game oozes atmosphere,that room with the empty indoor pool and the reflections and light coming from the windows was eerie af,its what I always liked from Bloober,even the first Layers of Fear that was 15 fps on the Xbox One. ;)

Kalik said:
how are the RTX effects in the game?...2) approximately how long is the game if you take your time to explore everything?

The RT is subtle but really adds a lot to some area's,like the one I mentioned above for example,on the SX...I think its like 9-10 hours long if you read most of the stuff and all.

Gestault · Feb 1, 2021

I'm really into this game, and everything has ramped up as I've gotten more and more time with it. The perspective changes land on some brilliant segments, and the way the chain of abuse is introduced to the player is legitimately horrifying, without feeling tacky or melodramatic.

Man with Knife · Feb 1, 2021

Okay, the ending came more sudden than expected. Thought there would be at least one more area. Overall, I really enjoyed the game, flaws and all. Niwa was the strongest part.

Kalik · Feb 1, 2021

Ricker said:
The RT is subtle but really adds a lot to some area's,like the one I mentioned above for example,on the SX...I think its like 9-10 hours long if you read most of the stuff and all.

which RT effects does the game use- shadows, reflections?

Nostremitus · Feb 1, 2021

Is this a glitch?

No shadows in the main environment, but there's a shadow in the mirror... but no reflection in the mirror...

panda-zebra · Feb 1, 2021

Nostremitus said:
Is this a glitch?

I think so. Had exactly the same sort of odd harsh reflection of a shadow that wasn't really visible in the first place (series S). Character reflection was also very minimal which made it catch my eye. Was upstaris in Niwa IIRC, reflection on left wall. Just one of those little things that slips through or isn't worth the time investment in fixing up.

Nostremitus · Feb 1, 2021

panda-zebra said:
I think so. Had exactly the same sort of odd harsh reflection of a shadow that wasn't really visible in the first place (series S). Character reflection was also very minimal which made it catch my eye. Was upstaris in Niwa IIRC, reflection on left wall. Just one of those little things that slips through or isn't worth the time investment in fixing up.

ok, making sure it wasn't something that was intentional has a game mechanic... disappointing, though, as a first experience with RT on the console...

Firefly · Feb 1, 2021

Kalik said:
which RT effects does the game use- shadows, reflections?

Not shadows. Ambient Occlusion and reflections.

Karlinel · Feb 1, 2021

I don't know if it's my "gaming tv" which fucking sucks, but I see a lot of grain, extremely dark image and a lot of oddities, like pixels changing colours just because, like lighting errors.

Nostremitus · Feb 1, 2021

Karlinel said:
I don't know if it's my "gaming tv" which fucking sucks, but I see a lot of grain, extremely dark image and a lot of oddities, like pixels changing colours just because, like lighting errors.

Series X? I'm getting that too... like little red or pink flashes where shadows should be and the random digital noise....

Karlinel · Feb 1, 2021

Nostremitus said:
Series X? I'm getting that too... like little red or pink flashes where shadows should be and the random digital noise....

Aye, X, and it's a pity because some areas look very, very sharp.

Nostremitus · Feb 1, 2021

Karlinel said:
Aye, X, and it's a pity because some areas look very, very sharp.

Good to know I'm not the only one, was worried my X has a bad GPU... This is the first game I've tried that did anything to push it...

Kittenz · Feb 1, 2021

JDHarbs said:
Finished last night. This game shows signs of greatness, but ultimately seems to never capitalize on them. A sequel, if done right, could be something really special. I'm excited for the future of this series.

It really comes down to small budget, small time-frame, small team. Fully funded, fully staffed, I'd agree.

Nostremitus · Feb 1, 2021

Second mirror I've encountered in n the game. Does it just not have reflections at all? Odd for a game that uses RT reflections as a selling point..

Hippopuncher12 · Feb 1, 2021

Finished last night and I really enjoyed it. Thought the story was fun, liked the characters for the most part. A ton of graphical glitches for me on my series X but it is what it is. Look forward to hopefully a sequel at some point with a bigger budget.

Cerulean_skylark · Feb 1, 2021

i don't think I will ever forgive the amount of praise here for a story that seems to end up with

you executing your sister, for being a victim of sexual assault and unable to commit suicide.

panda-zebra · Feb 1, 2021

Cerulean_skylark said:
i don't think I will ever forgive the amount of praise here for a story that seems to end up with

you executing your sister, for being a victim of sexual assault and unable to commit suicide.

Eh?

What would killing Lily have achieved? It was suicide surely, to deprive the Maw of a suitable host to continue on with.

Firefly · Feb 1, 2021

Nostremitus said:
Second mirror I've encountered in n the game. Does it just not have reflections at all? Odd for a game that uses RT reflections as a selling point..

I think this is evidence that console version is not using the Ultra setting on PC. Simply enabling RT only has reflections in select locations.

Nostremitus · Feb 1, 2021

Firefly said:
I think this is evidence that console version is not using the Ultra setting on PC. Simply enabling RT only has reflections in select locations.

They could've at least used screenspace reflections...

Seb 117 · Feb 1, 2021

I just finished it couple hours ago , very very awesome game ❤

Daniel Westlake · Feb 1, 2021

What an absolutely baffling mess of video game. My god. Just on every conceivable level. God I mean it's worth playing through just see all of the terrible structural problems. Bonus for the unnecessary use of abuse as backstory because it really doesn't add anything meaningful, so you know top marks on that one bloober really doing good work there /s.

Some great art design though.

nihilence · Feb 1, 2021

Just got to the vision after the Red House.

How much more? I'm enjoying it.

bonch00ski · Feb 1, 2021

Daniel Westlake said:
What an absolutely baffling mess of video game. My god. Just on every conceivable level. God I mean it's worth playing through just see all of the terrible structural problems. Bonus for the unnecessary use of abuse as backstory because it really doesn't add anything meaningful, so you know top marks on that one bloober really doing good work there /s.

Some great art design though.

Man this game can go either way in opinion, I enjoyed the fuck out of it.

Mushlikeahusky · Feb 1, 2021

Just finished overall about a 8/10 for me
I think it's a good franchise for them to invest in
And hope the next one gets a triple a budget
Great ideas and love the main protag
It's very Kojima light in story telling but lacking
In the gameplay department . Any time they attempted to do a form of combat interaction I didn't enjoy it. Story and mystery and puzzles carry the game for me. If you like control or Alan wake or silent hill I'd highly recommend it

Dec · Feb 2, 2021

nihilence said:
Just got to the vision after the Red House.

How much more? I'm enjoying it.

Not 100% sure which vision you mean but not much, maybe an hour or a little more.

CJShields · Feb 2, 2021

Finished last night and really enjoyed it. I also think it stayed for just about the right length of time as well (about 8 or so hours I think) which is the palette cleanser I needed after slogging through AC Valhalla.

Loved it's atmosphere and music, although I did have to reload at one point to get the dialogue back but that wasn't too much hassle really. I feel that the environments needed a little bit more interactivity as for most areas it felt like you just needed to find between 2 to 4 items and link together how they interact, a bit more complexity in the puzzles would be nice if there's a sequel. But yeah, loved it and would recommend it to most people.

Also, despite thinking it was a horror game before I felt there wasn't too much horror? Anyone else feel like that? I actually felt pretty chill and relaxed throughout.

Ahti · Feb 2, 2021

Daniel Westlake said:
Bonus for the unnecessary use of abuse as backstory because it really doesn't add anything meaningful

I mean, it´s the reason for the existence of

the Maw, which is personified trauma.

I wouldn`t call that not adding anything meaningful as this is basically the origin of what led to the events in the hotel.

Dan Thunder · Feb 2, 2021

panda-zebra said:
What would killing Lily have achieved? It was suicide surely, to deprive the Maw of a suitable host to continue on with.

Doesn't Lily say that if she's killed then Marianne will be able to get rid of The Maw permanently? It's only because Lily is alive that it's unable to be banished/killed.

To me that's the logical answer. If Marianne kills herself then The Maw lives and Lily will be forced to live at Niwa for the rest of her life. If anyone stumbles across the site then they'll likely be murdered, or worse if they end up being a medium.

If she kills Lily not only is Lily 'free' from what's been a shitty life but Marianne can then get rid of the Maw forever.

The only caveat to that is that I was unclear as to whether the Maw will survive without a human host to take over. I'm sure something was mentioned about it being weakened but I don't know if that meant in the real world, the spirit world or both. Or even if weakened meant that it will eventually die.

Ricker · Feb 2, 2021

Does anyone find the ''Maw" or whatever its called very hard to see...I am stuck now in the Thomas office area,so not that far in and it has to do with a stealth/hold your breath part...

After you find the mask for the second guy by figuring out the conference room puzzle,on your way out to release him,this dude shows up again and I can see his wavey body a bit but I had to raise the brightness and I am not sure how to avoid him here...do I have to maybe go back in the conference room to hide or what...?

Dec · Feb 2, 2021

Ricker said:
Does anyone find the ''Maw" or whatever its called very hard to see...I am stuck now in the Thomas office area,so not that far in and it has to do with a stealth/hold your breath part...

After you find the mask for the second guy by figuring out the conference room puzzle,on your way out to release him,this dude shows up again and I can see his wavey body a bit but I had to raise the brightness and I am not sure how to avoid him here...do I have to maybe go back in the conference room to hide or what...?

can only really see when it is moving and just have to remember when it stops. I did definitely hide in that room until an opening appeared.

Daniel Westlake · Feb 2, 2021

Ahti said:
I mean, it´s the reason for the existence of

the Maw, which is personified trauma.

I wouldn`t call that not adding anything meaningful as this is basically the origin of what led to the events in the hotel.

In the logical sequence of events for the story it literally does not need to be in the game as the events after that could lead to that it's pointless use of sexual abuse as backstory for a female character you know like the staple of hack writers, additionally due to the fact that the game focuses and shows more interest in support for abusers over the abused you don't actually get any focus on possible characterization or reconciliation with those events. It's hack shit I'm glad you like it though.

panda-zebra · Feb 2, 2021

Dan Thunder said:
Doesn't Lily say that if she's killed then Marianne will be able to get rid of The Maw permanently? It's only because Lily is alive that it's unable to be banished/killed.

She does say something to that effect, that attempts to physically destroy it so far were unsucessful because she was still around. The Maw itself says differently.

Dan Thunder said:
To me that's the logical answer. If Marianne kills herself then The Maw lives and Lily will be forced to live at Niwa for the rest of her life. If anyone stumbles across the site then they'll likely be murdered, or worse if they end up being a medium.

The Maw cannot sustain itself without skinsuits and Lily is no longer any good for that.

Dan Thunder said:
If she kills Lily not only is Lily 'free' from what's been a shitty life but Marianne can then get rid of the Maw forever.

The only caveat to that is that I was unclear as to whether the Maw will survive without a human host to take over. I'm sure something was mentioned about it being weakened but I don't know if that meant in the real world, the spirit world or both. Or even if weakened meant that it will eventually die.

Well these cheap cut away and leave it to the viewer to decide mechanics are nothing new, there to generate doubt and a talking point. I just didn't see much sense in a sororicide ending.

The monster needs a strong host, skinsuits are temporary. Lily isn't suitable - she's too small, too weak - monster's own words. Marianne is strong enough. Both her and the Maw say this. She's in torment then a moment of clarity. Pop. I don't see a worthwhile case for the MC killing her sister here, she doesn't resolve anything with that act and becomes open to being the host. She wouldn't be putting her sister out of her misery, in fact she'd truly be free to begin a new life away from harm and being locked away. Marianne had the life her sister never could, now it's Lily's time.

Bloober could take it forward however they like if they plan on a sequel, not like it's the most slickly written and consistent story throughout already...and probably not worth the bother of analysing it further lol.

Ricker said:
Does anyone find the ''Maw" or whatever its called very hard to see...I am stuck now in the Thomas office area,so not that far in and it has to do with a stealth/hold your breath part...

Just use your spidey-sense and follow it around. Hold your breath if the indicator is going red or you think you'll be seen.

beelulzebub · Feb 2, 2021

Finished it last night. While I won't not call it horror, which is absurd to say because it clearly IS horror through and through, I do not think it was a very good one. It handles themes of abuse VERY clumsily; rather than have any investment in the story, I was instead studying its every move to see what it would fumble next (and how it may do it).

The puzzles were so easy as to be meaningless, and the game so lacking in any threats that, without a decent yarn, there was really no tension or impetus to string me along. Just the inertia of its admittedly pretty neat (and somehow underutilized) dual world hook.

It's not bad, but it is mediocre. It's like some leftovers you've got in the fridge that you've been putting off eating, but they spoil tomorrow; it's edible, but now it will taste even more bland. At least it wasn't very long. It's only been a day and I'm already starting to forget nearly everything about it. I've now got horror blue balls and I'll be pushing something else up the old backlog that will actually unsettle me.

panda-zebra · Feb 2, 2021

beelulzebub said:
Finished it last night. While I won't not call it horror, which is absurd to say because it clearly IS horror through and through, I do not think it was a very good one. It handles themes of abuse VERY clumsily; rather than have any investment in the story, I was instead studying its every move to see what it would fumble next (and how it may do it).

That's the only true horror on display.

Ahti · Feb 2, 2021

Daniel Westlake said:
In the logical sequence of events for the story it literally does not need to be in the game as the events after that could lead to that it's pointless use of sexual abuse as backstory for a female character you know like the staple of hack writers, additionally due to the fact that the game focuses and shows more interest in support for abusers over the abused you don't actually get any focus on possible characterization or reconciliation with those events. It's hack shit I'm glad you like it though.

I get what you`re saying.
For me the game is rather simple mystery/horror and an hommage to games like Silent Hill; it`s an equivalent to a B-movie in the end. So I didn`t expect it to be intelligent or bold in any way.

plagiarize · Feb 2, 2021

I finished it last night and enjoyed it. Overall as far as gameplay (not quality) while Shattered Memories is a good comparison point, I'd say a better one is if you take SH2 and remove the combat and boss fights. Personally the combat in SH2 never added anything to the game for me, as average enemies didn't pose any threat anyways, and you could beat them very easily by just hitting them with a pipe or whatever. Felt like busy work to pad the game.

Now that said, SH2 is still clearly a better game than The Medium, but for me The Medium remained a solid eight out of ten through the end. I'd definitely be interested in a sequel. The chase sequences and stealth sequences could do with some work, but the themes, the music, the tone, the world design, the puzzles etc, all worked for me.

Shadow Dancer · Feb 2, 2021

I finished it yesterday. Atmosphere and soundtrack are great. The story hooked me. Visuals are overall good. I missed a bit more tension and horror.

Bloober Team needs to step up their gameplay. It's the biggest issue here.

8/10.

ArchedThunder · Feb 2, 2021

I've just gone outside into the forest and there's a part where I have to climb up a ledge because a bridge is destroyed, but when I climb the ledge I'm stuck on it and can't move forward. I tried reloading and it didn't fix it. If I drop down the ledge I can't climb back up either.

panda-zebra · Feb 2, 2021

ArchedThunder said:
I've just gone outside into the forest and there's a part where I have to climb up a ledge because a bridge is destroyed, but when I climb the ledge I'm stuck on it and can't move forward. I tried reloading and it didn't fix it. If I drop down the ledge I can't climb back up either.

Use an older save than the last one.

inspectah · Feb 2, 2021

I'm a bit lost at the story (I think):

Who is the guy that is torturing Thomas and setting the Red House on fire?
Am I supposed to know him at this point?
Is it the guy that did all the mysterious phone calls I can sense throughout the game?

The Medium |OT| Dual Sensed

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