The Dark Pictures: Man Of Medan Hands-On E3 2019 Preview | No Wrong Choices

Man of Medan's E3 2019 demo provided more mystery than shock

by Grayshadow on Jun 17, 2019

Supermassive Games made a name for themselves for the horror masterpiece Until Dawn. Now with their upcoming title, Man of Medan, Supermassive seeks to use the same narrative driven systems within an entirely new adventure. Now partnered with Bandai Namco and marketed as a multi-part adventure series Man of Medan's E3 2019 demo provided more mystery than shock.

Men of Medan,Bandai Namco,Supermassive Games,

The plot has 4 Americans sailing across the sea to find a rumored WWII wrecked shipped that houses riches beyond measure. The demo opens with the group's boat being boarded by fishermen led by a man named Danny. It's unclear who these people are but they clearly want money as they search the ship.

Like Until Dawn, there are no "right" answers. The player is simply given a choice and controls multiple characters throughout the demo. With each choice having a ripple effect indicate shifting changes.

Each of our protagonists have their own personal feelings towards one another and the play is given absolute control over how they develop. Whether it's deciding to remain quiet, incite aggression, or defend a friend. During my 3 playthroughs of the demo, I found each situation had multiple outcomes but none of them truly violent. I was told by Bandai Namco they were saving the real "gory" stuff for later which I understand. This was a taste and it was exceptional.

I was expecting something shocking in the way of death or new revelation in the demo but it mostly set the scene. What will happen, who are the fishermen, are the friends really truthful to one another, and what about this WW2 boat that caused the crew to die? So many questions and I need to play the game to find out.

Men of Medan,Bandai Namco,Supermassive Games,