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The Medium |OT| Silent Hells

aries_71

Junior Member
nah after two hours im quitting,the history is meh and al least games like detroid where a technicall marvel,this is mediocre
K09Kn6k.gif
 
Aren't you really close to the end then? Heard it was about 7 or 8 hours.

I didn't know how long it was, I assumed it was 10ish. Either way, I spent the first couple hours just testing the first couple areas on two different PC setups for my own curiosity sake so I might be slightly behind the normal pace.
 
I didn't know how long it was, I assumed it was 10ish. Either way, I spent the first couple hours just testing the first couple areas on two different PC setups for my own curiosity sake so I might be slightly behind the normal pace.
I believe you're slightly ahead of me. I'm on my way to the
red house
.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
This game is actually really good, it touches on the subject which is close to Poland, Czech* ...well that might be it. I do understand that this is definitely lost in translation... I am probably nearing end, but damn. I actually love this game, beginning was kind of meh but it pulled me in.

*You know the Russian colaborants and shit.
 
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baphomet

Member
I'm hoping it gets significantly better than the first hour or so.

The fixed cameras make it control way worse than it should. Does that change at all?

It also isn't running too hot on PC currently. Looks good for the most part, but I'm dropping to like 40fps randomly in places you wouldn't expect it to.
 

JORMBO

Darkness no more
Also finding the first hour boring so far. I hope it gets more interesting. So far it’s just been waking and looking at objects. The graphics and animations are pretty average. When opening a door the character kind of glides to be perfectly in front of the door before opening. Reminds me of something from a ps2 game. The story seems like it could be promising.
 

Moogle11

Banned
It starts a bit slow and gets more interesting plot and lore wise for sure. That said, if one isn’t feeling it due to the fixed camera, gameplay etc that doesn’t improve or change much.

It’s a walking sim/point and click adventure combo type game you play for the story, lore and atmosphere. I’d give it maybe two hours since it does start slowly but if you aren’t feeling it by then I doubt your sentiment will change.
 
It also isn't running too hot on PC currently. Looks good for the most part, but I'm dropping to like 40fps randomly in places you wouldn't expect it to.

This is one of my only real gripes with the game so far. I have a 5900x and a 3080 FE. At 1440p/ultra/RT there are times when I am 40 when entering a new area and nothing is really happening on screen. Really weird. It shoots back up when I change scenes/angle again but feels like it shouldn't be happening when it does. Maybe something wrong in my end? I am playing the PC Game Pass version.

Was very noticeable in the beginning of the game, doesn't happen as often now at the end.
 

Certinty

Member
Only a few hours in but I have to admit I’m enjoying it. I mean I’m no fan of “horror” games, but I love the Life Is Strange exploration type of things and also puzzles so yeah...
 

Little Chicken

Gold Member
The game looks better than I was expecting it too. The first-person camera shows off all those wonderful assets that are going to waste because you can't see them usually.
 

Bartski

Gold Member
Done! For what it is I liked it more than I thought I will but I understand why some might not.

It's a walking simulator through and through and in most ways feels incredibly retro, think Ethan Carter / Edith Finch / Gone Home in 90s inspired static camera angle 3rd person.
Is that a problem? No, if you like this kind of stuff.
Mechanically - ultra sparse, no "action" per se, and not much to do there beyond pushing through the story. That's also ok 'cause the story is actually totally not bad at all. Not exactly a straightforward spooky haunted house ghost tale I expected and gets better and darker the deeper you go which was also surprising.
Also worth noting - the game is really relaxing and not scary at all, but somehow I didn't expect that so I didn't mind either.

The look of the ghost world is pulled straight from Beksinski I'm a huge fan of, which to me is esthetically way more interesting than the rather rinsed, gore-industrial-stripped-paint vibes from Silent Hill games that obviously inspired it.

Baker is on point as the beast, the rest very uneven.

Now for the strange bit - I really loved the "normal world stuff" way more than most people playing this game will.
Literally, the first half of the game felt almost like bumping into an easter egg every 30 seconds.
Here is the thing - visually this game is 100% mid-late 80s Poland. All assets, from architecture to lamp posts to cars to furniture to sink taps to tea glass holders, toys or notebooks... All kinds of crazy details nobody from outside will ever notice. A lot of story themes and character arcs are also delivered on this thematic, late communism background, not to spoil anything...
But I see how anyone else might as well play the game thinking it's all just fucking bland without this context.
I don't know, to me that was actually one of the things I liked the most, having constant childhood flashbacks just looking at what's on the shelves.


Now the bad stuff - as I said in the first impression post - sorry to confirm it runs like shit on XsX all the way 'till the end.

Seriously - I mean it's 100% playable and I haven't seen a single bug gameplay-wise, but there is nothing happening on screen that would justify some highly jarring frame drops, and TEXTURE LOADING oh my god. As the key feature - "seamless transitions between 2 realities" are not exactly that seamless at all TBH, a couple of cut scenes glitched out fading in assets... this is not the technical showcase of the 12 tflops Phil would wanna see from their 1st console exclusive. I expected ultra janky animations and no, they actually do the job. PS3 quality TIRED faces, but I sort of got used to it 2h in and it didn't bother me.

TLDR: good 7/10 with problems, definitely worth a try on GamePass. Full price? I don't think so.
 
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Done! For what it is I liked it more than I thought I will but I understand why some might not.

It's a walking simulator through and through and in most ways feels incredibly retro, think Ethan Carter / Edith Finch / Gone Home in 90s inspired static camera angle 3rd person.
Is that a problem? No, if you like this kind of stuff.
Mechanically - ultra sparse, no "action" per se, and not much to do there beyond pushing through the story. That's also ok 'cause the story is actually totally not bad at all. Not exactly a straightforward spooky haunted house ghost tale I expected and gets better and darker the deeper you go which was also surprising.
Also worth noting - the game is really relaxing and not scary at all, but somehow I didn't expect that so I didn't mind either.

The look of the ghost world is pulled straight from Beksinski I'm a huge fan of, which to me is esthetically way more interesting than the rather rinsed, gore-industrial-stripped-paint vibes from Silent Hill games that obviously inspired it.

Barker is on point as the beast, the rest very uneven.

Now for the strange bit - I really loved the "normal world stuff" way more than most people playing this game will.
Literally, the first half of the game felt almost like bumping into an easter egg every 30 seconds.
Here is the thing - visually this game is 100% mid-late 80s Poland. All assets, from architecture to lamp posts to cars to furniture to sink taps to tea glass holders, toys or notebooks... All kinds of crazy details nobody from outside will ever notice. A lot of story themes and character arcs are also delivered on this thematic, late communism background, not to spoil anything...
But I see how anyone else might as well play the game thinking it's all just fucking bland without this context.
I don't know, to me that was actually one of the things I liked the most, having constant childhood flashbacks just looking at what's on the shelves.


Now the bad stuff - as I said in the first impression post - sorry to confirm it runs like shit on XsX all the way 'till the end.

Seriously - I mean it's 100% playable and I haven't seen a single bug gameplay-wise, but there is nothing happening on screen that would justify some highly jarring frame drops, and TEXTURE LOADING oh my god. As the key feature - "seamless transitions between 2 realities" are not exactly that seamless at all TBH, a couple of cut scenes glitched out fading in assets... this is not the technical showcase of the 12 tflops Phil would wanna see from their 1st console exclusive. I expected ultra janky animations and no, they actually do the job. PS3 quality TIRED faces l but I sort of got used to it 2h in and it didn't bother me.

TLDR: good 7/10 with problems, definitely worth a try on GamePass. Full price? I don't think so.
Just finished the
water pump
area, how long do I have left?
 

Fredrik

Member
This game is actually really good, it touches on the subject which is close to Poland, Czech* ...well that might be it. I do understand that this is definitely lost in translation... I am probably nearing end, but damn. I actually love this game, beginning was kind of meh but it pulled me in.

*You know the Russian colaborants and shit.
Yeah it has grown on me like crazy, the atmosphere is amazing, it’s not a jump scare type of game but one that crawls under your skin and make every strand of hair on your body stand. Haven’t felt this uneasy from a game since Silent Hill 2. It’s a complicated love/hate thing for me, I was so ready to just go ”Nope.” and uninstall the game at one point because I got so scared lol, but I kept going. I’m inside the Red House now, tries to calm down so I can go to sleep

QbQFeyK.png

MTpni1I.png
 

Xenon

Member
So after about 30 or 40 minutes I'm not sure I'm going to continue on. The atmosphere is decent enough. The character, story, animations, and gameplay are very stiff. As others have said the interaction with the environment is pretty minimal. But the one thing that I just can't stand is when you zoom in and look at things how limited you are in panning and the lack of ability to zoom into things. I'm fine with the static cameras but when I stop to look around, let me freaking look around.
 
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That ending just pisses me off to no end. I hope they'll do a sequel. Cause it literally does the Deus Ex Mankind Divded ending... fuck this is lame. It got so good after the initial two hours, with fun plot threads, and a lot of interesting / serious subject matters. And then it does a shitty sequel hook.

It feels like you just stop at half of the game. Like at least I'm hoping MS funds a sequel cause I'm actually interested in this.
 
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That ending just pisses me off to no end. I hope they'll do a sequel. Cause it literally does the Deus Ex Mankind Divded ending... fuck this is lame. It got so good after the initial two hours, with fun plot threads, and a lot of interesting / serious subject matters. And then it does a shitty sequel hook.

It feels like you just stop at half of the game. Like at least I'm hoping MS funds a sequel cause I'm actually interested in this.
lol

The Medium was almost as good as The Evil Within 1 to me, and at least better than RE3R.

This franchise has a lot of potential, Microsoft should buy the franchise and make The Medium 2 a real AAA and go even further just like Hellblade.

I just loved the classic horror (old school SH/RE) vibes, and the graphic art style of The Medium is just phenomenal !

Also i would like to see more East Europe and Slavic environments just like in the trailer anouncement.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
I quit after 40 minutes. I am tired of this newer games, always feels like watching movies when I want to play.

Seriously... I cannot believe how long that intro movie was and it felt like they didn't even try with the "cinematography" to make it interesting.

I gave it 30 minutes and probably uninstalling. Didn't realize this was basically a point and click adventure game, so I wasn't in the right mind set when I started. Maybe I'll give it another go or two before deciding.

With that said, the GamePass version basically runs like shit in certain scenes maxed out in 4K + Ray Tracing Ultra (DLSS Medium) on my 10850k 3080 computer. Doesn't quite look the part, either.
 

Moogle11

Banned
I continue to like this the more that I play. Right you my alley as a fan of narrative-driven adventure games/walking sims.

Made it to the red house and called it a night. Assuming I’m nearing the end since I got an achievement for seeing all the memory shards so I’ll likely finish it up my next session.
 

TheSHEEEP

Gold Member
I can’t be bothered, but I’ll let him speak for me. Care to refute still?


Mack is spot-on, as usual.

Another 0-gameplay "game" with "puzzles" on the level of a pre-school admission test that should've just been a movie.
No wonder gaming "journalists" are hyping it like crazy - they never liked games for gameplay, only for storytelling.

Mainstream gaming is in an abysmal state if stuff like this can get high ratings even on Steam.

The price point is the most confusing part to me, though. LIke... wtf?!
20 bucks for a walking sim... okay, why not. But 45?!
 
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sinnergy

Member
Good thing I like games that I like ..

Game is great BTW. One of the games the last 12 years that stings in my mind and I am curious to see the story unfold .. last time this happens was Bioshock and Mass Effect.
 
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KGEN

Neo Member
Mack is spot-on, as usual.

Another 0-gameplay "game" with "puzzles" on the level of a pre-school admission test that should've just been a movie.
No wonder gaming "journalists" are hyping it like crazy - they never liked games for gameplay, only for storytelling.

Mainstream gaming is in an abysmal state if stuff like this can get high ratings even on Steam.
Even storytelling wise it's really hard to call this a masterpiece or even 7/10.
The review scores are embarrassing, but after CP2077, nothing is surprising anymore in that area.
I don't mind individual players enjoying it, we all have different tastes, but people reviewing entertainment products for money should know better.
 

IDappa

Member
Enjoying it so far, probably about 2 or so hours in. Not really a game of usually play but the story has my and the missus interest so will definitely finish. Definitely not a game you can put 30 Mins into and think you know what it is, it's a slow burn and I can see why. Developers obviously wanted to establish a atmosphere and tone..

Performance is shitty however, on the series X, not unplayable but does have occasional artifacting and fps dips. Graphics are good can't really knock it for that. Animations is stiff in spots especially opening doors. For a AA type game it is delivering for me so far.
 
Messed around with this for a bit, and yeah, confirms what I had seen in the gameplay videos beforehand. This is a narrative adventure game that has writing and aesthetic similarities to Silent Hill but gameplay wise it's more in line with Life is Strange or Dreamfall Chapters. Which will be cool depending on if you like these kinds of games or not. I love them.

Still, reading a lot of the comments in this thread and elsewhere I cant help but think they may have been better off marketing to fans of games like LiS, Detroit or Unavowed rather than leaning so heavily into the Silent Hill connection. Maybe some of that reaction is just gamepass noise but right now my gut tells me the marketing did this game somewhat of a disservice.
 

KGEN

Neo Member
Messed around with this for a bit, and yeah, confirms what I had seen in the gameplay videos beforehand. This is a narrative adventure game that has writing and aesthetic similarities to Silent Hill but gameplay wise it's more in line with Life is Strange or Dreamfall Chapters. Which will be cool depending on if you like these kinds of games or not. I love them.

Still, reading a lot of the comments in this thread and elsewhere I cant help but think they may have been better off marketing to fans of games like LiS, Detroit or Unavowed rather than leaning so heavily into the Silent Hill connection. Maybe some of that reaction is just gamepass noise but right now my gut tells me the marketing did this game somewhat of a disservice.
Considering they reported the game development and PR expenses are already covered, based on the sales to far, I'd say the marketing department did it's job.
 
Considering they reported the game development and PR expenses are already covered, based on the sales to far, I'd say the marketing department did it's job.

Without fully knowing their budget and grant situation I can't say exactly how meaningful that is. If the game's doing well I'm happy it is and I hope it continues to. But I'm talking about stigma, which is very important to manage. I think the reaction critically and among gamers would be a lot less mixed if they had a clearer picture of what they were in for.
 

Codiox

Member
After playing two hours I can say "yep, next please". Technically it's a mess. Framedrops, flashing decals, sparklings everywhere and to need to turn of ethernet just to skip the black screen on start because of some fuckery from Microsoft store is too much. Also how can you make such a beautiful environment but fucked up the main player model so bad.

Too many good games out there to waste time on this instead.
 

KGEN

Neo Member
But I'm talking about stigma, which is very important to manage.
You would think that, but gamers have really short memories. The game was marketed for maximum profit, and the mixed reception will be forgotten very quickly, as usual.
Next time around, no one will remember to look back. As consumers, gamers are sure quick to forget and forgive.
 

sinnergy

Member
After playing two hours I can say "yep, next please". Technically it's a mess. Framedrops, flashing decals, sparklings everywhere and to need to turn of ethernet just to skip the black screen on start because of some fuckery from Microsoft store is too much. Also how can you make such a beautiful environment but fucked up the main player model so bad.

Too many good games out there to waste time on this instead.
Not my experience on Series X, you on PC? Also played about 2 hours.
 

Fredrik

Member
From meh to ❤️ over two nights playing it. It’s a grower. Couldn’t put the controller down until 2:30 in the morning last night. Can’t wait to do the final stretch tonight.
 
It's a really good game, and an interesting story, and some of the gameplay elements that get used are really clever near the end, it just ends so abruptly that I am really hoping this gets a sequel asap.
 
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