no img no img

Write what you are looking for and press enter to begin your search!

live-news-icon

Live News

Tekken 8 Season 2 Patch Just Gave The Game A Negative Rating On Steam; Here's Why: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Latest Daredevil Born Again Episode Ramps Up The Kills: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // All The April's Fool Video Game Company Jokes So Far: 2025 Edition: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here

Man of Medan Is Clichéd Interactive Horror That’s Better With A Crowd

Misery loves company. In Man of Medan‘s case, the latest interactive horror game from the folks behind the surprise hit Until Dawn -Supermassive- misery loves you playing this adventure all by your lonesome.

If anything, the game’s horror story about American tourists who are stuck in a sunken and cursed ghost ship is best played through Shared Story mode.

It’s tailor-made to play with a buddy because now you get to control the fates of your moronic adult playthings together.

Whether you choose to help each other out, or just screw your partner, the outcomes will be enjoyed by everyone just viewing the game. With reportedly 69 different potential deaths and a number of different endings, branching plots, and outcomes, there’s a lot to uncover together. If you need to keep track of all outcomes, you can check in on The Curator, who is basically the game’s Cryptkeeper from that one 90s TV show but way more serious.

If you can’t find like-minded B-movie buddies to watch and play this with, however, you’ll be made miserable by this game’s single-player choices and design.

Tales From The Crypt

manofmedan_03

Even for a game trying to emulate a cheesy horror film featuring five protagonists whose fates you can determine, Man of Medan’s narrative is pretty weak.

As mentioned above, said American tourists want to head down underwater to check out a sunken fighter plane from World War II, only to end up getting trapped in the abandoned ship Medan which is filled with dead bodies, terrors, and possibly treasure.

We have an unlikeable cast to root for (or kill off), ranging from the insecure Alex, his dorky brother Brad, rich girl Julia, the obnoxious Conrad, and captain Fliss.

The dialogue that’s present here is mimicking bad teen slasher stories but without that level of self-awareness that makes it clever or subversive.

Everyone here sounds stilted despite some of these actor’s credibility and attempt to make this lack of material work. And without going into spoilers, character inconsistencies and plot holes do rear their ugly heads even if you’re experiencing the game without much brainpower and thought.

Even the horror bits of the game relies on the tired-yet-true jump scare tactics, for which there are plenty. Good horror games build on dread and tension while making you feel helpless the more you delve into its narrative and world. Here, it’s just a bunch of “gotcha” moments that cheapen the entire experience.

Man of Medan also takes you a while to get there; the opening sections that start off this not-so-maiden voyage takes its time setting up archetypes you’ve seen in a thousand other better horror films.

The worst part? The game is so focused on its paper-thin and poorly-paced story that there aren’t any puzzles or combat systems to master and conquer; it’s just loaded with a lot of exploring and reactionary quick-time event button-prompts. Even if you want to just see all the outcomes, replaying the game can be a chore thanks to the aforementioned character and narrative flaws and pacing.

A shame too, since the characters and Medan ship look the part, all polished and proper. The horrors you find in the ship are lovingly-rendered and are excruciatingly detailed. The way the characters move and are animated also deserves some praise.

After Dark

man_of_medan_02

Comparing Supermassive’s past PS4 surprise hit Until Dawn with this title is like comparing the original Nightmare On Elm Street with the 2010 remake. One’s the real deal and is quite the trend-setter, while the other is just wearing the tattered sweater of the original and tries hard to set itself apart.

Man of Medan is still kind of fun, but it’s quite a chore to sit through repeatedly to get all the outcomes unlike Until Dawn. And it’s not above reusing its past scare tactics to get a cheap rise out of its viewers and players.

It’s time Supermassive grows up and start implementing new ways to conjure up dread and suspense, but at the same time not give up on the Dark Pictures motif. After all, it’s only the first game of a series; they still have a chance to learn from their mistakes and try again.

But for now, this scare-fest is not worth viewing alone. You’re better off with a cheap Blumhouse feature; at least those are cheaper and shorter.

Pros

-Lovely graphics & tone
-Better with online co-op
-Not a David Cage mess

Cons

-The rest of the “film” is full of plot holes
-No one likeable to root for cast-wise
-Not much beyond QTEs and dialogue choices
-Single-player mode is lackluster

FINAL SCORE: 50/100

Related News

Need A Hades Roguelike Clone With A Magical Flair? Give Dandy Ace A Shot

Platform: PC Genre: Isometric roguelike dungeon crawler with magicians You have to hand it to last year's GOTY material Hades, a monumental feat o...

GC Busan Wins APEX Season 4 To Complete Removal of the Korean ‘Old Guard’

As GC Busan lifted the OGN APEX trophy, it also complete the change of guard from the old to new in the Korean Overwatch scene. With both Lunatic-Hai ...

PS Plus December 2021 Offers A Whopping Four Games

Gamers will have four new games to look forward to in the PlayStation Plus Asia December 2021 lineup. From 7 December 2021 to 3 January 2021, PS...

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment(1)

  1. PS Plus July 2022 Adds Crash Bandicoot 4, Man Of Medan & More

    July 2, 2022 at 7:30 pm

    […] Check out our review here. […]

Tournament Tool Kit

Latest Video

Follow Us

Recent Posts

New Ghost Of Yotei Information Unveiled; Still Slated For 2025
All The Hari Raya Aidilfitri Greeting Cards & Artwork From Game Developers & Studios Everywhere
Asia Gaming Beat: 29 March 2025
Path Of Exile 2 Dawn Of The Hunt: All New Loot & Support Skills Revealed So Far
Nintendo Direct March 2025: All The New & Awesome Games Announced
Shadow of the Road Hands-On Preview: Samurai Surprise
Asia Gaming Beat: 22 March 2025
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: All Boss Fights & Assassinations
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: How To Get The White Assassin Suit & Hood For Naoe
Zenless Zone Zero 1.6 Guide: The Best Builds For Soldier 0 Anby & Pulchra
Beyond The Ice Palace 2 Review: Chain Reaction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Hands-On Preview – French Revolution
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Impressions – It’s Karting On Steroids
Is Gaming Really A Tool For Terrorist Radicalisation? We Ask An Expert
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – What You Need To Know About The Upcoming 2025 Fighting Game From SNK
Must-Watch Animes This Winter: 2025 Season
Heroes We Need To Come To Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals: The Best Heroes To Counter Iron Fist
Path Of Exile 2 Early Access: All Uniques In The Game So Far
Tekken 8 Season 2 Patch Just Gave The Game A Negative Rating On Steam; Here’s Why
Latest Daredevil Born Again Episode Ramps Up The Kills
All The April’s Fool Video Game Company Jokes So Far: 2025 Edition
Crescent Tower Is A Tribute To 2D 8-Bit Japanese Role-Playing Games, Out In 2025
Pocketpair Is Turning Its Palworld April’s Fool Joke Game Into A Reality
Asura The Striker Is A Space Harrier Anime Clone Slated For April
Our Favourite Muslim Characters In Games
You Should Go Watch Actual Studio Ghibli Films Instead Of Churning Out AI Slop On Social Media
Logo