The Medium launches next week on Xbox Series X|S and PC, but you won't need to wait until launch day to find out what critics are saying about the new horror game. Here's when to expect reviews to start coming online for Bloober Team's latest psychological horror adventure.
The Medium review embargo lifts on January 27 at 6 am PT / 9 am ET. You can watch a timer countdown on the game's OpenCritic page, and while you're there don't forget to guess the average review score. If you have a profile on OpenCritic, you can track your history of score guessing. Over time you'll know if your sixth sense for guessing game reception is getting better or worse.
The Medium is the latest in a long line of horror games from Polish indie outfit Bloober Team. The studio has previously released Layers of Fear, Observer, Layers of Fear 2, and Blair Witch. For years, the team's comfort zone has been first-person narrative horror games that toy with perception, like hallways that shift before your eyes, and even behind you. The Medium takes a different approach in that it's the team's first third-person-perspective game, though gameplay demos indicate some of the team's favorite mechanics, such as investigating objects for clues and running from monsters, will return.
In The Medium, players take on the role of Marianne, a woman with an ability to travel between two worlds: our own, and a darker, corrupted world full of clay and creepy kids. The game was revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase last May and was announced as a launch exclusive for Xbox Series X|S. It's likely the game will come to PS5 at a later date, similar to how Blair Witch was a timed-exclusive.
While all of Bloober Team's previous works reviewed rather well, ranging from average OpenCritic scores of 67 to 80, The Medium has been advertised more heavily. It will launch directly into Game Pass on January 28 and has received lots of promotional content through the Xbox social channels, indicating all involved are expecting bigger things for this next horror game from a studio seemingly intent on only making horror games.
Come back on the morning of January 27, beginning at 6 am Pacific, to catch the first reviews for The Medium as they roll in.
