The Medium

 Xbox Series X
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 81 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 81
  3. Negative: 3 out of 81
  1. Metro GameCentral
    Jan 28, 2021
    40
    Instead of high-tech thrills and survival horror chills, this disappointingly mundane thriller struggles to impress with a muddled narrative and unengaging gameplay,
  2. Guardian
    Jan 27, 2021
    40
    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.
  3. GAMINGbible
    Jan 27, 2021
    30
    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.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Eurogamer
    Jan 27, 2021
    The Medium is the studio's most successful, accessible offering yet, and a sign that Bloober continues to improve, mature, and innovate. I cannot wait for its next terrifying adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  2. Kotaku
    Jan 27, 2021
    Sadly, I never felt like the game truly took advantage of its two-reality system. There’s no big final level that tests all your spirit world knowledge and skills. And that might be because outside of a few instances where you use your spirit self to shoot some energy or burn some moths, there’s not much else to do in the game. You walk around, you pick up stuff, you read some notes and in a few small instances, you get some cutscenes through the eyes of someone else. This simplicity, coupled with a lack of combat, one enemy who is fairly easy to avoid and areas that look good but are filled with the same puzzles over and over made me lose interest.
  3. The Verge
    Jan 27, 2021
    The Medium lasts around 10 hours, which is just the right length for the story to wrap up nicely. It even ends on an Inception-style cliffhanger, where what actually happens is fairly ambiguous. (I can’t wait to have people to talk about it with.) But in terms of gameplay ideas, it does end rather abruptly: just as the game starts finding really interesting ways to play with the dual-world structure, it’s over. The last few hours are far and away the most interesting, and I wish the rest of the game was as inventive. The multiworld premise isn’t quite a game-changer, but it adds just enough to make this psychological thriller worth checking out.

Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2021
4
#4 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2021

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1388 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 962 out of 1388
  2. Mixed: 137 out of 1388
  3. Negative: 289 out of 1388
  1. KynDjariN123
    Jan 29, 2021
    10
    Well after having finished The medium in a Series X and having played it all in one session I will give you my little review:
    GRAPHICS:    Well after having finished The medium in a Series X and having played it all in one session I will give you my little review:
    GRAPHICS:
    While the graphics do not show to be optimal for a game that opens the generation for Xbox series, we have to remember that it is already a demanding game for having to render two complete worlds with two completely different aspects, each with its own assets, animations and sounds.
    STORY:
    From now on I tell you, it is a story that hooked me from the call that Marianne receives at the beginning of the game, all that atmosphere of mystery that surrounds the game is captivating, during the whole journey had me thinking about what could happen in the following minutes, the story has some good plot twists that tell in a progressive way and do not drop it all at once as it is customary in current similar games, also managing to convey quite strong feelings through the use of a well done work of voice actors.
    ART AND MUSIC:
    The artistic aspect is one of the strong points that The medium achieves in its maximum splendor, having a trapping atmosphere and with an environment in which you breathe anguish and suspense in equal parts and the music that comes from hand Akira Yamaoka accompanies and finishes giving life to that paranormal environment in which you feel that there is always someone looking at you either from the physical world as the afterlife.
    TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
    The game suffers from frame drops in very specific sections and this is mostly due to the bad use of short term storage memories (RAM) that the game has, in resolution issues I saw some sudden and extremely short drops in resolution being the minimum I witnessed of 900p ( on an Xbox series S) and did not last much more than 2 seconds and the Poppin that affects objects or cards that is appreciated when interacting with one of these objects, these three problems can be easily solved with a couple of patches.
    CONCLUSIONS:
    The medium is a game which exceeded my expectations despite some minimal technical errors that the game has, being a solid game and that they put love and dedication behind it.    … Full Review »
  2. rubensmiranda
    Jan 29, 2021
    9
    Fantastic game with great narrative. Probably the most beautiful third-person fixed camera game ever made. The oppressive atmosphere of theFantastic game with great narrative. Probably the most beautiful third-person fixed camera game ever made. The oppressive atmosphere of the game is incredible… Full Review »
  3. Leocook29
    Jan 29, 2021
    10
    great horror game, very reminiscent of old games with a mix of games nowadays the mechanics of divided worlds and very fun and interesting,great horror game, very reminiscent of old games with a mix of games nowadays the mechanics of divided worlds and very fun and interesting, but it can still be better explored, the icing on the cake, is really part of the soundtrack and plot that are incredible… Full Review »
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