The Medium

 Xbox Series X
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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Summoneren
    Oct 25, 2022
    8
    It's a bit complicated. The game was not what I expected. It wasn't nearly as scary as I hoped, nor did I didn't find a ton of mystery or reasons to revisit. But overall, It was a great story told through a simple and short playthrough.

    Some short sequences are scary, you get a ton of information and detail if you search in the correct places. The controls were nice for the type of game    It's a bit complicated. The game was not what I expected. It wasn't nearly as scary as I hoped, nor did I didn't find a ton of mystery or reasons to revisit. But overall, It was a great story told through a simple and short playthrough.

    Some short sequences are scary, you get a ton of information and detail if you search in the correct places. The controls were nice for the type of game it was.

    I think the only reason why I'd give this game a lower rating than 8 would be that the trailers and information were a bit misleading. It's not a scary game, it's more of a detective story-telling game with some scary elements.    … Expand
  2. Lroman1980
    Jan 3, 2023
    8
    Amazing game. Absolutely blown away. If your a fan of Silent Hill then your in for a treat. My kids got me this for Christmas and I'm enjoying it immensely. On PS5 you get the visual upgrade compared to the XboxSeriesX version and the Haptic feedback immersion. A must play.
  3. Voodoo123
    Mar 3, 2021
    7
    +fantastic visual style
    +excellent writing
    +great voice cast -controls feel clunky -serviceable gameplay never felt good to play I was very impressed by this experience having been a fan of the spooky genre since watching shows like the x files, millennium and films like the shining and ghost I've always been fascinated by the idea of crossing the ethereal plane and seeing spirits and    +fantastic visual style
    +excellent writing
    +great voice cast
    -controls feel clunky
    -serviceable gameplay never felt good to play

    I was very impressed by this experience having been a fan of the spooky genre since watching shows like the x files, millennium and films like the shining and ghost I've always been fascinated by the idea of crossing the ethereal plane and seeing spirits and this game perfectly captures that using it's split screen neatly throughout. Sadly the gameplay is the weak element with its clunky movement feel, basic puzzles and repeated use of stealth sections brought the pacing down at times.    … Expand
  4. DrZomboid
    Feb 8, 2022
    7
    Good looking game, reminds me od Syberia, Silent Hill and Resident Evil.
    Not so great but solid 7
  5. SuperkenGaming
    Feb 16, 2021
    7
    The Medium
    Bloobr team is back on the right track
    If youre new to the channel, I love layers of fear, I only metnion it in every other horror review I do, its one of my favorite horror games of all time, so naturally I have to play every game bloobr team makes, and unfortunately they havnt been that good since the observer, however with the medium, bloober team takes a crack at 3rd    The Medium
    Bloobr team is back on the right track
    If youre new to the channel, I love layers of fear, I only metnion it in every other horror review I do, its one of my favorite horror games of all time, so naturally I have to play every game bloobr team makes, and unfortunately they havnt been that good since the observer, however with the medium, bloober team takes a crack at 3rd person horror, and while its far from flawless, it’s a pretty decent first attempt…
    here you play as a medium, you get a call, you go to this creepy hotel to investigate the call, and things don’t get normal from there… reviewing this game was a roller coaster of feelings, as the medim is a roller coaster of quality.. the cutscenes are great, the voice acting, the chracters, the story, all amazing, but the game itself feels really dated, tons of texture pop ins, the game will chug along at times, and overall marianne feels super awkward to control, the cameras, the movements, everything to remind you that despite the acting and cutscenes =, this is indeed not a AAA title, it feels big budget indie, which is fine especially in the hands of bloober team, they are great at creeping you out and building intriguing environments.
    As a medium you can go back and forth between your world and the spirit world, and you get to see both sides at a time, going back and forth to find items or interact with objecst to solve a puzzle or open up an area for the other, it really is a fun little back and forth puzzle game from time to time. However the execution isn’t quite the most enjoyable.. infact overall, The medium is probably one of the least enjoyable horror games ive played in a while, its slow and tedious, these sections while theyre a cool idea, never do anything fresh with it, youre basically doing the alive or dead version of everything you’ve done in horror games before but in accordion from.. Im over dead ends and fixing fuse boxes and finding valves… can horror games come up with literally anything else to do than find the things that’s missing….
    Im so over this type of gameplay, im over being in the same areas for 10-20 minutes just clicking on stuff until I find a missing lever, its boring, borderline painful after a while, and really makes your game feel like a chore.
    Please give me something new, the indie games industry pumps out 20 of these games every year.
    I don’t mind it every once in a while, but when that’s the main hook of your game, I cant.. And with the medium lasting about 6 and a half hours, it feels twice that long with how slow paced it is…
    But ultimately The Medium is saved by its cast of characters and story, I had to see where this was all going, even if it felt like it was going nowhere, enjoy this hotel for the rest of your life.
    I give the medium
    a 7/10    … Expand
  6. Invocator
    Feb 1, 2021
    7
    En general es una buena experiencia! muchos puntos buenos, más que los malos, aunque si hay detalles a afinar. Los gráficos (lo jugué en Series X) en general muy buenos, pero de repente se caían en calidad cañón, no siempre eran consistentes. Me hubieran gustado boss fights de verdad, alguna mecánica de combate y que no fueran tan absolutamente lineal, tan buena locación cómo para haberloEn general es una buena experiencia! muchos puntos buenos, más que los malos, aunque si hay detalles a afinar. Los gráficos (lo jugué en Series X) en general muy buenos, pero de repente se caían en calidad cañón, no siempre eran consistentes. Me hubieran gustado boss fights de verdad, alguna mecánica de combate y que no fueran tan absolutamente lineal, tan buena locación cómo para haberlo hecho tan lineal, de no ser por algunas mecánicas del Gameplay estuvo a punto de ser un walking simulator. El tema de tener los dos mundos al mismo tiempo, no fue mucho de mi agrado; solo se utilizó muy poco para resolver puzzles y lo demás solo fue tipo showcase, cómo un demo técnico; siempre la atención te llevaba a un mundo, el otro se podía haber omitido fácilmente en varias cutscenes. La historia muy entretenida! Fue de buena duración, lo acabé como en 10hrs. creo que no lo volveré a jugar nunca más, bendito GamePass!… Expand
  7. enriverd
    Feb 27, 2021
    7
    The first true next generation game, only playable on XBox SX or SS because running its two worlds on older hardware is not possible. On paper, it had enough ingredients to impress, however, the developers have made a few design choices that do not let the game shine as it should.

    Before I comment them, let me say that graphically, the game is very nice, specially the real world. The    The first true next generation game, only playable on XBox SX or SS because running its two worlds on older hardware is not possible. On paper, it had enough ingredients to impress, however, the developers have made a few design choices that do not let the game shine as it should.

    Before I comment them, let me say that graphically, the game is very nice, specially the real world. The characters movement could be improved, but are ok. And the voices volume is not properly levelled, so some are too loud and other too low.

    Getting back to the poor design choices:

    The first one is the perspective used. Using fixed camera views, which do not allow the player to properly see the objects and details of the scenes that far is really annoying and has brought me the same clunky feeling of the first 3D games, like when playing the first Alone in the dark. I thought that 20 years of 3D video games had taught us some lessons, but they insist in making the same mistakes again.

    On the other hand, when you interact with an object, the game kind of opens a new space, zooming in the object but limiting the pan you can make. Sometimes interacting with a object requires opening two of those spaces. When done, you have to exit those spaces with a button press. All this makes exploring the areas very frustrating.

    Although the idea of having two worlds is very interesting, the design of the alternate reality does not make much sense. For instance, at some point in the game you find a corridor with a huge hole in the ground that does no let you pass. Switching to the alternate reality, you see that the hole is not that big in that reality and you can cross. Really? The alternate reality is supposed to be the spiritual world, but the physical objects should be the same (and generally are, and just have different appearance). That is not playing fair.

    The puzzles presented often do not make much sense, for example, you are in a room with the exit door closed, and for the door to open you have to reproduce a tape which has no relation to the door. It does not make any sense and reduces your decision making in the game to having to try everything to advance.

    Despite all this flaws, the game is fun and is half as scary as it could have been, something I also appreciate.    … Expand
  8. tom974
    Dec 2, 2022
    7
    This is a must try game at least, much more with the Gamepass availability. Magnificient settings, beautiful scenery, heartbreaking story, and the dual screen mechanic is clever though underexploited. the overall game could have gone further than its globally basic gameplay and that's what keeps it from a higher rating. The lack of chapter selection when there's so many collectibles to getThis is a must try game at least, much more with the Gamepass availability. Magnificient settings, beautiful scenery, heartbreaking story, and the dual screen mechanic is clever though underexploited. the overall game could have gone further than its globally basic gameplay and that's what keeps it from a higher rating. The lack of chapter selection when there's so many collectibles to get is a shame also. The ground is solid there for a sequel.… Expand
  9. axis1798
    May 1, 2021
    7
    Gran juego sobre todo por su historia, ambientación y personajes aun así creo que bloober team es aun novato en juegos de tercera persona y falla en el control y jugabilidad aun así la música es de 10 y pese a no ser muy re jugable y desperdiciar algunas oportunidades con jefes es un muy buen juego para ser una nueva ip me encantó.
    Punto positivos: Música, historia, personajes,    Gran juego sobre todo por su historia, ambientación y personajes aun así creo que bloober team es aun novato en juegos de tercera persona y falla en el control y jugabilidad aun así la música es de 10 y pese a no ser muy re jugable y desperdiciar algunas oportunidades con jefes es un muy buen juego para ser una nueva ip me encantó.
    Punto positivos: Música, historia, personajes, ambientación, dos mundos al mismo tiempo y originalidad.
    Negativos: jugabilidad, controles toscos, caídas de fps y carga de texturas a veces era muy lenta.    … Expand
  10. grreaper
    Feb 2, 2021
    7
    Довольно не плохая игра с сочными и приятными задниками. В какой то момент начинает напоминать Психонавтов :D
    Игра не хоррор, она триллер и на самом деле это очень хорошо. Нет этих постоянных бездумных скримеров. Игра держит в напряжении и заставляет к ней возвращаться в новь и вновь.
    Но да, это симулятор ходьбы и иногда бега. И это главный её минус. И как по мне, концовка несколько    Довольно не плохая игра с сочными и приятными задниками. В какой то момент начинает напоминать Психонавтов :D
    Игра не хоррор, она триллер и на самом деле это очень хорошо. Нет этих постоянных бездумных скримеров. Игра держит в напряжении и заставляет к ней возвращаться в новь и вновь.
    Но да, это симулятор ходьбы и иногда бега. И это главный её минус. И как по мне, концовка несколько слабовата.
    7.5/10    … Expand
  11. Thejodjeremie
    Feb 19, 2021
    7
    A very interesting horror/thriller story game with fun but slow type gameplay. I enjoyed the game even though it's not perfect. A good first Xbox next gen title.
  12. cyklopPL
    Feb 7, 2021
    7
    Overall 7/10, but only due to this being on GamePass.
    Played on XSX.
    Ok adventure game. Not really scary, tho the story is interesting from start to end.
    Also this game is an Xbox Series exclusive, but comes from a small studio so do not expect next gen graphics. Looks ok, nothing spectacular. Puzzles are easy but still ok.

    Now, what I disliked:
    - No QuickResume
  13. Pupyto
    Jan 29, 2021
    7
    Meh..
    El juego está bueno Solo que no merecía todo el hype que tuvo
    Me decepcionó bastante
    Pero no sé merece tampoco las malas criticas que está recibiendo :(
    La narrativa esta normal
    Los gráficos igual
    El estilo de cámara Silent Hill
    Es lo que me gusta mucho No da miedo eso sí XD
    Pero si te mantiene en suspenso
    Espero que mejoren en cuanto a los exclusivos
    Espero Halo con ansias
  14. churros
    Mar 24, 2021
    7
    Pros:
    + beautiful graphics
    + atmospheric soundtrack
    + interesting plot
    + creative storytelling
    + don't rely on jumpscares

    Cons:
    - bad stealh sections
    - heavy story themes without warning
    - walking simulator
  15. Bato
    May 31, 2021
    7
    Story: 9/10
    Gameplay: 6/10
    Graphics: 8/10
    Enjoyability: 8/10
    Overall: 7/10
  16. Mitchewix
    Apr 30, 2021
    7
    Great game! The story was fun and the audio us great! The gameplay is kinda bland but still fun. The visuals are great for environment but not for characters as much.
  17. gusmaciel
    Sep 11, 2021
    7
    História muito boa e ótimos gráficos, porém a jogabilidade precisa melhorar.
  18. 4drian
    Jan 29, 2021
    7
    Not bad history, soundtrack is fantastic reminds me of Silent Hill, but gameplay is just boring. I expected something more, I feel unsatisfied.
  19. ALEXX84290
    Jan 29, 2021
    7
    El juego me sorprendió para bien y para mal en partes iguales, si bien el juego me gustó en ambientación e historia, me resulta un tanto repetitivo y el apartado gráfico está bien, pues la resolución, almenos en mi caso, estuvo fluctuante unas cuantas veces. Nada que no se sepa. Sin embargo es una grata sorpresa encontrarlo en game pass
  20. isocano
    Feb 6, 2021
    7
    En general un buen juego, y no soy fan del género.

    Lo que más me ha gustado sin duda es la dirección artística en general, los gráficos y la atención al detalle en los escenarios. Quizás lo peor la dificultad (demasiado sencillo, tanto los puzzles como la interacción con los "enemigos"), y personalmente creo que se podría haber acortado algo la duración para que fuese mas redondo    En general un buen juego, y no soy fan del género.

    Lo que más me ha gustado sin duda es la dirección artística en general, los gráficos y la atención al detalle en los escenarios.

    Quizás lo peor la dificultad (demasiado sencillo, tanto los puzzles como la interacción con los "enemigos"), y personalmente creo que se podría haber acortado algo la duración para que fuese mas redondo todavía.

    La trama/historia un poco meh, me ha recordado a la típica película de mediodía en fin de semana en españa, lo cual no es bueno jaja.    … Expand
  21. IamChris8
    Jun 3, 2021
    7
    Das Spiel war von der Atmosphäre absolut großartig und das ist auch die Stärke des Spiels. Das Gameplay wiederum ist eher "langweilig".

    Grafik: 6/10
    Atmosphäre: 10/10
    Story: 7/10
    Gameplay: 4/10

    Wer den Game Pass besitzt sollte es mal ausprobieren oder warten bis es im Angebot ist.
  22. thegamer105
    Apr 21, 2021
    7
    This game has soo much potential that just wasn't tapped into. There's no action sequences which makes the game very full after a long period of time and the graphics are overall just meh. The story was a masterpiece on the other hand and carries the game big time. Gameplay 5 gets very boring over a long period of time.
    Graphics 7 the graphics are very good when you're not up close    This game has soo much potential that just wasn't tapped into. There's no action sequences which makes the game very full after a long period of time and the graphics are overall just meh. The story was a masterpiece on the other hand and carries the game big time. Gameplay 5 gets very boring over a long period of time.
    Graphics 7 the graphics are very good when you're not up close otherwise they aren't that good for a next gen game. Story 10 this game had a story that was amazing and had me Finnish the game which says alot.
    Overall this game is a 7 and it feels like there just wasn't enough love put into it.    … Expand
  23. DANTESFENIX2
    Aug 1, 2021
    7
    Que mal aprovechado está el juego, es una buena propuesta y es muy interesante pero está muy mal ejecutado, la cámara es horrible, el gameplay aburre, es curioso que lo que más entretiene son las cinemáticas, puzzles horribles que cansan mucho el juego, pudo ser mucho mejor
  24. JJDoom
    May 9, 2021
    7
    A great game which unfortunately quickly runs out of ideas in terms of gameplay. Carried by the story and vocal performances.
  25. Astralniy
    Jul 13, 2021
    7
    Это пусть и хорошая, но пустая игра донельзя. И не страшная совсем и совершенно, да и просто иногда скучная. История действительно интересная, но она наверное единственное, что вытягивает эту игру.
  26. Szymon1111
    Feb 8, 2022
    7
    Uwielbiam tą grę za jej wspaniała fabułę i za to jak jest opowiedziana i dzięki bardzo dużej immersji można się dobrze wczuć a z sekwencjami z potworem gra utrzymuje napięcie. Gra nie jest może najstraszniejszą grą ale są momenty w których można nieźle się wystraszyć no i klimat tego miejsca i jego historia coś wspaniałego. Gra ma dużo dobrych aspektów ale są też wady czyli np praca kameryUwielbiam tą grę za jej wspaniała fabułę i za to jak jest opowiedziana i dzięki bardzo dużej immersji można się dobrze wczuć a z sekwencjami z potworem gra utrzymuje napięcie. Gra nie jest może najstraszniejszą grą ale są momenty w których można nieźle się wystraszyć no i klimat tego miejsca i jego historia coś wspaniałego. Gra ma dużo dobrych aspektów ale są też wady czyli np praca kamery która ustawia się w koncie i tam pozostaje aż nie przejdziemy dalej i gra potrafi być nudna w pewnych momentach kiedy nic się nie dzieje a my szukamy jakiegoś przedmiotu no i też nieraz trzeba lizać ściany żeby znaleśc jakieś przedmiot ale gra broni się dobrymi sekwencjami zawierającymi akcje.… Expand
  27. Ewerton_World
    Mar 4, 2022
    7
    O jogo é legal, mas combina mais com quem curte jogos focado em história e narrativas, esse jogo tem uma jogabilidade simples, não tem combates, tem muitos puzzles e possúi alguns problemas de otimização mas nada que atrapalhe
  28. Gam1ngH3ro15
    May 21, 2022
    7
    7 for me. Good graphics and mediocre story. But that's about it. Decent pickup.
  29. red_shining
    Jul 14, 2023
    7
    Medium is a great game, for the most part I really enjoyed it.

    The downsides were that it was very slow paced - for a lot of it the character was slowly walking through the coridors. There was a run option but it wasn't much faster than the slow paced walking. The game only leads you one way and locks you in the areas so you don't get a lot of freedom in that sense. The puzzles were    Medium is a great game, for the most part I really enjoyed it.

    The downsides were that it was very slow paced - for a lot of it the character was slowly walking through the coridors. There was a run option but it wasn't much faster than the slow paced walking.

    The game only leads you one way and locks you in the areas so you don't get a lot of freedom in that sense. The puzzles were quite simple and I wish there was more to explore and find.

    The video bits were quite long as well, sometimes I wasn't sure if I was playing a game or watching a movie. I think the the proportions there are 50/50.

    Back to focusing on positives - the storyline is great and the graphics are amazing. The feel of the whole place was fantastic. I would love another Medium game from the creators - maybe the characters could move a tiny bit faster though? :)    … Expand
  30. christhewiz
    Feb 7, 2021
    6
    After several tedious and boring hours I deleted the game. I don't just don't like the game concept, the story and most of all the fixed camera, which is a real pain in the ......
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. CD-Action
    Sep 1, 2021
    80
    Despite clunky animations, repetitive gameplay and some technical issues with the Xbox Series X version, I completed The Medium twice. Its dual-reality design, art direction and brilliant soundtrack often made me stop to take in a view or relish the music. Its mature story and atmosphere reminiscent of Silent Hill helped a lot too. [03/2021, p.40]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Apr 9, 2021
    76
    The Medium didn’t manage to become a spiritual successor to Silent Hill, but it’s still a significant step forward for Bloober Team. [Issue#252, p.50]
  3. IGN Portugal
    Mar 18, 2021
    80
    The exclusive Microsoft - The Medium is yet another significant milestone in the catalogue of psychological horror games from Bloober Team, which is increasingly becoming one of the best studios in this area. Without hiding where it comes from, it's an experience horror fans won't want to miss, no matter how short. The duality approach is interesting and has enormous potential. I hope that the Bloober Team will get to work on it again and develop it more in-depth.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »