The Medium – The Last Preview

The Medium – January 2021 Screenshots

The result’s a singular gameplay expertise, and one which’s assured to have some selection in it. My demo started a bit of the way in which into the marketing campaign, during which Marianne enters the deserted and decrepit outdated Lodge Niwa in search of a person named Thomas for causes I didn’t have context for on this demo. She examines an open suitcase on the bottom. Inside is a males’s gown shoe, and when inspecting it she hears screams – voices from the previous, Bloober Group stated. However that’s only a warmup.

Later, a child’s ball bounces down the steps behind you, and that’s once you meet Disappointment, the aforementioned creepy little lady. She’s lacking an arm and has a masks on her face, and the spirit world has clearly not been sort to her. She simply needs to play, however Marianne asks her to assist discover Thomas first. That requires a visit upstairs, which Disappointment can do within the spirit world, however Marianne can’t in the true world as a result of steps being gone.

Whereas I wouldn’t name the following bit a puzzle sequence, per se, it’s a state of affairs that wants fixing. You want to energy up the elevator, and meaning triggering an out of physique expertise so to solely occupy the spirit world. You possibly can solely try this for a brief period of time earlier than your physique actually disintegrates, nevertheless, however when you’ve absorbed some spirit power, you possibly can come again to your physique, blast that power into the fuse field, and proceed upwards.

In one other part of the lodge, you’re trapped on the opposite aspect of a mirror, and also you want a key; one thing associated to a cat. That results in the faceless misplaced soul who can’t relaxation. His identify is Bernard, and also you’ll must say his identify and restore his face to permit him to depart his purgatory. Naturally, his face is in a room swarming with moths, however one other spirit power cost can burn the bugs and clear the trail. Face restored, soul at relaxation, and that reveals the cat toy wanted to flee this mirror realm.

Lastly, I noticed an encounter with an invisible, seemingly winged monster that appeared to feed in your worry. This was essentially the most Alan Wake-like second I witnessed, because of the flashlight on Marianne’s chest that blinks quicker because the creature will get nearer. You’ll have to carry your breath and conceal from the beast, each as you attempt to escape an indoor confrontation and later because it blocks your method in an outside space.

If the remainder of the sport is something like my demo, The Medium might be oozing with rigidity and ambiance, and hopefully a bit more difficult puzzle-solving. To that finish, the builders say you’ll spend a few third of the marketing campaign every in the true world, the spirit world, and the split-screen dual-world state of affairs. And do not forget that the Xbox Collection additionally has Scorn lined up as a 2021 unique horror sport, so right here’s hoping The Medium will get the Xbox’s yr off to a spooky begin.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Government Editor of Previews. Observe him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey every time attainable.