Kicking off Xbox's lineup of exclusives set to debut throughout 2021, The Medium launches tomorrow on Xbox Series X and PC, bringing Bloober Team's newest horror showing to next-generation platforms. The title looks to tell a captivating story filled with spirits, monsters, and horrifying secrets, as players explore both the worlds of the living and the dead through the studio's new innovative dimension-hopping game mechanic.
With the horror game slated to drop so soon, critics are now able to post their reviews recommending whether or not players should consider hopping into the newest game in Bloober Team's lineup. So far, over 50 critics have waded into the discussion, with the game getting a number of significant reviews from the world's biggest publications and critics.
So, is The Medium a solid new horror title to add to Bloober Team's portfolio of eerie gems? Or is it a disappointing first leg on Microsoft's journey to padding out the Xbox Series X's exclusive lineup? Here's what critics have to say:
Game Rant (Dalton Cooper)
"The Medium is a short game that does not offer much in terms of replay value. Normally this would be a serious problem, but The Medium is available through Xbox Game Pass, and so its short length isn't nearly as pressing of an issue. It's short but mostly sweet, and will definitely appeal to fans of classic survival-horror games. It's easily Bloober Team's best game yet and something Xbox Series X owners should check out as soon as they can."
Score: 4 / 5
Gamespot (Jordan Ramée)
"And I think therein lies why The Medium works as well as it does. It's a horror game--no doubt about that. I have a whole camera reel of screenshots of the times the game scared me so bad I tried to pause it to compose myself, only to hit the screenshot button by mistake. But if anything, it feels more like a game about the aftermath of horror, and how living with unresolved trauma can create nightmares as damaging as the initial event... The Medium posits that there is no single victim in a traumatic event, and then through its characters and environmental storytelling, builds proofs to its hypothesis that are difficult to disagree with."
Score: 9 / 10
IGN (Tristan Ogilvie)
"The Medium uses a unique reality-shifting ability to bring a new dimension to some tried-and-tested genre puzzle-solving mechanics. It presents an intriguing mystery to unravel and adds a tangible sense of urgency to your investigations by placing a truly memorable villain hot on your heels. It isn’t able to play with perspective as effectively as some of Bloober Team’s other work, but it’s brilliantly paced and palpably tense. An absorbing and nerve-racking journey from the shriek of its first jump scare to its very last gasp, The Medium delivers a psychological horror adventure that’s all thriller and no filler."
Score: 8 / 10
VG24/7 (Tom Orry)
"A lack of exclusive titles for Xbox Series X|S has put an overly harsh spotlight on The Medium, and I hope it won’t result in unfair criticism. No, this isn’t a production up to the level you might expect from Naughty Dog or The Coalition. This is an indie game that’s performing on the biggest stage, and for the most part it’s put on quite the show."
Score: 3 / 5
VGC (Chris Scullion)
"It may just be an elaborate case of going from point A to point B, but the important thing is that the game held our interest for long enough to ensure that we absolutely wanted to see what point B was. Its plot – disturbing though its subject matter may be – is a compelling one regardless, and at around eight hours in length, it’s a perfect Game Pass title to help you kill a weekend. As long as you’re happy to just be taken along for the ride, you should remain interested long enough to reach the ending, at which point we insist you get in touch with us with your theories on what happened."
Score: 3 / 5
The Guardian (Maria Griffin)
"The Medium is hugely ambitious and could have been a site for incredible, innovative storytelling. Instead, it fumbles sensitive topics, plot points evaporate into thin air, and characters who are studied closely are left behind and never mentioned again. Even while taking notes, the story became difficult to follow. It took me 12 hours over three nights to play, and towards the finale I was astounded by how a game so short could feel so long. This certainly is a game of two worlds: one very beautiful and one very empty, unfortunately leaving us with a game that is all skin and no spirit."
Score: 2 / 5
GamingBible (Dean Abdou)
"There are some good, if fairly familiar elements to The Medium. The semi-fixed cameras invoke a feeling of nostalgia for classic horror games, like Silent Hill and Resident Evil. Elements of the soundtrack have a satisfying 1980s feel to them, and the concept of the dual-realities is genuinely interesting even if it's imperfectly executed. Buried underneath the messy narrative and the mundane gameplay, there's a good game in here, somewhere. But for the most part, The Medium is a game that I'm very happy to put behind me and never think about again. For any fans of horror, I would firmly recommend you give this game a miss."
Score: 3 / 10
Overall, it seems as though The Medium has managed to wow a good number of critics, offering stunning visuals and plenty of creepy moments that stand among some of Bloober Team's most impactful scares. However, for the most part, it seems reviewers have cited the way it handles story as its biggest asset, recounting the tale as being one filled with unsettling secrets and engrossing twists and turns. Its dimension-hopping core mechanic is also praised frequently, alongside the game's core villain that stalks players as they venture through the title's campaign. On the negative side, it seems some have had frustrating issues with the camera, while others have claimed the title fumbles some very sensitive core topics that crop up in its story,
As it stands right now, the game's Xbox Series X version is currently scored at a 72 on Metacritic, while its PC alternative comes in at 75. Comparing that to Bloober Team's previous titles, it managed to surpass Blair Witch, with the game scoring a 69, and Layers of Fear 2, which bagged a 70. Meanwhile, the recently released next-generation Observer remaster, Observer Redux, managed to beat The Medium, bringing in a 78 on the Xbox Series X. It'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against some of Xbox's other exclusive titles slated to release this year, including Halo Infinite, 12 Minutes, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, and the Xbox Series X port of Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The Medium will be available for PC and Xbox Series X on January 28, 2021.