Marianne has a gift, a gift that is so powerful that it might actually harm her. So begins The Medium, created by Bloober Team a creepy and compelling games that forces the player to examine how tragedy can effect someone long after the event. Bloober is responsible for Layers of Fear and the underappreciated Blair Witch. It is this game, where they truly master how to make a scary and innovative experience.
Marianne is a clairvoyant, a skill she uses at the family funeral home. A message from a stranger named Thomas sends her to the abandoned Niwa Resort. Something terrible happened her long ago and the spirits are very much active. Marianne does not just talk to spirits, she enters the world to interact with their world. This is a dangerous business, as something does not want help. The Maw wants to crawl inside Marianne and stay awhile. Marianne must protect herself while helping the victims of the Resort. This might lead her to answers about her own mysterious past.
Seeing screenshots, you might think this is a sort of Silent Hill situation. It is true that the Spirit World takes inspiration from the dark and twisted world that appears when the fog comes, but here is when the developers take it in a new direction. As you are walking around the spirit world, you are also moving in the real world. The screen splits and you see how actions in one effect the other. It is jarring at first, but it is insanely cool way to solve puzzles.
When The Maw comes, and he appears often, you have to escape by any means necessary. Think of a more chatty Pyramid Head. This can cause problems if something in one of the two worlds does not line up. You need to get up a staircase to escape, but in the real world that staircase has crumbled. Better think fast, as The Maw will not stop coming. Marianne can stun, but she can not hurt The Maw. The music and sound work together to create a truly suspenseful atmosphere.
The story is a powerful one. Marianne does not simply tell the spirits they need to move on, it is more complicated then that. There is no bad thing to fix, no new perspective to consider. The Medium asks what do we do after the bad thing happens. How do we live with what happened? It is surprising that a game that deals with the dead can imprint a powerful message about how to live.
This should be Bloober Team’s flagship title. It is awesome to see a game studio take all the lessons it has learned from previous games and use them so well together. There might be more stories to tell about Marianne and I can not wait to venture into the Spirit World again.
9.5/10
Available on PC and Xbox