The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Reviews
One hopes Man of Medan will function similarly to a mediocre TV pilot for a series that only later finds its footing.
While Until Dawn was a serving of shlocky horror served up with a self-referential grin, Man of Medan has less personality, in part because it's a smaller slice of story. That said, its online modes will be game-changers for the rest of the series.
Just like Until Dawn before it, Man of Medan is a knowingly schlocky and incredibly fun horror movie in video game form, tailor-made to bridge the gap between those two mediums. It's never truly terrifying, but always edge-of-your-seat thrilling right through to what can be quite an abrupt ending. As jarring as that may be, it's a great way for Supermassive to leave players wanting more and ultimately keen to check out additional short-form, budget-priced entries in the intriguing Dark Pictures Anthology.
Until Dawn follow-up Man of Medan has amazing ideas in the cooperative space but collapses under the weights of performance issues.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is a solid beginning to what I hope becomes a memorable selection of virtual horror outings. The setting here didn't do much for me if I'm perfectly honest, but the memorable characters, razor sharp pacing and well-placed scares make it excellent fun with a few friends by your side.
Man of Medan keeps afloat thanks to an atmosphere full of charm, sufficiently original multiplayer gameplay, and a valuable sense of investigative discovery that supports the limited exploration.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you like other choose-your-own-adventure games like Until Dawn, Life is Strange, and Detroit: Become Human, there’s definitely fun to be had here, but it is a flawed experience compared to other recent efforts.
All in all, Supermassive Games is off to a strong start with to The Dark Pictures Anthology with Man of Medan. Although the company is yet to announce any details on the following games in the series, Man of Medan is a tasty appetiser for what's hopefully going to be a deliciously devilish meal.
While it feels like a not insignificant step down from the breakout hit Until Dawn, Supermassive Games' latest attempt at interactive horror still serves up some compelling thrills and chills. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan definitely gets better the deeper you get into its story, but traveling that path is fraught with technical issues and questionable narrative direction more often than it should be.
The Dark Pictures - Man of Medan applies the Until Dawn recipe to a smaller and cheaper game, wittch cooperative features, and the results are very good !
Review in French | Read full review
Bumpy horror adventure that is narrative, artisanal and technically disappointing.
Review in German | Read full review
I’m not entirely sure Man of Medan is the absolute strongest example they could have put forward to launch what they hope to be an ongoing successful series.
Despite it’s shortcomings, the game is still somewhat entertaining, and I’m hoping Supermassive will knock the next entry of this spooky anthology out of the park.
Man of Medan is a stellar example of how to push boundaries and innovate within genres that seem restrictive at first glance.
Supermassive's next step into horror starts strong.
While the story didn’t live up to expectations, the actors’ performances are fantastic as Man of Medan delivers its quota of horror tropes in chapter one of The Dark Pictures Anthology.
Man of Medan isn't a bad story, adventure game or honestly experience, it just has plenty of ways to improve. Between a slow burn leading to a quick fizzle at the end and performance issues, it's the type of experience that really requires a love for the genre or experience to have. You just have to ask yourself how much do you want to explore a largely linear world with seemingly limited choices to fight a threat that might not even exist and see how many of your friends make it out alive.
Failing to deliver as an effective horror story, Man of Medan is interminably slow to get started, and when it does, the narrative and performances prove more laughable than scary. The best kind of horror is the stuff that really gets under your skin, but sadly, this barely even pricks it. A soggy first chapter in The Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan is best left on the seabed to rust.
Although there were some cringy-dialogue options and I feel as if I spoiled the entire mystery by asking the curator for advice, I enjoyed my time playing through the story and trying to escape with as many – or as few – survivors as possible.