Marianne has a special gift: as a medium, she can take a look into the spiritual parallel world and even interact with the environment there. In addition, she can see, hear and feel more than normal people, even in the usual reality. For example, by touching and examining objects, she can receive echoes from the past or reconstruct memory points to gain further insight, much in the style of the gruesome light creature staging from Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. Thanks to the enhanced perception, Marianne is also able to point out significant objects around her or even detect hidden items. In the spiritual world, she also can create a protective barrier against aggressive swarms of moths or send out a spiritual energy blast. However, this only works if you have the necessary power reserves, which you can only recharge at special energy points.
Here you see the character and direct it through the mostly artificially limited areas. You only return to the first-person view when examining marked areas in detail. The focus is on the huge NIWA building complex, which includes a hotel à la The Shining, a daycare center, a swimming pool, and an underground bunker. Due to the fixed camera angles, which are sometimes accompanied by small pans and successful cuts, The Medium feels pleasantly classic. However, the sometimes a bit clumsy controls and the not particularly elaborately designed animations give a reason for criticism.
Unlike games like Soul Reaver, you can't switch between both realities on a whim here. Instead, the moments are initially scripted in the course of the story. Only later do you get the chance to move between the worlds at predetermined points with the help of mirrors? The special thing about The Medium, however, is without a doubt the passages in which you move parallel in the real and the spiritual world on the split-screen. According to the developer, you experience about a third of the almost ten-hour campaign in this unusual view, where you can immediately understand why the concept was originally intended to be implemented for the Wii U with its two screens.
It is impressive and refreshingly different to experience these two worlds in parallel, especially since there are also some clever links between both realities.
Conclusion
The dual reality concept of The Medium, where you travel in two parallel worlds at the same time, is something special: It's impressive and refreshingly different, especially since there are also some clever linkages of both realities. Apart from the well-staged cutscenes, you learn more about the confusing story mainly through an exaggerated number of documents, the redundant search for echoes, or the stylistically awful reconstruction of memories. Otherwise, the trip presents itself surprisingly tame, repeatedly offers the same and sometimes stodgy game elements, and becomes shockingly tame over long stretches, especially towards the finale. However, I wouldn't want to deny the game a certain atmosphere, which is mainly created by the support of the successful soundscape, together with the chic art design.
