By the end, I was pleased I’d spent the time seeking so many of them out, as they unearthed a lot more understanding of the central story than I’d have ever expected them to.
I rarely see collectibles as more than content-filler in most games, but The Medium utilises them in such a way that paying attention to them adds a significant amount to the overall narrative. It adds an extra layer of depth to the motivations behind what you uncover in an organic way. This acts as a neat narrative tool to deliver context and history of the resort as well as the personalities of the people who inhabit it.Ĭollectibles are also used to intrinsically rewarding effect – each set of notes, postcards and memos act as exposition for particular people or the world as you explore. This allows her, and us as the players, to observe the events of the real with the ethereal. Sometimes both at once, other times one or the other. Break On Through, To The Spirit SideĪs a medium, Marianne has the capability to see both the real and spiritual world. Turns out, right and wrong, good and bad can become mightily twisted when it comes to dimensional hopping history. What I appreciated most, was how my view and empathy towards its central characters shifted throughout. Despite its more disturbing narrative arcs, the world, history and characters are handled exceptionally well, with a lot of the context required by the player to piece together to make sense of. There’s some truly dark and twisted goings on in the world of Niwa’s history which you’ll slowly uncover as you progress. I experienced a range of emotions from shock, disgust, anguish and empathy for the themes the game tackled. The opening third has you taking on the superficial, surface layer of knowledge, before the second and third acts begin to entangle you in a psychological web of character arcs, mysterious occurrences and intimidating events.Īll of which is to say, the story of The Medium was very good.
As the story develops however, things start to pick up significantly. As you arrive at the Niwa resort and hotel, you’ll have little to no understanding of your role or purpose there, which sits well alongside Marianne’s scepticism and bewilderment. The initial narrative is somewhat routine, but delivered well. Marianne is swept off to the Niwa resort following an ambiguous, ominous phone call from a supposed stranger pleading for help. Naturally (or not so naturally), things quickly take a turn for the strange and supernatural. The introduction is slow, subtle and enticing, drawing you into the world and universe that Marianne inhabits, while also plotting some emotional roots for our lead. We’re introduced to our protagonist, Marianne, who has the unique ability to traverse not just the known, human reality, but also the twisted, spirit reality, occupied by those who have died but not “passed onto the other side”. The Medium has an interesting, if slow, opening. There’s equal numbers of incredible traits as well as disappointing pitfalls associated with the genres, so finding the balance (or… Medium, if you will) is always essential to getting a title of this type right.
Mundfish stated back in February that Atomic Heart would be arriving in “ #ber 2022” for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series.It should be noted, I’m a huge fan of all things horror and psychological thriller, so The Medium was a game I was eagerly awaiting to release on Sony’s consoles to try out for myself. You are Agent Major P-3 and it’s up to you to find out what is really lying behind this “utopian” dream. In addition, secret experiments have led to the emergence of terrifying mutants. These same robots designed to help humans have rebelled against their creators.
However, there’s a dark underbelly to it all. Set an alternate version of the 1950’s, the story of Atomic Heart takes place in a Soviet Union in which robotics and other advanced technologies were developed during World War II. Set against a song by Alla Pugacheva, we have two female robots dancing with one another when one sprouts tendrils that turn into a horn (and subsequently impales the other), interspersed with footage of the protagonist using their powers to manipulate water and telekinesis (a la BioShock) in fighting robots, while bashing/cutting others with a variety of other weapons. Atomic Heart also hits good, according to the latest trailer for the upcoming dystopian Soviet shooter, which focuses on the game’s combat.Īnd of course, being that it’s Atomic Heart, there’s a helping of weird to go along with the combat. While it still doesn’t have a proper release date (and developer Mundfish denying that it’s been delayed), Atomic Heart sure looks good.