The Medium is such a poignant experience, one that will provide you with a evocative journey between worlds and through many character's perspectives-- If you will allow it to, getting past the optimization flaws and slow start.

Gameplay: I'll be frank, there isn't much to the gameplay. Fans of Bloober Team's previous works will know what to expect, but most might come into this horror game expecting a thrill a minute, with wild escapes from monsters. You won't much of that. Is there intensity? Yes, but very seldom is it presented through action. More often you'll be in environments and deep into character trauma, that's how this game seeks to haunt you. Don't get me wrong, there's still *gameplay* such as some (rather easy) puzzles, but view this more as a linear cinematic experience.

Presentation: Speaking of cinematic, yes the game is quite visually striking. Not in a sense of hyperrealistic lighting or extremely detailed textures, but in how it portrays each environment's decay, further exemplified in the spirit world's counterpart. Much of the game borrows from great horror of the past, from its fixed camera angles to the homages to Silent Hill.

Performance: The cinematics and live exploration is at its best with a steady 60+fps. However, this game does struggle at times with that. I'm not going to pretend to know how difficult it is to simulate the world's twice, or the ins and outs of the engine, but there will be times when you find it difficult to maintain 60fps at all, especially if you are playing at 1440p. Not to say the frames ever tanked below 30, more likely just in certain situations it might be in 40s-50s; the majority of the game was easily at 60+. This is all personal experience, with a 2070 and i7 9700k so YMMV, but from the discussion board it seems to be fairly common.

Story: If you've read this long into the review, and are actually interested in the game in the first place, it's all because of the story. And they do the story *really well*. Some aspects are predictable, some just catch you completely offguard, but it all works into how the game plays. You'll feel invested, like you're actually in the world. There are no choices, it's not that kind of game. It's a path, meant to tell a tale. I've read the average time is 6 hours for it, took me a bit over that but I really took my time soaking up the world and exploring to the limit I could. Don't get this game if you're only looking for action, get this game if you enjoy imaginative storytelling.