The Medium

🎮 The Medium – PC Game Review (Played on RTX 3050 + i5 13th Gen)

🔍 Overview

The Medium is a psychological horror game developed by Bloober Team. It revolves around a spirit medium named Marianne who can exist in both the real and spirit worlds simultaneously. The game heavily relies on atmospheric storytelling, dual-reality gameplay mechanics, and eerie sound design to create an unsettling experience.

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🖥️ Performance on My Gaming PC

Specs:

• GPU: RTX 3050 8GB

• CPU: Intel Core i5 (13th Gen)

• RAM: 16GB DDR4

• Resolution: 1080p

• Settings Played On: Medium to High

🔧 Optimization & FPS:

• On Medium settings, the game runs smoothly at around 50–60 FPS, even during split-screen dual-world sections.

• On High settings, FPS dips to 40–45 FPS in complex scenes (especially dual-reality scenes where two game worlds are rendered simultaneously).

• DLSS helps improve performance without major image quality loss.

• Some minor stuttering during transitions, but not game-breaking.

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👁️ Graphics & Art Style

• The visual style is gloomy, eerie, and cinematic.

• The dual-world rendering is very impressive technically and thematically — it's like controlling two characters at once in two mirrored universes.

• Environments are rich with detail and story clues, especially in the spirit world.

• Ray tracing is available but causes a noticeable FPS drop on the RTX 3050. Not recommended unless you drop other settings.

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🎧 Sound & Music

• Sound design is absolutely phenomenal.

• Composers Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill) and Arkadiusz Reikowski create a haunting and emotional score.

• Ambient noises and whispers enhance the horror experience.

• Playing with headphones is highly recommended.

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🧩 Gameplay & Mechanics

• Third-person exploration and puzzle-solving.

• No combat, which may disappoint action lovers.

• The dual-reality puzzles are unique but can feel slightly gimmicky at times.

• The story is emotional, focusing on grief, trauma, and the afterlife.

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🧠 Story & Atmosphere

• Slow-burn psychological horror, rich in mystery and symbolism.

• Narration is well-paced and deeply emotional.

• Best suited for players who enjoy story-heavy, exploration-based horror.

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👍 Pros

• Excellent storytelling and emotional depth.

• Unique dual-reality gameplay.

• Impressive sound design.

• Solid performance on mid-range PCs.

👎 Cons

• Lacks combat (not for action fans).

• Can be linear and slow-paced.

• Requires patience and attention to detail.

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✅ Final Verdict

If you're a fan of narrative-driven horror with deep psychological themes and don’t mind the lack of combat, The Medium is a must-play. On an RTX 3050 and i5 13th Gen system, it performs very well at 1080p with some settings tweaks.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)