This game starts really good, giving me silent hill vibes, two worlds mechanic seems really interesting at first, and I couldn't wait to see what else this game has to offer.
The more I played this game, the more I got dissapointed, all puzzles are so simple I dont even know I can call them puzzles, two worlds mechanic seems to just be there for cool visuals (which are great!). There are also moments in this game where you must hide\run from a moster, and the moster, while being visually very scary, can't really do anything to you, if you dont specifically try to run into it. The last portion of the game is also filled with filler activities.
Overall, I loved the story, but I had to force myself to finish this game, even though it is pretty short.
TL;DR: It's like you're a player in a railroading GM's campaign setting. Do not buy this game at full price. Get it on sale or GamePass and play it for the story.
The game looks and sounds great and I found the story to be really engaging. I wanted to know the truth and kept playing the Medium because of it. However, there is almost no true gameplay to be had and the 'puzzles' are barely even that. You are simply along for the ride, never in any real danger and when you are, the segments are poorly executed. Another example is balancing on narrow walkways: as far as I can tell, you can't fall off, but there's no indicator to show if you're walking straight enough and after the umpteenth time you realize these things are just there to pad the game's length.
While I found the story very entrancing, the fact that you have no input of consequence begins to wear near the end and there is no sense of satisfaction after ending the game. There is no real closure, by which I mean that I was not left with the feeling "I just did that!" like I would have with most games. You just get to the end of the book/movie and are left wondering.
Then there's the performance issues. I played the GamePass version, so I couldn't tweak the game at all. In some parts I had to pause and unpause the game to get Marianne to say her lines, so I could continue. And that wasn't in a visually demanding spot either, it was in an enclosed area...
The game is nice, it's a mix between a point and click game and a walking simulator, it sure has too many restrictions and the puzzles are too easy to stand out in the genre, but it definitely deserves credit for its inspired graphics and sound desing.
The biggest problem I have with this game are performances. It is poorly optimized and simply unplayable with ray tracing enabled.
This game was supposed to be a showcase for next-gen visual features, but at this point it fails to meet its expectations.
I really enjoyed the game! The environments are gorgeous, music and atmosphere are spot on, and it has lots of the fun stress and "will I survive" doubts that horror games tantalize with. The story is super interesting and I love the characters. The twists were really cool. The world-split mechanics are very cool and an innovation on some of the old approaches. What seems like a game mechanic at first is actually anchored into the main protagonist, and the lore speaks to it as you get deeper in.
All hail the mighty bolt cutters!
This has been the funnest and most "oh wow" explicit-triggering horror adventure I've played in years. Thank you Bloober! I'm holding back one star because it ended a bit too soon. 22 hours on my first playthrough felt a little short. Could have used another 5 hours of content, and/or the ability to make more choices to unlock different endings. (Unless that's in there and I've missed it? I'll be looking! Got 86% GOG achievements on first play-through.)
---some spoiler risk below---
This is a great entry for previous fans of horror games like Silent Hill. There are many nods to it:
-Mirror world transitions (SH:Origins)
-Rust world
-Stationary and moving wheelchairs
-Confused characters that the protagonist triggers and helps render whole (Sadness has end of sentence inflections like Angela in SH2 actually. Not sure if that's intentional, but if so, nice touch!)
-Piano puzzle (SH1)
-Grandfather clock puzzle (SH1)
-Martyred nurse (SH1)
-Swimming pool (SH1)
-Metatron-like symbols
-Running sequences (SH:Downpour, SH:SM)
-Children's crayon drawings
-It all begins with a dead girl, or *******-******* girl (like Alessa)
There are also plenty of fun Easter Eggs to discover from Blair witch, to Monty Python, and Napoleon Dynamite. I'll be looking for more!
One of the first 'next gen' Unreal engine based games and it has its own charm and includes an interesting game mechanic, astral projection type power to help navigate you through the haunted building.
Not sure how the PC port holds up & would not buy it for full price either.
