Man Of Medan – Review

Based on true events, so is it smooth sailing? or is it a sinking ship?… let’s find out!

From the creators of the sleeper hit “Until dawn”, comes a new thriller, the first in an anthology called “Dark Pictures Anthology”, based on unexplained events from recent history, we play as 4 friends and the captain of a small boat, out diving in a lost wreck, a typical teen adventure at sea, but what follows is a far from typical as it can get!

the game has several modes, as a single player you control all the characters, in online mode, you and a friend play simultaneously to progress through the game (and although you CAN use your headset, I advise against that, to keep the suspense to maximum) and the new addition called “Movie night”, in this mode you play with up to 5 players (locally only) , each controlling one character and play in turns handing over the controller to a friend (hence the mode’s name “Movie Night”, )

Like in “Until dawn” every character has a set of traits and relationships with the other characters, which changes for the better or worse, depending on your actions and responses in the game, which opens or eliminates branching stories (I’m on my 3rd run now, still seeing new dialogues and interactions when I play) as a whole, the game is a short experience (Around 5-6 hours for a single run) but the “Meat” of the game is the replayability which adds on a few runs just to get to see all the endings and death scenes, if you miss a QTE (Quick time event) you could see your character die and with it, his or her storyline has ended, and everything you could have learned from it is lost, and if you want a “Perfect run”, you might need more than one run, which makes the tense situations even more tense, as loss of focus for a split second could result in the death of a character… So stay on your toes and be alert for anything and everything that might kill your character off for good!

On the technical side, the game has a few frame drops, but not in places where a QTE occurs, which is good, the sound effect, music, and dialogue are spot on, lending to the atmosphere perfectly, really helping to make you feel like you’re in the game, the acting is really good, especially Shawn Ashmore who’s acting is spot on for his character.

to conclude, if you played “Until dawn” you know what to expect, you’ll feel right at home. and if you’re new to the genre, you can’t go wrong with a Man Of Medan, it’s perfect start on an anthology which is sure to give you a scare of a lifetime, and I for one, can’t wait! As the next chapter has been already announced to be released in 2020, named “Little hope”
See you then… if you can stay alive!