The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Reviews
Man of Medan is a worthy first episode of the anthology The Dark Pictures. The title of Supermassive Games offers a horror experience contained in the single run, but highly replayable and enjoyable especially in co-op or during an evening with friends, thanks to a fun and original local multiplayer. The story from which Man of Medan draws is mysterious at the right point and offers a horror story atmosphere to read during a summer evening. A few smudges in dubbing and facial expressiveness do not undermine a very well-made technical sector that makes Man of Medan a valid product for fans of horror stories.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Man of Medan is an okay introduction to Supermassive Games' stories for Xbox and PC players. PS4 should stick to the previous titles
Technical issues and graphical glitches aside, Man Of Medan is a pretty good title, with a creepy atmosphere and enough jump scares to keep you on edge through most of the game. The characters themselves, with a few exceptions, are generally unlikable though and it’s something Until Dawn had issues with too through much of its run-time. While I understand that generally in horror movies you’ll find the same thing, the archetypal characters and cookie-cutter characterisation offers little substance to build empathy with these people, and much of the time spent playing this you’ll find yourself progressing passively, rather than genuinely caring whether these people make it to safety or not.
A cool horror game that sometimes depends on jumpscares a little too much.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Studio Supermassive Games knows, how to make great story games. Unfortunately, what they once managed to do in Until Dawn, in Man of Medan fails upon its short game lenght, which does harm mainly to the main characters and dialogues. Otherwise beautiful variety of choice, dark horrifying atmosphere and the feeling of never-ending uncertainty hides behind technical issues, which constantly disturb impressive continuity of the story. Man of Medan thrives in bringing something new as perfectly-done multiplayer into the world of story-telling adventure games, but fails in ways, in which others excel.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Despite a few missteps, Man of Medan is an excelent interactive horror experience that fans of the genre will love.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Playing with good friends over some beer and chips for a night or two will make this more enjoyable and bearable. A family can play too if guardians don’t mind the graphic content. This is the first among eight series and it is actually a good start. Really good intentions but poorly executed and I just sincerely hope they learn from this release and improves the next. Little Hope gets to be released in 2020 and it showed so much potential. I am quite excited and ready to forgive Man of Medan if the latter turns out great.
Developer Supermassive Games was on track to pioneering interactive horror in their breakout PS4 exclusive Until Dawn. Unfortunately, Man of Medan doesn't come close to matching that 2015 release. What they've provided is a dull horror story with predictable jump-scares, uninteresting characters, and a story that will leave you scratching your head and saying, "Really?"
I’m super excited to see the continuing tales coming out of The Dark Pictures Anthology. If Until Dawn proved that horror games being made in this cinematic style can work then Man of Medan shows that even at a smaller scale, they can still be a blast to play. Alone, Man of Medan can be a spooky night in the dark full of terror, with friends, a party game where you tease one another and discuss plans.
Man of Medan does some things extremely well, particularly with its well-crafted story that offers great replay value, and choices having more impact than in Until Dawn. But then it completely fails on other fronts such as the many game-breaking technical problems, a horrible online experience, lack of a flowchart or cutscene skip in Chapter Select, and an absurdly convoluted trophy list.
Man of Medan is a great start to The Dark Pictures Anthology. While some of the dialogue misses the mark, and the story starts a bit slow, once things get rolling you won't want to put it down.
Man of Medan sets out to achieve two things: spin a good yarn and scare the crap out of you while it does so. Though it is riddled with glitches and controls like a bulldozer, playing with friends helps these negatives take a backseat to the thrills this game has to offer.
Ultimately, Man of Medan is a decent experience, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. But it does feel more like a single episode (which it is), than an entire game.
A familiar story made better with a partner, Man of Medan is enjoyable either way.
After the release of Until Dawn, many were excited for what Supermassive would tackle next. The first installment in The Dark Pictures Anthology called Man of Medan won't appeal to everyone. It still has believable and realistic characters attempting to survive a horrible situation. With multiple avenues of success and failure. But the narrative takes a while to get started and the movement of the characters when exploring can feel like they have a force field around them. Regardless, Man of Medan excels at delivering an uneasy and tension-filled horror adventure.
Bad acting and not that great of a story plus some control issues, really feels like at least one or two steps down from their previous successful game. If Supermassive Games wants to make The Dark Pictures Anthology a great franchise, they need to make big changes because Man of Medan leaves a lot to be desired.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The shorter narrative and anthology presentation suits the title better than a standalone full-priced title
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is a must-play for anyone that appreciates horror gaming at its finest, for anyone that enjoys picking away at how a game is put together, for anyone that's got even a passing interest in finding the best storytelling vidoegames have to offer.
Despite having a decent story-line and a well-structured choice system, Man of Medan is a typical narrative experience ruined by a medley of messy controls. It does not present you with any moral dilemma, however, it may bring about horrifying premonitions. Therefore, one must tread carefully on uncharted territory and ponder whether probing deeper will have any inadvertent consequences.
Despite some technical hiccups, Man of Medan succeeds as an engrossing interactive thriller that will keep you on your toes for the duration of a couple of playthroughs. With so many different ways to play the game, alone or with friends online or locally, Man of Medan is an overall great horror experience.