DestinyLeah
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is looking better by the day. Brought to life by the studio behind star-studded Quicktime horror Until Dawn, the Dark Pictures anthology mixes that game with the ethos of American Horror Story. The idea is that several games will be released with a similar style and direction, but each will be a (mostly) unrelated story. They will fit together insomuch as players will know what to expect and can move easily from one game to the next, but the stories will not depend on players to move in chronological order or even play the others games to understand what is happening in any given entry.
The first title in the series is Man of Medan, a story following several young adults out sailing their cares away when they encounter a ghost ship. Every character embraces their inner Becky upon finding an abandoned ship floating around far from cellphone reception and quickly climbs aboard as though this is not the actual worst idea in the history of horror. Individual characters can die without stopping the story, so it is up to players to navigate each one of them through the ship safely and get them back on their own non-haunted boat before the credits roll.
While we haven’t had the chance to play the game or a demo yet, we have been following the developer diary videos for Man of Medan. They treat fans to a behind the scenes view of the development process, which is a treat for a game set on an abandoned ship. From recording noises in a real dilapidated ship to taking the developers out on choppy waters and putting actors on a moving platform, the team at Supermassive Games has gone to great lengths to make Man of Medan true-to-life. Several ships were used for reference, and the sound design includes a ton of material recorded in real settings. Even the lighting developers went on a field trip to ensure an immersive final product. We can only hope that the game lives up to the level of attention to detail and care given by its developers.
One thing is certain after this latest trailer, though. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan will sink or swim on August 30, 2019. Retailers are accepting preorders now, though there is no apparent bonus tied to ordering the game at this time.
