The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

While not as solid as Until Dawn, Man of Medan shows that Supermassive Games is still comfortable with the horror genre.

There's no anthology in The Dark Pictures anthology yet, but his first history, Man of Medan, bring an (enjoyable?) ghost history in high sea. Some little problems in the continuity of the plot and annoying image freezing moments, but a great first step in the new horror game of Supermassive Games.

Although there were some cringy-dialogue options and I feel as if I spoiled the entire mystery by asking the curator for advice, I enjoyed my time playing through the story and trying to escape with as many – or as few – survivors as possible.

We could say that Man of Medan is all that was expected of the new game of the Supermassive developer: a game that shows that horror film adventures have a place in the world of video games. Although it is somewhat short and with a somewhat hasty development, due to the amount of errors it has, the game manages to keep the player clinging to the sofa. In short, it is a game that lovers of the genre, and especially those who enjoyed Until Dawn, should not miss.

A spiritual successor to the excellent Until Dawn, Man of Medan is the promising first entry in a brand new series of interactive horror films. Once again, there are plenty of scares to be experienced and 'life or death' choices to be made, though technically the game just doesn't run smooth enough to be as good as the developer's magnum opus.

Man of Medan is a perfect game for lovers of interactive adventures. A horror story that although more predictable than we would have liked, offers us a great experience and a lot of choices that can cause it to end with more or less survivors. In addition, the social component that allows us to play with friends online or with up to 5 friends on the same console, are an added weight when enjoying this experience with more people.

Man of Medan is the first of The Dark Pictures. The game has all the elements of horror to keep you up at night. Still there are some flaws in the acting, but nothing serious. IF you want to get scared of a game, this is a must buy.

After a slasher in the woods, Supermassive take us to a ghost ship. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan shares the same gameplay, mechanics and visuals as Until Dawn, with a shorter campaign of 4-5 hours that needs to be replayed at least two more times. The best part is the two multiplayer modes, an online coop and a local multi for 5 users. It is a shame that the visuals are so amazing but the execution so poorly sometimes, with frame drops and pop charging textures. Scary, compelling and funny, but not as good as Until Dawn was.

A good start for the Dark Pictures Anthology and another solid, entertaining horror experience for Supermassive Games.

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan may have more technical issues than Until Dawn and it's also much smaller in scope, but the game is still a pretty effective horror game and worthy successor.

For the start of this anthology Supermassive Games serves up a short, but intense horror-trip that will draw some comparisons to Until Dawn, but show offs interesting multiplayer options.

Man of Medan kicks off The Dark Pictures Anthology so elegantly and chillingly that you just can't get enough of that lovie-dovie stuff.

Just like Until Dawn, the Man of Medan setting - a ghost ship - may be cliché, but the outcome is sublime. The protagonists are sympathetic, the shock effects effective and it is amazing how seamlessly the story unfolds while still being interactive. It is a pity that framerate problems sometimes disturb the illusion.

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is a thrilling story, has some nice characters and the player can influence both on an impressive level, giving the game lots of replay value. Replaying may be not as interesting as you would like though, due to a great amount of walk and search gameplay, but the multiplayer modes do a good job of balancing that out. The Dark Pictures Anthology is off to a good start and hopefully has a bright future.

Man of Medan keeps himself afloat thanks to an atmosphere full of charm, to a sufficiently original multiplayer structure and to a valuable sense of investigative discovery that supports the limited exploration. However, the numerous possibilities of choice are not always adequately supported by an all too predictable script and by a recourse to a rather mannerist horror, which in the long run ends up reducing tension.

Man of Medan is exactly what we expected: a less ambitious take on the Until Dawn concept. There are some technical issues that should’ve been polished, but overall is a great experience, and considering there aren’t many titles like this (if any), it’s definitely worth your time.

A new entry in the horror genre that offers a clear and effective gameplay proposal. Some technical hiccups lessen the experience, but its a very enjoyable adventure, especially if you try the multiplayer.

The first game of The Dark Pictures Anthology is a step backward for the genre. The game needs a re-work, especially in the structure of QTE and choices, but at this price and with multiplayer modes the overall value is good.

Man of Medan is an enjoyable adventure. The story, albeit a little bit predictable, is quite interesting with a good amount of branches and different endings. Some dialogues do not seem to take into account what happened before and there are a few technical problems, but overall it’s a good experience, and an interesting start for The Dark Pictures Anthology.

A good but not great beginning for an Anthology series that establishes the basics for its horror proposal, but still has to refine its gameplay to be as fun as its story.

As only the first entry in Supermassive Games' new anthology series, The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan offers a very replayable experience that is a lot of fun both in single player and with friends, leaving us very excited to see what they have in store for future entries yet to come.

I think The Dark Pictures is very spooky, and the sense of fate that comes with it is very compelling. I think it was very smart for Supermassive Games to build a whole horror series around this concept. I’m looking forward to the next one, but I also hope that the graphics and gameplay will strike a better balance so that it’s more interactive.

The Dark Pictures - Man of Medan applies the Until Dawn recipe to a smaller and cheaper game, with cooperative features, and the results are very good.

Just like Until Dawn before it, Man of Medan is a knowingly schlocky and incredibly fun horror movie in video game form, tailor-made to bridge the gap between those two mediums. It’s never truly terrifying, but always edge-of-your-seat thrilling right through to what can be quite an abrupt ending. As jarring as that may be, it’s a great way for Supermassive to leave players wanting more and ultimately keen to check out additional short-form, budget-priced entries in the intriguing Dark Pictures Anthology.

Man of Medan builds on the solid foundation of Until Dawn. The decisions you make actively alter your experience, meaning you'll want to replay it over and over.

Man of Medan weaves a brilliant and compelling story punctuated by some genuinely creepy moments. More importantly, your choices matter, and the multitude of collectibles and different outcomes based on your decisions means there's more than enough reason to keep plugging away at Supermassive Games' latest horror romp. It's not without its issues, sure, but they're not enough to deter from what is one of PS4's best interactive dramas.

Man of Medan is a stellar example of how to push boundaries and innovate within genres that seem restrictive at first glance. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like Supermassive has done much to give the game its own identity, but enough is going on under the hood to make it unique and have it stand out among the plethora of choose your own adventure games. There’s a few pacing and gameplay variation issues that hold it back from being excellent, but a plethora of game-modes that all offer unique experiences and loads of replay value get the first game of The Dark Pictures Anthology off to a great start.