It goes without saying that Horror is one of my favorite genres of most entertainment mediums. From reading R.L. Stine’s popular Goosebumps series as a kid, experiencing the fear of showering alone after watching Stephen King’s TV adaptation of ‘IT’, to discovering the Eldritch Gods and cosmic horrors creeping from the depths of Lovecraft’s mind. I loved it all. Gaming is no exception, and in fact, is the medium I tend to enjoy most.
Despite the plethora of creepy titles available, particularly on Steam, there have been very few that were able to scratch that particular ‘itch’. You know the one; When the atmosphere is just right, you feel an unnerving tingle all along your skin, and your senses start screaming for you to retreat. Yet, you succumb to your curiosity, to that addiction to adrenaline and press on. Konami’s Silent Hill franchise holds the key to my heart in this regard. Specifically SH 1 and 2. Harry Mason’s tireless mission to save his daughter while coming to grips with the nightmarish manifestations of an old town’s sins struck such a cord with me in my youth, that it created a thirst for anything remotely similar.
Yesterday, Microsoft aired their Xbox Inside presentation that focused on 3rd party developers and what they planned to bring to the 9th generation of consoles. About halfway into the presentation, a trailer opened with a sonogram procedure being performed on a happily pregnant woman. Melancholic white keys and somber violins stirred the emotions as the scene quickly descended into what was presumably our protagonist being afflicted with unsettling visions, impossible shifts in the spectrum of reality, and all manner of things that go bump in the night.
Then, the title came into view; The Medium. Admittedly, it’s impossible to ascertain a game’s overall quality or what exactly the experience will be like just from a trailer (especially one that will likely focus on pacing, story, and atmosphere). However, the 2:19 second trailer featured snippets of gameplay that evoked influences from the Silent Hill franchise. So much so, that is was confirmed the game’s Dual Audio track was being composed by Arkadiusz Reikowski and none other than the acclaimed Akira Yamaoka. Renowned for his work on the Silent Hill series, Contra, Let it Die, Sine Mora, and so many more memorable titles, it should come as no surprise that having his pedigree backing the soundtrack has turned many heads. A brief description from the developers gives an even clearer idea of what to expect: “Players will find themselves in the body of Marianne, a medium hounded by visions, living and interacting across two worlds: the real, and the spirit world. Nothing is what it seems, everything has another side. As a medium with access to both worlds, you have a wider perspective and can see more clearly that there’s no one simple truth to what others perceive.“
Bloober Team, the minds behind the surprisingly successful Layers of Fear series and most recently, Blair Witch, have expressed their confidence in working with Microsoft and the Series X to deliver an Xbox and Windows exclusive title that is also launching Day and Date on GamePass. The Medium is slated for a Holiday 2020 release which, depending on how long the game’s been in development, could mean it will be a Series X launch title.
What game drew your attention the most from yesterday’s reveals?
the Medium was the best and people should talk about it more!
I agree! It felt like the most genuinely surprising and intriguing reveal of the show. The main twitter account is also pretty active and already answering questions and giving us some concrete information on what we should expect going into the Next-Gen. Can’t wait to learn more!