There is a lot riding on The Medium. After a delay from December last year, it represents the first true “next-gen console-exclusive” for Xbox fans that managed to pick up a Series S|X console in November. It’s also another high-profile, day-one release (Xbox Series consoles and PC) for the Game Pass service. Based on my first four hours with the game, The Medium does not deviate wildly from the linear, narrative-driven structure of Blooper Team’s prior games, but places a much stronger emphasis on puzzles, most of which revolve around the dual-world mechanic.

The Medium gets off to a great start, with the central mystery presented to the player and the story framed as the protagonist Marianne retelling it at some point in the future. A short prologue, in which she explores her old home and prepares her foster father for burial, serves as a fluid introduction to her character, the basic gameplay mechanics, and highlight just how creepy everyday locations can become. Marianne (at least so far) is the quintessential selfless protagonist. She has possessed her abilities since childhood and has used them, on seemingly hundreds of occasions, to help spirits pass over or convey messages to their loved ones.

Apparently the USSR's idea of a holiday destination...

In the aftermath of the prologue, she receives a call from a desperate “Thomas”, who knows both what she is and her recurrent dream about a murdered girl. He directs her to the long-abandoned “Niwa” resort – a government-sponsored worker retreat from the days of post-war, Soviet-controlled Poland – which has since become the source of many rumours and urban legends. This kicks off the journey in earnest, as Marianne abandons her bike at the entrance and begins tracking the ghostly footprints of a child through the forest, towards the hotel. This is the last thing any rational person would do, but Marianne’s frequent commentary makes it clear she has already experienced a lot of weird s*** in her life.

From a gameplay perspective, the opening hours of The Medium blend exploration and puzzling with frequent narrative beats and a few scares. Surprisingly, the bulk of the game is played from a fixed-camera perspective – albeit one that will frequently shift position and occasionally track the player – not dissimilar to the classic Silent Hill games. The dual-world gameplay, which has Marianne traverse and manipulate objects in the physical and eerie spirit world simultaneously, is not a player-activated feature and rather triggers whenever she stumbles upon an area with strong residual emotions. It’s a great mechanic that can both catch you off-guard and provide the more complex, disturbing puzzle sequences.


Despite Marianne assuring the player most ghosts are not hostile, it doesn’t make encounters any less unnerving.

In addition to the basic find-object/use-object gameplay loop that dominates your time in the physical world, Marianne can utilize her spirit presence to converse with lingering spirits, engage in out-of-body excursions (sustainable only for short bursts) to find key items and absorb pools of spiritual energy. That spiritual energy can be used to power devices or shield herself from ravenous spectral moths. When the game pushes you entirely into the spirit realm (or allows you to traverse between them by way of mirrors), you’ll quickly discover the significance of those moths and their monstrous master. These sequences involve alternating chase and stealth sequences, though you’re not completely defenseless if you’ve got some energy in reserve.

So far, the relative simplicity of The Medium’s gameplay loop and the periods of downtime focused on exploration and soaking in the atmosphere did little to hamper my enjoyment, thanks to the brisk pacing and frequent narrative beats. That said, should you find yourself stuck on a puzzle with no obvious way to progress, always remember the “insight” skill. The Medium – despite the developers stating otherwise – has several jump scares, but it relies primarily on the presentation to generate fear and tension. The spirit realm is an obvious highlight, a world constructed of organic materials and obscured by a dusty orange haze, and though it’s got nothing on Silent Hill’s hellish “Otherworld”, it remains unsettling throughout.


There are still plenty of conventional puzzles to tackle in the physical world.

As a “next-gen only” console title coming from a mid-sized independent developer, the concept of rendering two distinct worlds simultaneously is The Medium’s selling point, not extreme visual fidelity. That said, The Medium can look great in many locations and always oozes atmosphere, sporting high-resolution textures, great lighting, and reflections. However, you will notice limitations such as Marianne’s stiff walking animation, iffy lip-syncing in cutscenes, and, despite the updated SSDs, quick camera cuts during cutscenes and the first-person transition for high-detail objects and puzzles still demonstrates split-second delays before textures load.

Perhaps it is a limitation on the dual-worlds concept, but The Medium only runs at a 30fps on both the Series S and X (it seems stable at least), with the Series X offering a dynamic resolution closer to 4K (the relatively high PC requirements suggest this is the case). Some of these visual issues may be resolved in a day-one patch, but they stand out in contrast to the excellent writing, voice-work, immersive ambient audio, and understated yet chill-inducing soundtrack.


Between the camera angles, run-down environments, eerie spirit world, and map structure, The Medium often channels Silent Hill vibes.

The Medium continues to demonstrate Blooper Team's skill in creating narrative-driven experiences with strong horror themes, and my current experience – about a third of the game based on prior developer comments – suggest they’ve done an excellent job of balancing exploration, puzzling, harrowing encounters, and narrative beats. The dual-world concept is both technically impressive and engaging from a gameplay perspective, so I can only hope it encourages other developers to aim for leveraging the power of the new console generation for novel mechanics rather than the same old formula with prettier visuals. My biggest concern? The Medium is still targeting a niche market and while day-one Game Pass access will drive engagement, it’s not yet the system-seller the Xbox brand needs.