The Medium Interview: An Xbox horror game made possible thanks to next-gen tech

Source: Bloober Squad SA

I recently had the opportunity to sit down downwardly and chat with Jacek Zięba (game producer) and Grzegorz Like (writer) from Bloober Team about its upcoming psychological horror game The Medium. Equally one of the few titles launching this year exclusively for Xbox Series X/Southward and PC, I was curious to go some insight on what these new pieces of hardware unlocked for their squad.

In add-on to some exciting revelations about next-gen panel capabilities, we also discussed whether or not The Medium will incorporate a traditional combat mechanic, what players can expect from the nuanced storytelling, and how incredible information technology was working with legendary Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka for the game'south soundtrack.

Next-gen psychological horror

The Medium

Double your fear

The Medium introduces an innovative dual-globe gameplay mechanic that introduces exciting new forms of puzzle-solving and psychological horror to the genre.

The duality of the gameplay and storytelling

Source: Bloober Team SA

Miles Dompier, Windows Central: From a gameplay perspective, The Medium is looking like an incredibly unique experience. What was the core inspiration for the simultaneous dual-reality gameplay mechanic? What ultimately led to this assuming design decision?

Jacek Zięba, Bloober Team: You lot know, this is a really old idea in Bloober, from the beginnings of our visitor. Our CEO had an thought in his mind... and was similar "OK, I want to talk with developers"... and run into if this is possible to do this. And we had a couple of iterations before and they went in all unlike directions, merely the tech was created all the fourth dimension, in some style. Then, Unreal Engine 4 appears and we thought this could exist the engine that tin help us with it, but we also heavily modified the engine to exercise a dual-screen you lot tin can play.

And then we thought, "can this generation of consoles like PS4 and Xbox Ane handle it?" Information technology can be tricky and we need to accept some shortcuts, etc. And so new generations come along to developers and we thought, this could exist information technology. We could practice this now, of class, on the Xbox Series Ten. This is our identify to fulfill our dream, in some way, about that kind of gameplay.

It'south kind of a legend in our company well-nigh this projection and how information technology changed, shifted, then created a new team to create a new iteration. We thought, "now'due south the time to fulfill this idea from a couple of years ago — from a gameplay perspective."

Source: Bloober Team SA

Grzegorz Like, Bloober Squad: The game is called Medium so we desire to go big on it (laughing). We wanted to brand a story that really corresponds with the fact that the gameplay is shaped by those two worlds. So nosotros actually wanted to make a story that is dual in many different aspects and many different ways to talk about characters and about stories that nosotros contain in the game. I think the mode you will play Medium will also echo in how the story is told and how the characters are built.

Jacek: It's of import because yous asked us about gameplay, but of course, for us, half of the game is the story and how it'due south shown to the player. And we likewise accept fun with this 2 worlds approach towards gameplay and how nosotros can testify you environmental storytelling, story cutscenes, etc. So we start from the gameplay side then, of course, recall about what we can do more in regards to the character creation, cutscene cosmos, story creation, and then everything in some way is dual in this game.

Grzegorz: Duality is the brimstone of everything right at present. So I call back you tin double your anticipation (laughs).

Jacek: Or double your fear.

A truly next-gen experience

Source: Bloober Team SA

Can we talk a trivial chip about what the Xbox Series X specifically allows you to do? You touched on this, maxim that previously with the PS4 and Xbox One y'all merely couldn't brand this game happen. And then what makes The Medium possible on the Xbox Series Ten and S?

Jacek: The nigh crucial thing for the states was hardware. On Xbox serial X or Southward, in that location's the ray-tracing, higher resolution, and it's all important stuff, but we created a new arroyo of how to play a game on ii screens at the same time. And so with Xbox Series X, we finally take the hardware to do it. Then, we showtime developing on the X and of class, we start thinking, "OK, what tin nosotros exercise on the S?" So it'due south generally optimization.

...with previous generations it was impossible and now on the Due south and X it'southward possible.

And so the but downside, I think, will exist the resolution for near of the games... Merely the most important matter for us was really good, powerful hardware in the panel to non only be close in the PC globe but to get this game to a broader audience.

There's been this word on the net whether the Xbox Serial S will hold back next-gen development. And from your experience, that doesn't seem to be the case, actually, exterior of resolution?

Jacek: Yeah. Sometimes we'll need to practise more shortcuts, merely with previous generations information technology was impossible and now on the S and X it's possible. So we know that the Ten is easier because it'due south more powerful, but the S isn't a really, actually weak version of the Series X. It's unlike versions, so you demand to accept a different arroyo. You don't need to cease upwardly cutting things or something like that. I don't think they'll any issues.

Focused on psychological horror

Source: Bloober Team SA

This next question is more than for Grzegorz. For fans who played previous Bloober titles, what can they await in terms of psychological scares and storytelling compared to previous projects?

Grzegorz: We wanted to create an experience that will not be a drove of jump-scares or a story of finding a killer. It's not a slasher. It should exist psychological horror. We wanted to create a story that'south gear up in a globe that actually makes yous wonder what'southward the nature of evil. It's a lot of questions and mayhap fewer answers.

We just wanted to ask the audience "who's the bad guy?" because there are a lot of people and a lot of characters y'all will meet and all of them are somehow broken and are victims of the demons of the past. But y'all will have to decide who's really the antagonist of the story. Maybe in that location is none, actually. Nosotros didn't desire to point fingers, only make it something to experience.

Source: Bloober Squad SA

Jacek: We don't want to create a festival of jump-scares, as Grzegorz said, simply what we wanted to achieve with the story is an experience that volition get under your skin. We're aiming for something where yous play the game, and then y'all take some residue or practice something else, merely it's still there. In your head. Y'all're processing what you run into, what you lot hear, what yous read, and and so it can get under your pare. So this is the psychological side, the more than horror side.

The second side is to achieve some kind of recollection. Equally Grzegorz said, we ask a lot of questions in this game, in the story, and the player can call up, "what volition I do?" What should I do in the situation? Or maybe I was in a like situation in some mode. We don't want to create any psychological treatment, simply psychological horror games can too sometimes help people fight with trauma or something else. And so maybe this game can also shut some doors for somebody or open some, equally well and change their perspective.

Grzegorz: Correct. The topics we touch on on in the story, they're not simple topics like murder. They should be treated with a certain gentleness and intendance to develop them well and deliver a really good story and not one that is in whatsoever manner offensive to the role player or their intelligence.

Fight or flying?

Source: Bloober Squad SA

Will there be whatsoever traditional combat mechanics incorporated in The Medium?

Jacek: For us, it's more similar a sneak mechanic. The Medium is also compared to the Silent Hill series and for usa this is crawly, but we call back more nearly Amnesia when we think well-nigh The Medium because the master problem sometimes in horror games is it stops being scary when y'all have a gun.

Grzegorz: Yeah. Imagine Ripley in the first Alien with the flamethrower from the second movie at the start of the first movie. It'southward non fun anymore.

The Medium is also compared to the Silent Hill series and for u.s.a. this is awesome, just nosotros think more about Amnesia.

Jacek: The best example, I retrieve, is Phone call of Cthulu: Night Corners of the World. Vivid horror. The first hr is awesome, then you get the gun. We are aiming more for sneaking and how to avert the monster, how to survive, and how to utilise your powers to survive the meet. We understand that gainsay and heavy combat tin be fun for gameplay and tin be really cool. We are not known for that kind of gameplay, but what we want to change here is modify how nosotros approach the horror, how nosotros arroyo storytelling, but of grade, how we approached the campaign.

Grzegorz: In some games, yous have this feeling that the mechanics of combat are really absent-minded. Y'all feel the void screaming "I should be able to kill this guy, why can't I?" And we also crafted the answer to why it should exist this way, story-wise.

Jacek: Aye. You don't fight with anyone or anybody. The thing that Marianne will meet in the game, it's something special and it should be treated in a special way.

Working with a horror icon

Source: Bloober Team SA

**I know Silent Hill ii is a big inspiration for a lot of people on your team. Can you talk a little fleck well-nigh what it was similar working with Akira Yamaoka for the soundtrack on this? **

Jacek: Man, it was like a dream come true. I just need to continue myself from swearing. It was really crazy to have him on lath and to meet him. He came to our conference in Kraków, Poland several times. I'thou speechless in some ways. To see somebody from the Silent Hill team and then to piece of work with somebody from that team on your game when you're a Silent Hill ii freak... this is crazy. In some means, you're working with a legend.

You are inspired by this legendary game and then you become inspired by the person who is a fable in some means for horror music and so he creates the soundtrack for your game (of course, in cooperation with our composer Arkadiusz Reikowski) so information technology'due south as well a really good combination to create something new and unique.

Source: Bloober Squad SA

So how did this come about? Did your squad just reach out to him and say, "Hey, what are you lot doing? Yous wanna work on our game?"

Jacek: Our team met him at Tokyo Game Prove two or more years ago? Maybe fifty-fifty 3? We gear up a meeting and asked if he wanted to talk with us and he said "OK." We simply needed to enquire him why he felt like this will be cool, but I think we'll run across what Akira has to say, maybe from a dev diary. My friends told me about this — he saw the game in a pub or something. Akira was wearing headphones and watching the game, examining our previous game demo. And he said, "I volition work on this game with you. I will work on all of your games."

He's only a normal guy from Japan creating aberrant music.

They sat. They talked. They showed him our demo and that was it. "Deal. Done. I'yard in. Thanks." A couple months later, he came here and we showed him more and some feedback from him. Then a couple months afterwards, he came here once again, we showed him what we changed then we said, "OK, now this is awesome. Let'southward do this." What's important nearly Akira is that he'southward really non interim like a star. He's just a normal guy from Japan creating aberrant music. He's a really cool guy.

Grzegorz: That was very of import because nosotros wanted to capture the era of the 90s and this guy is the icon, right? And Silent Hill is the icon of the 90s horror genre. So he was just the cherry on the top of the affair.

A memorable ending awaits

Source: Bloober Team SA

What are you two personally most excited about for players to experience the kickoff time they kicking up The Medium?

Jacek: I can't look to meet people's reaction to the ending. When everything just clicks. I saw some voice actors and when we recorded the ending scene they (mimics a head exploding).

Grzegorz: They were like "are you lot guys really doing this!? Really!? This is the ending!? I mean, wow..."

Jacek: Information technology was beautiful to see them and now I'm really curious most how players will perceive the game. How practise they react to the catastrophe?

An Xbox game to watch in 2022

With so many players online frustrated with the lack of 'true next-gen games' launching alongside these new consoles, The Medium is absolutely a championship to keep your eyes on. From what nosotros've seen and now heard from the development team, this horror game will easily be i of the all-time showcases of new gaming tech this holiday. You lot can feel The Medium for yourself on December x, 2022, on Xbox Serial 10/S or PC.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Adjacent-gen psychological horror

The Medium

Double your fright

The Medium introduces an innovative dual-world gameplay mechanic that introduces heady new forms of puzzle-solving and psychological horror to the genre.

Xbox

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/medium-interview-horror-game-made-possible-thanks-next-gen-tech

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