Reviews The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Reviews

[lashman]

Game Information

Game Title: The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

Platforms:

• PlayStation 4 (Aug 30, 2019)
• Xbox One (Aug 30, 2019)
• PC (Aug 30, 2019)

Trailer:

• The Dark Pictures – Man of Medan: Release Date Announcement | PS4, X1, and PC
• The Dark Pictures – Man of Medan - "Ghost Ship" Trailer | PS4, X1 and PC
• THE DARK PICTURES: MAN OF MEDAN - GAMESCOM 2018 TRAILER | PS4, X1, PC

Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 71 average - 46% recommended

Critic Reviews


Daily Star - Dom Peppiatt - 5 / 5 stars

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is a must-play for anyone that appreciates horror gaming at its finest, for anyone that enjoys picking away at how a game is put together, for anyone that's got even a passing interest in finding the best storytelling vidoegames have to offer.

COGconnected - Garrett Drake - 90 / 100

Supermassive’s back in full swing.

God is a Geek - Chris Hyde - 9 / 10

Man of Medan builds on the solid foundation of Until Dawn. The decisions you make actively alter your experience, meaning you'll want to replay it over and over.

GamesBeat - Dean Takahashi - 88 / 100

I think this is much more fun and takes advantage of the fundamentally social nature of the choose-your-adventure style gameplay in Man of Medan.

PlayStation Universe - Michael Harradence - 8.5 / 10

Man of Medan weaves a brilliant and compelling story punctuated by some genuinely creepy moments. More importantly, your choices matter, and the multitude of collectibles and different outcomes based on your decisions means there's more than enough reason to keep plugging away at Supermassive Games' latest horror romp. It's not without its issues, sure, but they're not enough to deter from what is one of PS4's best interactive dramas.

TechRaptor - Andrew Stretch - 8.5 / 10

Man of Medan takes players through an epic choose your own horror adventure. Whether you're a fan of horror, or a fan of having a friend around to hide behind Man of Medan is an incredibly fun game. Supermassive's approach to divergent story and story secrets rewards players for pushing themselves to experience the Man of Medan in a number of ways.

Hobby Consolas - Daniel Quesada - Spanish - 84 / 100

A new entry in the horror genre that offers a clear and effective gameplay proposal. Some technical hiccups lessen the experience, but its a very enjoyable adventure, specially if you try the multiplayer.

PC Gamer - 81 / 100

Man of Medan tells a familiar story in a fascinating way, and even moreso with a partner.

The Games Machine - Marco Ravetto - Italian - 8 / 10

Man of Medan is an enjoyable adventure. The story, albeit a little bit predictable, is quite interesting with a good amount of branches and different endings. Some dialogues do not seem to take into account what happened before and there are a few technical problems, but overall it's a good experience, and an interesting start for The Dark Pictures Anthology.

Noisy Pixel - Azario Lopez - 8 / 10

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan presents some amazing steps forward in the narrative adventure genre made by Supermassive Games. They have truly outdone themselves with their attention to story development and overall design.

Cerealkillerz - Gabriel Bogdan - German - 8 / 10

The concept behind Man of Medan does not reach its full potential in the singleplayer mode due to the short play time, missed meaningful turning point opportunities and a lot of technical issues but manages to do a lot right in the different multiplayer parts of the game. If you are looking for a good horror evening with friends in front of the TV or online you should give Man of Medan a chance.

Heavy - Elton Jones - 8 / 10

While relatively shorter than Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan still manages to deliver a worthwhile romp through a supernatural horror film.

Gameblog - Jonathan Bushle - French - 8 / 10

The Dark Pictures - Man of Medan applies the Until Dawn recipe to a smaller and cheaper game, wittch cooperative features, and the results are very good !

GameWatcher - Chris Capel - 8 / 10

A fun and deeply scary game - and the multiplayer needs to be experienced.

Digitally Downloaded - Matt Sainsbury - 4 / 5 stars

Supermassive Game's high concept - an anthology of horror stories - is off to a great start with Man of Medan. We don't get nearly enough horror that aims to be thoughtful like this. The challenge will be to make sure that each game in the series is different enough to reflect a different approach to horror, but things are off to a good start.

MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 4 / 5

Despite some technical hiccups, Man of Medan succeeds as an engrossing interactive thriller that will keep you on your toes for the duration of a couple of playthroughs. With so many different ways to play the game, alone or with friends online or locally, Man of Medan is an overall great horror experience.

Press Start - Harry Kalogirou - 8 / 10

Man of Medan is a stellar example of how to push boundaries and innovate within genres that seem restrictive at first glance.

MSPoweruser - Lewis White - 8 / 10

Looking back at it, Man of Medan isn’t the awesome successor to Until Dawn we wanted, but it’s a good step to delivering that successor. While it inherits a similar structure – and it’s bizarre performance issues – it just isn’t as enthralling as what came before. Some routes are disjointed and the cast and environment aren’t as interesting as the sassy clique that fought off the Wendigos, but it’s still a strong horror experience that makes for a fantastic co-op experience. The look on your friend’s face when you accidentally kill his character is one you’ll never forget.

GameSpew - Kim Snaith - 8 / 10

The horror genre is a tough nut to crack, but Man of Medan proves, once again, that Supermassive Games is truly the master of video game horror. I’m more excited than ever to see what the rest of the Dark Pictures Anthology will hold.

VGN - Davide Frontera - Italian - 8 / 10

The new game from Supermassive Games offers a great entertainment experience, that can also be lived with friends for an unforgettable horror movie night. We can't wait for the next episode of the The Dark Pictures Anthology!

PlayStation LifeStyle - Sam Sant - 8 / 10

Just like Until Dawn before it, Man of Medan is a knowingly schlocky and incredibly fun horror movie in video game form, tailor-made to bridge the gap between those two mediums. It's never truly terrifying, but always edge-of-your-seat thrilling right through to what can be quite an abrupt ending. As jarring as that may be, it's a great way for Supermassive to leave players wanting more and ultimately keen to check out additional short-form, budget-priced entries in the intriguing Dark Pictures Anthology.

Bloody Disgusting - Neil Bolt - 4 / 5 stars

Sure, Man of Medan has a few rough edges, but it’s a confident first step in a new series of games. It keeps the core of what made people love Until Dawn and breathes fresh life into it by adding more depth to the branching narrative system, and including an excellent multiplayer side. A little more polish and a bit more bite to the game’s finale would be nice, but this is still a hugely entertaining slice of interactive horror that brings the thrilling uncertainty of other people’s decisions to the murder party.

Attack of the Fanboy - Dean James - 4 / 5 stars

As only the first entry in Supermassive Games' new anthology series, The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan offers a very replayable experience that is a lot of fun both in single player and with friends, leaving us very excited to see what they have in store for future entries yet to come.

Game Rant - 4 / 5 stars

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is not quite as polished as Until Dawn, but it's still an effective horror gaming experience with a great story.

GamingBolt - Will Borger - 8 / 10

Man of Medan combines a strong cast with a memorable story, interesting choices, and co-op play to create an excellent interactive horror movie.

Boomstick Gaming - Deadite AGK - 7.6 / 10

Video Review - Quote not available

WellPlayed - Dylan Blereau - 7.5 / 10

Although it doesn't quite hit the heights set by its inspirator Until Dawn, Man of Medan is a positive debut for the Dark Pictures Anthology thanks to an excellent narrative

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 7.5 / 10

All in all, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Episode 1 - Man of Medan is a worthy follow-up to Until Dawn. It hits a lot of the same notes, and it's clear the developers understood the group appeal of watching-slash-playing a cheesy horror film with friends. There are still some weak points, but Man of Medan shows a willingness to learn from the previous game's mistakes and leaves us curious to see the next part of the anthology.

PowerUp! - Greg Newbegin - 7.5 / 10

The shorter narrative and anthology presentation suits the title better than a standalone full-priced title

Everyeye.it - Giuseppe Arace - Italian - 7.5 / 10

Man of Medan keeps afloat thanks to an atmosphere full of charm, sufficiently original multiplayer gameplay, and a valuable sense of investigative discovery that supports the limited exploration.

SomHráč.sk - Martin Černický - Czech - 75 / 100

Man of Medan is basically the same as Until Dawn, just featuring a different coat of paint and a bit shorter and adequately priced. Supermassive Games have delivered exactly what they've promised and from that point of view, it's hard to be disappointed.

IGN Spain - Juan García - Spanish - 7.5 / 10

A good but not great beginning for an Anthology series that sets the basics for its horror proposal, but still has to refine its gameplay to be as fun as its story.

Zoomg - Mohammad Hossein Jafari - Persian - 7.5 / 10

In a hard way, The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is a good game with some undeniable issues in pacing the third act of the story and some framerate drops. A B movie-like Videogame, which gave you a good jump scares, simple but lovely characters, and a standard story. But in a simple way, if you enjoyed Until Dawn and want to play a more focused and shorter version of that with some changes, Man of Medan is a 30$ game that you will like it, but probably not more than what you expect.

Spaziogames - Italian - 7.5 / 10

The first game of The Dark Pictures Anthology is a step backward for the genre. The game needs a re-work especially in the structure of QTE and choices, but at this price and with multiplayer modes the overall value is good.

New Game Network - Josh Hinke - 74 / 100

The Dark Pictures - Man Of Medan takes a while to get going, but eventually the scares start kicking in, and it's a lot of fun screaming alongside your friends. This is a game that's meant to be shared and is a blast to play in groups. A promising start to the horror anthology that will hopefully only get better with subsequent entries.

Cultured Vultures - Nick Meekham - 7 / 10

Supermassive Games have managed to again tap into what makes a good horror tale. If you can forgive some of its cheesy narrative moments and glitches, Man of Medan shows promise for a future franchise. You just have to play with a friend to fully appreciate it.

TrustedReviews - Jade King - 3.5 / 5 stars

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is a solid beginning to what I hope becomes a memorable selection of virtual horror outings. The setting here didn't do much for me if I'm perfectly honest, but the memorable characters, razor sharp pacing and well-placed scares make it excellent fun with a few friends by your side.

Destructoid - Chris Carter - 7 / 10

Supermassive Games is quickly proving that they have a knack for high budget adventure projects that many studios simply do not. I have no idea when the next "Dark Pictures universe" entry is coming, but I'll be waiting for it.

Wccftech - Nathan Birch - 7 / 10

At its best, Man of Medan is every bit as gripping, beautiful, and giddily silly as Until Dawn, but technical issues, a rushed story, and a confusing approach to player choice betray the limited resources the game's creators had to work with. Man of Medan is currently the best option for those desperate for more Until Dawn, but I'm hoping Supermassive Games can scare up something a little more substantial for future The Dark Pictures titles. The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.

Spiel Times - Ishan Dey - 7 / 10

Despite having a decent story-line and a well-structured choice system, Man of Medan is a typical narrative experience ruined by a medley of messy controls. It does not present you with any moral dilemma, however, it may bring about horrifying premonitions. Therefore, one must tread carefully on uncharted territory and ponder whether probing deeper will have any inadvertent consequences.

IGN - 7 / 10

It's not easy to keep everyone alive in Man of Medan, and you won't necessarily want to, especially in 2-player co-op.

RPG Site - George Foster - 7 / 10

Supermassive's next step into horror starts strong.

TheSixthAxis - Tuffcub - 7 / 10

Mad of Medan looks and sounds gorgeous, but it's spoiled by some technical issues and, depending on your choices, characters doing stupid things just so the plot can continue, both of which break the flow of what could have been a decent horror story. It's an excellent night or two's entertainment with a bunch of mates in a dark room and plenty of beer, though playing by yourself or online with a chum is an altogether more muted experience. This is a fair start to The Dark Pictures Anthology.

GameMAG - Russian - 7 / 10

Early disclosure of the story and awful save system are disappointing, but a great cast of characters awesome graphics, atmospheric scenes and interesting integration of online cooperation are able to bring you the pleasure for a couple of evenings, if you decide to check all consequences of your decisions.

PCWorld - Hayden Dingman - 3.5 / 5 stars

Overall I really enjoyed Man of Medan though and I’m looking forward to replaying it—and to whatever comes next for the series, as it’s pitched as an anthology.

GameSkinny - David Jagneaux - 7 / 10 stars

Supermassive Games proves that lightning can strike twice with Man of Medan, which (mostly) successfully carries the torch handed down by Until Dawn while adding a clever co-op twist.

Game Revolution - Michael Leri - 3.5 / 5 stars

Despite its technical shortcomings, Man of Medan is a decent maiden voyage for Supermassive’s new Dark Pictures Anthology series.

Game Informer - Andrew Reiner - 7 / 10

The uninteresting story has plenty of dull moments, but isn't enough to kill the thrill of trying to keep all of the characters alive, especially when played with friends

GamesRadar+ - 3.5 / 5 stars

At its best Man of Medan delivers a confident and well crafted horror experience with a genuinely clever two player mode. But it's unbalanced pacing has a little too much opening filler and an unsatisfying conclusion.

The Digital Fix - Nick Petrasiti - 7 / 10

I feel like I've ripped on Man of Medan a lot which is odd considering I actually enjoyed it. Sadly, you can't help but compare it to Until Dawn which quite frankly did everything better. Man of Medan is over far too quickly and doesn't have the same impact of Supermassive's previous entry. It is, however, a short but sweet enjoyable romp which is way better when played with friends.

Impulsegamer - Nathan Misa - 3.4 / 5

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan offers up fun frights and a solid choice-based horror experience - especially when played with others on the same couch.

Stevivor - Ben Salter - 6.5 / 10

While the story didn’t live up to expectations, the actors’ performances are fantastic as Man of Medan delivers its quota of horror tropes in chapter one of The Dark Pictures Anthology.

Metro GameCentral - 6 / 10

Combining Until Dawn's style of mild horror with online multiplayer works great, but the actual story and characters fail to engage.

Twinfinite - Greysun Morales - 3 / 5

If you like other choose-your-own-adventure games like Until Dawn, Life is Strange, and Detroit: Become Human, there’s definitely fun to be had here, but it is a flawed experience compared to other recent efforts.

Shacknews - Josh Hawkins - 6 / 10

While Man of Medan isn’t the greatest game you’ll play this year, it does a good enough job of setting the Dark Pictures Anthology series out to sea.

GameSpot - James O'Connor - 6 / 10

Man of Medan is a thinner, flawed follow-up to Until Dawn that is saved by its online co-op mode.

USgamer - Mike Williams - 3 / 5 stars

With Man of Medan, Supermassive builds on the foundation established in 2015's Until Dawn. While the core of the game remains the same, driven by dialog, choices, and quick-time events, the developers has added some multiplayer action to the mix. The two-player online Shared Story is the primary highlight here, allowing two players to simultaneously determine the course of the story. Unfortunately, the story itself isn't as good as the horror yarn spun in Until Dawn.

Hardcore Gamer - Kyle LeClair - 3 / 5

Despite how negative I may have seemed there, I do genuinely want The Dark Pictures Anthology to continue and succeed (the game even seems to tease the next entry in it, seemingly already in the works), as I loved Until Dawn and would love to see more similar experiences from Supermassive. But despite having the same solid mechanics as its big brother, Man of Medan starts the anthology off on a thoroughly "meh" note, thanks its unimpressive, poorly-constructed story.

EGM - Mollie L Patterson - 6 / 10

While it feels like a not insignificant step down from the breakout hit Until Dawn, Supermassive Games' latest attempt at interactive horror still serves up some compelling thrills and chills. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan definitely gets better the deeper you get into its story, but traveling that path is fraught with technical issues and questionable narrative direction more often than it should be.

Thumbsticks - Tom Baines - 3 / 5 stars

It may be clever, scary and intriguing, but Man of Medan rarely reaches the heights of its stablemate and elder sibling, Until Dawn. Perhaps its a case of difficult second album syndrome, or more likely, it’s just too weighed down by the tropes and trappings associated with the genre. (And the sooner Supermassive ditches its penchant for fourth-wall-breaking, creepy old narrators, the better.)

DualShockers - Chris Compendio - 6 / 10

Until Dawn follow-up Man of Medan has amazing ideas in the cooperative space but collapses under the weights of performance issues.

Just Push Start - 3 / 5

Man of Medan isn't a bad story, adventure game or honestly experience, it just has plenty of ways to improve. Between a slow burn leading to a quick fizzle at the end and performance issues, it's the type of experience that really requires a love for the genre or experience to have. You just have to ask yourself how much do you want to explore a largely linear world with seemingly limited choices to fight a threat that might not even exist and see how many of your friends make it out alive.

IGN Italy - Italian - 6 / 10

Men of Medan promises a story about ghosts but the only ghost on the ship is the system of choiches and consequences, flat and shallow, "un-supported" by an unstable framerate and by command system that feels old and intricate. What saves this debut from failure is the atmosphere and the possibilities about future episodes.

CGMagazine - Jed Whitaker - 5.5 / 10

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan pales in comparison to Until Dawn in practically every way and only surpasses it in its amount of jankiness.

Push Square - John Cal McCormick - 5 / 10

Man of Medan kicks The Dark Pictures Anthology off with a whimper rather than a bang. The format has a lot of potential, but this was undoubtedly the wrong story to showcase it. The narrative is slight and rarely gets out of first gear, the characters are annoying, the scares limp, and the dialogue unnatural. There's constant technical hiccups. In fact, the scariest thing about Man of Medan is how it ever went gold in the state that it's in.

GamePro - Linda Sprenger - German - 50 / 100

Bumpy horror adventure that is narrative, artisanal and technically disappointing.

Gamers Heroes - 5 / 10

While Man of Medan has a decent horror story, a number of technical problems and inconsistencies derail the experience. It's best to wait for a patch or two before purchasing.

Xbox Achievements - Richard Walker - 40 / 100

Failing to deliver as an effective horror story, Man of Medan is interminably slow to get started, and when it does, the narrative and performances prove more laughable than scary. The best kind of horror is the stuff that really gets under your skin, but sadly, this barely even pricks it. A soggy first chapter in The Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan is best left on the seabed to rust.

Video Chums - Trey Griffeth - 4 / 10

Hopefully, Supermassive Games can learn from what went wrong here and apply it to their next projects.

Eurogamer - Edwin Evans-Thirlwell - No Recommendation / Blank

Supermassive's Dark Pictures anthology gets off to a promising start, but this first nautical instalment winds up a little too promptly.

Polygon - Austen Goslin - Unscored

An interactive horror game only works if it scares or surprises you, and Man of Medan does both.

VideoGamer - Colm Ahern - Unscored

Man of Medan's story and characters fail to reach the heights of Supermassive's homage to the slasher flick, Until Dawn. The Dark Pictures Anthology isn't off to the greatest of starts.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Sin Vega - Unscored

I enjoyed this one, and if Supermassive Games continue on trend, I’m optimistic for the rest of the series.

ACG - Jeremy Penter - Rent

Video Review - Quote not available

GameByte - Lara Jackson - Unscored

All in all, Supermassive Games is off to a strong start with to The Dark Pictures Anthology with Man of Medan. Although the company is yet to announce any details on the following games in the series, Man of Medan is a tasty appetiser for what's hopefully going to be a deliciously devilish meal.

 

[Nahkapukki]

Meh. I'm interested nevertheless. I enjoyed Until Dawn even tho the plot was hammy.

 

[lashman]

Meh. I'm interested nevertheless. I enjoyed Until Dawn even tho the plot was hammy.

why wouldn't you be? 7/10 isn't a bad score ... and it seems to be a short games, which is GREAT to me (because it means i might actually be able to finish it )

so yeah, definitely super-excited ... and i really do hope they get to make all 8 of them

 

[PossiblyPudding]

Pre-ordered a few days ago through GMG and am totally looking forward to getting this started. Never played Until Dawn, but I did check out Giant Bomb's playthrough back when it happened and it definitely seemed like my type of game. So finally getting something like that on PC is perfect!

 

[lashman]

So finally getting something like that on PC is perfect!

yeah, exactly ... can't wait!

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Man of Medan Giant bomb Quick Look - 1 hour, lol

Quick Look: The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

"When live gives you lemons, piss in your wetsuit." - Theodore Roosevelt

www.giantbomb.com

 

[BO7AMMOOD]

I'm a little tempted to get it, especially since it's discounted by 20% on Humble due to the monthly discount. but I'm still yet to play Until Dawn, even though I bought it a couple of months after it released
Also I'm not made of money but when did that stop any one of us

 

[ramoisdead]

Overall, it seems like a "wait for sale" scenario to me. The reason I'm not getting it now because I don't know if anyone I know on my friends list is getting the game and it sounds like the real joy will be using the multiplayer modes. I hope the game does well because horror games especially based off anthologies you don't see often with a publisher as big as Bamco.