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A Beginner’s Guide to The Medium

A Beginner’s Guide to The Medium

The Medium’s arrival on the Xbox Series X/S is a pretty big deal. While Microsoft’s new Xbox Series X|S consoles have been out for a few months now, The Medium is the very first next-gen exclusive for the platform. Unless you’re playing on PC, you won’t be able to find this game anywhere else.  

The Medium is a spooky psychological horror that tasks you with snooping around every nook and cranny of some very scary environments. You’ll have to be keenly aware of your surroundings in order to progress, and you’ll also have to stay one step ahead of the evil spirits lurking in the shadows. It’s not going to be an easy journey, which is why we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to help you.


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A destroyed, abandoned wooden building in the woods.

Oh totally, let’s definitely hang out in this incredibly safe looking structure.

Insight

To complete your various objectives in The Medium, you’ll have to hunt down important clues and items in the environment. You can comb your way through each location at a snail’s pace if you like, or you can make things much easier by using your Insight.  The Insight feature will highlight important items and spots that you should investigate or interact with.  You can even use Insight to see things that you can’t see with the naked eye.  Some of these hidden clues will be crucial in furthering your investigation.

An ominous pronged cross looms over the landscape.

Pay attention to the lighting, sometimes it’ll give you hints!

Headsets

While you can certainly make your way through The Medium with your normal audio setup, playing with a headset will make the experience that much better.  Sound design is a big part of The Medium, as it’s used to full effect for not only scares – but hints as well.  As you make your way through the game, certain locations will be haunted by the whispers of people long forgotten.  Sometimes these whispers can provide story clues or other important insights as to what you should do next.  Sure, it’s frightening to have these ghosts talking in your ear, but remember that not all of them are out to get you!

The main character braces as the seam between realities opens in front of them.

Don’t know how to solve the puzzle you’re on? Check out the other reality!

Dual-Reality System

One of The Medium’s most unique mechanics is the Dual-Reality System.  This feature allows you to travel between both the real world and the spirit realm.  There are different variations on how this works as well.  Sometimes the game will use a split-screen setup that allows you to travel in both worlds at the same time.  Other instances let you have an out-of-body experience to explore areas you can’t in the real world.  There’s also times when you can pass through mirrors to travel between the two worlds.

Always keep the Dual-Reality System in mind when working your way through an environment or solving puzzles.  If you find yourself stuck with no idea of where to go next, the answer usually lies within the other realm.  Even if environments look mostly the same in the real world and spirit realm, there may be key items needed to continue on.  Scour the environment and you’ll likely pick up on something, be it a useful tool or a bit of story content, that will help you complete your current objective and move on.

Investigating an abandoned indoor pool in the dark.

Anyone up for a dip?

Enemies

Whether you like it or not, you’re going to come across some demonic creatures as you make your way through The Medium.  Even worse, you don’t really have a method of attack.  That means your goal is to distract the enemy or sneak around to pass by.  While it’s never going to be easy, you do have a few things working for you.

When in the real world, demons can’t see you, but they can hear you.  As long as you stay stealthy and keep a distance, you should be able to pass without much issue.  In the spirit world, demons have no trouble hunting you down.  Stealth will still be your main method of avoiding an untimely end, but you can also collect white orbs scattered around the environment.  These can be used to send out a burst of light that will blind the enemy for a short amount of time, giving you precious seconds to slip away to a safer spot.


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Kevin Cassidy has been covering all things Nintendo for over 15 years now and has been leading the weekly GoNintendo Podcast for just as long. Kevin is also quite passionate about pro wrestling, anime, comic books, and more! Follow Kevin on Twitter via @GoNintendoTweet.