The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 516 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 139 out of 516
  2. Mixed: 233 out of 516
  3. Negative: 144 out of 516
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  1. beckles1313
    Sep 9, 2019
    10
    This game is actually extremely engrossing and impressive. Fans of Quantic Dream releases and Until Dawn will love this. Great playing this game single player and multiplayer.
  2. Voodoo123
    Sep 9, 2019
    5
    Short, interesting but ultimately flawed by its anemic approach to drama/horror/adventure/gameplay design... The controls are illogical when compared to the better examples out there like a telltale or Quantic dream game. There are frustrating moments where I missed one button press that kills a character on more than one ocassion(played on standard settings). Playing through man of medanShort, interesting but ultimately flawed by its anemic approach to drama/horror/adventure/gameplay design... The controls are illogical when compared to the better examples out there like a telltale or Quantic dream game. There are frustrating moments where I missed one button press that kills a character on more than one ocassion(played on standard settings). Playing through man of medan it disappointed me to realise that until dawn really was just a one hit wonder from supermassive games! Still for any fan of the genre, MOM is worth picking up second hand at a low price to amuse for the 4 hours or so of gameplay.… Expand
  3. Aeolian
    Apr 5, 2020
    7
    It's not as good as Until Dawn, but it still offers a chilling experience. The dialog sometimes feels a bit off, character reactions are not quite what you would expect, but it still delivers a twisted story line with moments that will have you scratching your head. Sound design was good, graphically, kind of low budged compared to their previous title, characters, not so memorable. It wasIt's not as good as Until Dawn, but it still offers a chilling experience. The dialog sometimes feels a bit off, character reactions are not quite what you would expect, but it still delivers a twisted story line with moments that will have you scratching your head. Sound design was good, graphically, kind of low budged compared to their previous title, characters, not so memorable. It was a good play. I'm looking forward to the next title.… Expand
  4. DrZomboid
    Oct 30, 2021
    7
    Stunning looking game with minor tehnical hick ups. Too short and characters are sometimes stupid. Controls can be pain. Cool story and great atmosphere.
  5. SuperkenGaming
    Feb 15, 2021
    7
    The Dark pictures Anthology Man of Medan
    Deserving more love
    Man of Madan is the first in a standalone series of horror games from the team that brought you Until Dawn. And I love what this series is doing, its givingyou bite sized interactive horror experiences. Man of Medan is only about 3 and a half hours long, but for good reason, this is a game all about consequence. 5 kids go    The Dark pictures Anthology Man of Medan
    Deserving more love
    Man of Madan is the first in a standalone series of horror games from the team that brought you Until Dawn.
    And I love what this series is doing, its givingyou bite sized interactive horror experiences.
    Man of Medan is only about 3 and a half hours long, but for good reason, this is a game all about consequence.
    5 kids go for a dive, things happen, next thing you know youre on a ghost ship and trying to escape.
    Much like Until Dawn, you control each of the 5 characters… Though this is more than just an interactive movie.. as all 5 vcan die, you can awkwardly misstep and that’s the end for yourcharacter, there is no last second heroic save you can expect from movies and that’s what makes supermassive so unique with what they deliver.. youre choices and actions have consequence.. where the game falls flat though is in its story, there isn’t much o a mystery to solve here, theres word on this mist that makes you go crazy, but its more so just an escpe the shi[ alive story, nothing pulling you through other than that… but it still manages to do well enough to make you want to go back and do things differently if you do lose a character, which is what a game like this needs to do, it needs to want you to go back and choose different paths, I just wish things were more interesting, though there is only so much you can do with a ghost ship, but at the same time, not enough was done with this ghost ship. They played with the idea of seeing the ship and ghosts form different time periods, and I would’ve loved to see them play with this more..
    Overall though, Im happy with what Supermassive Games seems to be doing with this series, it’s a fresh take on the horror genre, no more finding missing doorknobs and valves for 10 hours, just a to the point story of try to keep everyone alive..
    AI give The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
    a 7/10    … Expand
  6. Chickenph
    Dec 27, 2020
    8
    I’m not sure why other reviews are so negative. I had a lot of fun playing this game! It really feels cinematic, with cool camera angles and things like that. It seems like people wanted a game that has predictable consequences so you could easily get the best ending, but I enjoyed not knowing what would happen.

    Until Dawn was a horror movie in game form. This is more of a thriller with    I’m not sure why other reviews are so negative. I had a lot of fun playing this game! It really feels cinematic, with cool camera angles and things like that. It seems like people wanted a game that has predictable consequences so you could easily get the best ending, but I enjoyed not knowing what would happen.

    Until Dawn was a horror movie in game form. This is more of a thriller with horror elements, but also a better game overall. You can tell they wanted to improve on the formula. If you want a game that’s a fun, cinematic experience with jump scares that make you laugh at your own reaction, I recommend this.    … Expand
  7. vault2wasteland
    Sep 6, 2019
    6
    I was super excited about this game after playing a few playthroughs of Until Dawn and loving that game

    This is an enjoyable game but not worth the full price as it is really short. I thought it was just about to get to the good part after playing for a few hours after work and next thing I knew, the credits were rolling. I knew it was going to be a shorter game but it still took me by    I was super excited about this game after playing a few playthroughs of Until Dawn and loving that game

    This is an enjoyable game but not worth the full price as it is really short. I thought it was just about to get to the good part after playing for a few hours after work and next thing I knew, the credits were rolling. I knew it was going to be a shorter game but it still took me by surprise.

    Also there needs to be a casual mode as I constantly failed the heart beat sections. I switched the button mash option to hold button mode but got a character killed at the end because it wasn't obvious to me that it was a hold/mash button QTE so I just pressed the button once quickly and failed the QTE.

    I still can't understand why the other character made the choice they did which resulted in my character getting killed either so the whole outcome just seemed stupid and unnecessary story wise.

    Also the character that should have been devastated by my character dying seemed like they were just mildly upset and totally accepting of the unnecessary situation in which one character got the other character killed.

    The narrator was probably the best character in the game

    I'd say it's a short bit of fun but wait for it to go on sale (like I should have after reading reviews)    … Expand
  8. ClassicRPM
    Feb 14, 2021
    7
    Decent story and very cool environment. The game is very enjoyable as long as you see your choices are the right ones. But I think it has a major flaw: it doesn't allow you to re-load a scene if you just messed up. And, once you finish the game, you don't have total control over which things you wanna replay and see the different outcomes, but instead it forces you to play the whole thingDecent story and very cool environment. The game is very enjoyable as long as you see your choices are the right ones. But I think it has a major flaw: it doesn't allow you to re-load a scene if you just messed up. And, once you finish the game, you don't have total control over which things you wanna replay and see the different outcomes, but instead it forces you to play the whole thing again, starting from the chapter of your choice.

    I think it's a risky game the developers are playing: on the first playthrough you can get quite frustrated. Some dialogue options have some truly random consequences. Also, the quick time events (which I wish did not exist in any game!) can get you by surprise and, oops, this character died.
    If they let you choose to reload if you wish to do it, this would be fine (you'd still have the option of playing "hardcore", and just accepting your mistakes). But not letting you reload at all can turn this game into a very frustrating experience. And, what about letting you reload freely after you finish at least one playthrough? That's also not available. Terrible shame! I would replay it more if I could.

    In short, quite a good and short (4h / playthrough) experience but with some frustrating mechanics (lack of reload, QTEs, unpredictable choice options).    … Expand
  9. leviathanarg
    Oct 27, 2019
    10
    Great game. Best graphics. Period. Enjoyed on an LG OLED.
    Story is also great. Full of horror.
    I had a lot of fun playing with my two kids. Paid 21 usd on sale at Ps store.
  10. Kannibal
    May 14, 2023
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Holy crap this is horrendous. From having trophy notifications pop up in the middle of QTEs numerous beginners traps that make no sense uncanny valley animations and They would have had a better vocal cast if they would have just asked random passers by to rid the lines. Irredeemable… Expand
  11. TheMegaGodz
    Sep 29, 2019
    7
    While the run time is a bit short, it's still an enjoyable game. Not quite as scary or suspenseful as Until Dawn, but still decent. Would recommend it if it were on sale.
  12. Empyrea
    Aug 12, 2023
    6
    I don't like scary/horror games but I do like games with good graphics and those where you can make decisions. What I enjoyed the most were the first 2 hours. It took me about 4'5 hours or so. I think the game was too short and the ending goes too quickly. Also, when you finish the game there's still unsolved questions. I played this game in normal mode and I didin't lose any character soI don't like scary/horror games but I do like games with good graphics and those where you can make decisions. What I enjoyed the most were the first 2 hours. It took me about 4'5 hours or so. I think the game was too short and the ending goes too quickly. Also, when you finish the game there's still unsolved questions. I played this game in normal mode and I didin't lose any character so if you are used to playing games I recommend you to play in normal or maybe even harder. Also, I think these kind of games would reach more audience if there were less scary and nasty moments. I played the demos of the other games (25-45 minutes each) and I think the best would be the House of Ashes.… Expand
  13. Bzone
    Jul 9, 2022
    0
    After carefully quitting the game, I somehow lost my save data. "Continue restarts the entire game".
  14. MasterRiley
    Aug 31, 2019
    7
    Man of Medan doesn't live up to the quality of its predecessor, Until Dawn, but it is still fun and worth playing through at least once. It follows a group of friends on a scuba dive/treasure hunt. They soon get taken prisoner by a group of pirates and are forced with trying to escape a mysterious and supernatural filled ship. It is up to the player, to make dialogue and action choices forMan of Medan doesn't live up to the quality of its predecessor, Until Dawn, but it is still fun and worth playing through at least once. It follows a group of friends on a scuba dive/treasure hunt. They soon get taken prisoner by a group of pirates and are forced with trying to escape a mysterious and supernatural filled ship. It is up to the player, to make dialogue and action choices for the characters that change the outcome of the story. Based on your actions, all the characters can live or die. The game looks great, it is very cinematic and has a great setting. Overall the characters are likeable and the story is interesting, but neither are as memorable as what Until Dawn was able to deliver. The new selling point to Man of Medan is that not only can you play the game in singleplayer, but you can also play it in couch co-op or online co-op with your friends. This is a really cool new feature that allows for more people to enjoy the game all at once.… Expand
  15. eva3si0n
    Apr 16, 2023
    6
    The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is the first part of the antalogy. And as a debut project, there should be somewhat low expectations for it. But Supermassive Games has already released Until Dawn. And if you have previously tried Until Dawn, then only one disappointment remains from Man of Medan. Man of Medan, first of all, does not scare or surprise at all, there is literallyThe Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is the first part of the antalogy. And as a debut project, there should be somewhat low expectations for it. But Supermassive Games has already released Until Dawn. And if you have previously tried Until Dawn, then only one disappointment remains from Man of Medan. Man of Medan, first of all, does not scare or surprise at all, there is literally not one memorable scene. Secondly, as an ordinary FMV game, it is also mediocre, elections have little effect, the plot is linear and boring, and due to plot restrictions, the environment is monotonous. Although Man of Medan has great graphics and good facial expressions. But how can you evaluate this graphics when you literally walk around monotonous cabins for 6 hours. Man of Medan is the weakest part of The Dark Pictures Anthology at the moment, it can only be recommended to fans of the genre. As a separate independent work, this is a secondary game, fortunately for it they ask for the appropriate price.… Expand
  16. boris_out
    Jul 17, 2022
    6
    Проходное интерактивное кино на пару вечером вечеров с друзьями. Одному играть категорически не советую.
  17. Dragonfly44
    Feb 23, 2021
    6
    Playing with a friend it was an enjoyable experience but simply not scary and too predictable. Not bad but disappointing. 67/100
  18. CoreGamer1408
    May 21, 2020
    7
    Ok getting the bad out of the way some infrequent performance issues with frame rate and some really bad facial uncanny valley moments. The scares were cheap, but still very effective. I liked the cheesy horror style and I was really creeped out in a lot places. Very basic game play mechanics as in move here, look at this, do some QTE. The focus of this experience is the characters and theOk getting the bad out of the way some infrequent performance issues with frame rate and some really bad facial uncanny valley moments. The scares were cheap, but still very effective. I liked the cheesy horror style and I was really creeped out in a lot places. Very basic game play mechanics as in move here, look at this, do some QTE. The focus of this experience is the characters and the story with game play taking a back seat for sure. A short game, but I believe it has up to nine endings. So yeah lots of replay for all those ending unlocks. First run nobody died, but the optional choice of asking the Curator for clues really helped.… Expand
  19. manningn15
    Feb 19, 2022
    6
    Finished Man of Medan with my sister and it's was a good game but kind of boring gameplay wise. The atmosphere was outstanding; perfectly intense and creepy with all the jump scares being well done and perfectly placed not feeling obvious and forced. Parts of the writing were good like the story while others weren't like the dialogue at times felt awkward and cheesy. The visuals duringFinished Man of Medan with my sister and it's was a good game but kind of boring gameplay wise. The atmosphere was outstanding; perfectly intense and creepy with all the jump scares being well done and perfectly placed not feeling obvious and forced. Parts of the writing were good like the story while others weren't like the dialogue at times felt awkward and cheesy. The visuals during cutscenes were pretty great but sometimes the motion capture looked a little off and there were some glitches at times especially while walking around. I didn't really like the mechanics, the breathing and quick actions felt a little too fast and the walking around mechanic was a little janky. The performances from Ayisha Issa, Arielle Palik, Shawn Ashmore, Kwasi Songui, Kareem Alleyne, Chris Sandiford, and Chimwemwe Miller were superb. So overall it could've been better but it was still pretty fun and the atmosphere really saved the game.… Expand
  20. MadBert91
    Sep 9, 2019
    9
    I liked the game very much. It is very short but I liked the story and visual effects, for the price it's worth it.
  21. danield80
    Feb 27, 2023
    3
    Man of Mrdán is an interactive film that tries to convince you it's a story with several different walkthroughs and outcomes. This is not true of course since every possible playthrough consists of the same levels. The only difference is when you kill a character their scenes are cut out therefore, making the game an incoherent mess.
  22. Dandan2212
    Dec 13, 2020
    6
    jogabilidade simples,Enredo fraco, um jogo divertido em alguns momento sustos inteligentes.sem mais
  23. yugimacdow
    Apr 6, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not even close to being as good as Until Dawn. I waited for a sale on this game, got it for 20$ and still feel ripped off. The story is really cliche and obvious and also the dialogue is really simple. Choices do matter a lot tho maybe even more than Until Dawn. The game is only 4 hours. At least they got some sort of coop. The ending wasn't good at all. The quick time events are pretty cool. I didn't trust the reviews and honesty get it if it's on sale at like 10$.… Expand
  24. ERRORCODE-20
    Jun 9, 2020
    5
    This game is a massive step down from Until Dawn that it was surprising. Facial animation, dialog, voice acting was all far worse. All the characters are unlikeable. Its sole saving grace is its co-op since the story has a few neat gimmicks that make the experience worth it with friends. Without that gimmick however, I honestly would've given this game a 3 to a 4. Its not very good.
  25. nandika
    Oct 14, 2019
    7
    no point in playing it if you played Until Dawn... the long narrative passages are too disjointed from the quick and frustrating buttonmash sequences.
  26. Larry-Poste
    Feb 19, 2021
    4
    Pretty bad, weird command, caraters are slow and story make no sense. I enjoyed the two others but this one is pretty bad
  27. halfo
    Nov 5, 2019
    6
    Must appreciate the fact that the price was lowered, since the creators knew it was a short content game.

    In my opinion, the main drawback is that (as always with these choice oriented games) it always feels like the same story flow, with minor detail changes depending on your actions. And the "big" changes are always like "this character can die here, and all his lines and scenes till    Must appreciate the fact that the price was lowered, since the creators knew it was a short content game.

    In my opinion, the main drawback is that (as always with these choice oriented games) it always feels like the same story flow, with minor detail changes depending on your actions. And the "big" changes are always like "this character can die here, and all his lines and scenes till the end of the game will be removed". Give us a big ramification on the flow of events depending on some of our choices, please. Even if the length of the game is split by two. The feeling of action-consequence will be far more gratifying than some extra hours of game to complete a first run.

    Also, the characters are somehow too flat. They are not required to be complex for this kind of narrative, but they could show a bit more of insights from time to time. All in all, the game does succeed at some points in making you feel unnerved and disturbed, more than actually scared I would say. The visuals are really good, as well as the soundtrack.

    A more than decent game if you like these narrative adventures.    … Expand
  28. Milidante
    May 3, 2020
    7
    The game have some potential to be better than this but developers did not use that. I think little hope could do better if super massive take care of some issues.
  29. Ofdoom
    Sep 8, 2019
    9
    Very unique game, extremely interesting to play online with a friend. Quite unlike anything else. Well worth playing through at least once or twice as many things can change each time.
  30. Carlospinell
    Nov 8, 2019
    8
    Es un juego bastante corto, unas 4h. La historia tarda en arrancar, aunque luego sea bastante intensa. Los personajes son muy planos y no empatizas con ellos. Tiene problemas de rendimiento, tirones y caidas de frames. Por otra parte, la historia me gustó. Repite los puntos positivos de su predecesor, ya que las deciciones realmente tienen consecuencias futuras, hay varios caminos y seEs un juego bastante corto, unas 4h. La historia tarda en arrancar, aunque luego sea bastante intensa. Los personajes son muy planos y no empatizas con ellos. Tiene problemas de rendimiento, tirones y caidas de frames. Por otra parte, la historia me gustó. Repite los puntos positivos de su predecesor, ya que las deciciones realmente tienen consecuencias futuras, hay varios caminos y se repiten las predicciones, sólo que en este caso el objeto en cuestión son unos cuadros que te vas encontrando. Tiene un apartado técnico excelente. Hago énfasis en el personaje que me parece más interesante del juego, El conservador. En lo único que me ha parecido mejor Man of Medan respecto a Until Dawn es en la atmósfera que se crea entre los personajes cuando estan juntos, ya que me da una mayor sensación de suspense e intriga.
    En conclusión: por su precio y duración, es un juego asequible y recomendable, sobretodo para jugarlo del tirón en una noche con amigos.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 70
  3. Negative: 3 out of 70
  1. Carole Quintaine
    Jan 29, 2020
    75
    Even though Man of Medan is far less inspired than its studio predecessor Until Dawn, it offers an enjoyable horrific atmosphere, with good ideas and well thought out sequences. Unfortunately we would have appreciated more surprises and an extended lifespan, which would have given us the time to be really afraid. Everything is going too fast and we have the feeling that the story is sloppy. Too bad because this first chapter of The Dark Pictures has a good potential, but all it does is just scratch the surface.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 25, 2019
    60
    Supermassive’s newest work is a step back from Until Dawn on every level – including visual design which, though solid, ends up monotonous in comparison. [12/2019, p.58]
  3. Gaming Nexus
    Oct 11, 2019
    70
    Man of Medan starts out well enough but just falls apart towards the end leading up to a pretty anti-climatic ending thanks to a twist that was given away at the very beginning of the story. It's not terrible but it's not nearly as good as Until Dawn. Still, as a fan of Until Dawn, I still enjoyed the story for what it was but I didn't really have a desire to go back and play through it again after finishing it the first time.
    Read full review
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