It's been a long wait for Bloober Team's The Medium. This psychological horror game was originally announced all the way back in 2012, though the studio ultimately choose to wait for more advanced technology in order to fully realize its vision. At one point, The Medium was set to launch in December and become one of the first console exclusives for the Xbox Series X/S, though the game was delayed into January to receive more polish and avoid Cyberpunk 2077.
The Medium puts players in the shoes of Marianne, a person with psychic abilities who visits an abandoned hotel in order to find clues to a tragic murder. However, she soon finds herself wrapped up in a mystery tied to dark secrets as well as her own supernatural powers. With the Xbox Series X/S, Bloober Team utilized the console's background streaming ability in order to show Marianne inside of the real world as well as the spirit world.
Using a split screen, players will be interacting with both worlds at the same time, basically controlling Marianne in both planes simultaneously. The character and environments are displayed differently in each world with the abandoned hotel acting more as a creepy haunted house, while in the spirit world, it becomes more demonic in nature. Actions in one plane will influence the other, so players can expect plenty of puzzles and narrative moments throughout especially with the use of Marianne's psychic abilities. Creatures and monsters can also influence the journey, escaping the spirit realm or serving as a stealth challenge for the player to overcome.
The Medium is a game horror fans should keep an eye on as Bloober Team is well known for some of its previous psychological horror style games like Layers of Fear and its sequel, Blair Witch, and Observer. Unlike these previous games, The Medium is told from a third person perspective while also utilizing classic fixed camera angles that old school survival horror games like Resident Evil became known for. Here's what players can expect from the game before it launches later this month.
The Medium Pre-order Bonuses
Even though it is a digital only title, The Medium does have a few incentives for those who opt to put money down before launch. One thing to note is that these bonuses are only available for the PC version on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
For those who purchase the game before launch, they're receive a pre-order pack with a couple of digital bonuses. The first is a copy of the digital soundtrack, which is actually a dual score by composer Akira Yamaoka as well as Bloober Team's Arkadiusz Reikowski. Longtime Silent Hill fans may recognize Yamaoka's name as he composed a number of soundtracks for that franchise over the years.
In addition to the soundtrack, pre-orders will also get The Art of The Medium. This is a digital album featuring pages and pages of Bloober Team's art that inspired a number of locations, people, and creatures in the game.
The Medium Editions
Those looking for a special edition packed with extra content may be a little disappointed to learn that The Medium doesn't have any of that. Regardless of platform, everyone is getting the same standard version of the game. Prior to launch, the game is also getting a special promotion on all online marketplaces offering 10% off of the $49.99 price point.
However, The Medium will also be available inside of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to download for free for those who subscribe to the service.
The Medium Standard Edition ($49.99)
The base version of The Medium comes with the game as well as The Pre-order Pack for PC players. Unfortunately for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S owners, the pre-order goodies are not available.
Pre-Order The Medium Standard Edition:
The Medium releases on January 28 for PC and Xbox Series X.