The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan Xbox One review — A creepy, atmospheric voyage to sea

Subsequently 2022's Until Dawn, Supermassive Games started plotting out a new serial very much in the aforementioned vein: The Dark Pictures Anthology. The first entry, Man of Medan, presents a parcel of scares with a great cast, who all turn in enjoyable performances. The branching narrative returns, and multiple characters live or die past the calls yous make.

Information technology looks great, with Unreal Engine 4 proving a worthy new engine (some frame rate problems aside), creating a fantastic, night, slimy environs, especially if you've got an HDR Tv set. At that place's plenty of great spooky stuff to go through, though the story feels a bit too safe and restrained compared to Supermassive's prior work. At around $30 and almost four hours to play through, with plenty of replayability, this is well worth grabbing if you're interested in narrative-driven horror games.

A solid new footstep

The Dark Pictures: Human being of Medan

$25

Bottom line: This is a great narrative-driven game and a skilful starting point for a horror anthology.

Pros

• Branching narrative
• Likeable cast
• Much-needed quality-of-life features

Cons

• Frame rate drops throughout
• The story is restrained and plays it safe

Man of Medan is a ghost story

Much similar Until Dawn, control passes between a few different characters, who have to make choices and maintain their relationships. Since this is a shorter game, we follow a slightly smaller bandage of v playable characters. Brad, who's the nerdy, introverted type who loves history. His brother Alex is the strong, more outgoing type, who is dating Julia, a scrap of a thrillseeker and sister to Conrad, a funny but also obnoxious rich-kid blazon. Finally, at that place'south Fliss, the captain of the Duke of Milan who has been booked to take these iv out into the ocean to look at undersea wrecks.

At that place's enough of good scares and the atmosphere is well-established.

The entire cast is likable, and they all turn in corking performances, particularly Conrad as portrayed by Shawn Ashmore, who previously held a atomic number 82 role in Quantum Break. Still, my favorite character in the game is the i that the actor doesn't command: the mysterious Curator, manager of the eclectic. After an first-class introductory sequence that Until Dawn veterans volition smile at, the Curator is established as an all-knowing guide. He provides cryptic clues betwixt chapters and will be present in future Dark Pictures Anthology titles.

This is a shorter game (I completed information technology in around four hours) so I don't want to "dive" also far into what happens. Suffice to say, this diving trip doesn't go as planned, unexpected guests make it, besides as a fierce storm. Oh, and there's an abandoned blob of a transport where something has gone horribly incorrect. There's enough of skillful scares and the atmosphere is well-established. Nonetheless, I think Until Dawn has the stronger payoff by comparison and this game plays its conclusion out in an oddly rubber manner. I enjoyed my fourth dimension with it, simply it'south definitely a "journey over destination" deal.

Human being of Medan choices and gameplay

If you've played Until Dawn, a Telltale game or whatever other similar championship, you'll be familiar with how the controls work. For those who oasis't: it'due south a fixed camera environment and you move your graphic symbol of the moment around, interacting with different objects. You tin can examine things for clues or hidden secrets, which can unlock unlike dialogue choices and conversations. At one betoken, I'd collected a fair fleck of show regarding a item plotline, and information technology was impressive how naturally two of the bandage talked about what I'd found, which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't combed the surround.

As the Curator forewarns, your choices affair. It's non a spoiler to say that everyone, no one, or even whatsoever combination in-between, are all capable of dying. When the action and the horror begin, you're subjected to quick-time events (QTEs) that will test your reflexing, from dodging deadly hammers to making quick escapes and holding someone else hostage. So it's a good affair that Supermassive has improved enough of features here, addressing some of the criticisms from other, similar games. In the settings, there'south a bundle of accessibility features, like existence able to modify the subtitle colors or hold a button down rather than mash it during a panicked moment.

If you hated belongings the controller still during tense situations in Until Dawn, fright not, as that mechanic is gone.

Human being of Medan is hauntingly cute

For Until Dawn, Supermassive worked with the Decima engine, Sony'southward proprietary tech pioneered by Guerrilla Games. Since Supermassive was now working on multiplatform titles, the studio has swapped over and opted to utilize Unreal Engine 4 for this game. All in all, it'southward a very solid choice and they've washed a great job keeping the same kind of quality from before, with visible improvements that help the immersion.

This game LOOKS dandy, peculiarly if you accept an HDR TV.

Man of Medan looks neat on Xbox One 10, with 4K and HDR support. As a outcome, the visual detail is groovy, whether it'due south for the cold, metallic, wet surfaces of a send, the night green waters of submerged wrecks or the orange twilight of a calm evening. Some of the scenes set at dark are a real care for on an HDR display. The frame rate, unfortunately, still leaves a lot to exist desired. It'southward not quite the slideshow that Until Dawn could be, but it'due south only a tad off. If possible, I hope Supermassive tin can focus on optimizing the performance in the time to come, as these kinds of games would exist much more than enjoyable without hitching or frame-rate problems.

Summing up the dread of Man of Medan

There'south a reason I reference Until Dawn so much throughout this review; Man of Medan is essentially a sequel. It may non share a proper name but the structure is there. While this story is curiously restrained, it's macabre yet and well worth a look for fans of narrative horror.

I enjoyed my time at sea with this crew, and I'grand interested in talking to the Curator again, wherever this anthology is headed. The Night Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is prepare to be released on all leading platforms on Baronial 30, 2022.

A Ghostly Tale

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Human of Medan

A stormy night awaits

The Nighttime Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is a narrative-driven horror game from Supermassive Games. As 5 characters are drawn to a mysterious ship, who lives or dies is entirely upward to you.

Nosotros reviewed The Dark Pictures Album: Man of Medan on an Xbox Ane X, with a copy provided by the publisher.

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