The best way to describe this game is if you made a game for someone who does not consume horror content, and does not play video games. It's a boring slog with 'choices' that feel arbitrary and not entirely logical. The stories pacing is a rush, which by itself might not be bad, but when combined with clues that are so on the nose it's impossible to not understand what's going on about 10 minutes within the 'ghost ship' which makes all the scares so obvious that even the blaring loud music and noises don't make the jump-scares frightening, mostly just annoying.

The villains if they can even be called that are laughably inept. The best example I can give is when they tie all the characters up on the ship they are actively holding hostage. They put duct tape on everyone's mouth, which everyone then pulls off. They have your arms tied, which are then broken off within minutes of them being applied, all while the villains are actively seeing this. Why are you robbing a ship and using these measures for them to be undone in the span of 2 minutes, how is this scary? How is there any danger?

This game is just jumpscares. There is no atmosphere, when a ghost ship is a pretty sick idea of a horror setting. Once you realize the hallucinations are happening its time for a jump scare every 3 minutes. A rat jumping out of a shelf you opened, a pipe bursting, another rat, a loud clank, these kinds of cheap scares ruin the entire vibe and are so cheaply thrown in it is almost insulting.

Terrible game. Terrible writing. Awful characters. Bottom of the barrel "horror" game. Do not buy, even on sale, it is NOT worth it.

Man of Medan is the first entry in season one of the Dark Pictures Anthology, delivering a horror movie experience adapted into video game format with light gameplay that recalls the charm of ‘90s FMV and PS1 horror.

The story and characters are well-crafted, though they sometimes struggle to stay fully committed to the horror vibe. There are moments when humor undermines the tension, reducing the scare factor. Even so, the writing and performances are strong, building a likable group of main characters. The plot is engaging, centering on four friends who, during a scuba trip, get entangled in a thrilling mix of modern piracy, paranormal encounters, occult themes, and alternate military history. It’s a wild blend, yet it comes together well with a sense of mystery. An overarching narrative is tied together by a character called "The Curator," who guides the player through the story, offering cryptic hints and eerie observations that link the anthology.

The motion capture work is top-notch, especially in the facial animations, which showcase subtle, realistic emotions. Every line of dialogue was mocapped to the voice actors’ faces, bringing the characters to life without the exaggerated mocap quirks of older games. Man of Medan is visually stunning, with fantastic facial animations, character design, and eerie environmental work. The dimly lit ship setting is brooding and spooky, with foggy, shadow-filled spaces illuminated by flashlights. Wet surfaces glisten, and a rust-tinged mist fills the ship. The sound design enhances the experience, with screeching violins, creaking environments, dripping water, and howling wind that all contribute to a truly atmospheric horror setting.

While jump scares are the primary scare tactic, the game builds tension through its environment and sound design. Props in the foreground and background, along with depth-of-field effects, guide your eyes toward subtle movements at the edges of the screen, heightening the unsettling atmosphere.

There are some downsides: The tank-style controls feel outdated and cumbersome, limiting the flow of movement and exploration. It’s reminiscent of PS1-era control schemes, where you often find yourself awkwardly bumping into walls or struggling with slow, imprecise flashlight controls. Additionally, there’s no option to skip dialogue or cutscenes, which can be frustrating on repeat playthroughs when you want to make new choices without rewatching every scene.

Despite these drawbacks, I genuinely enjoyed my time with Man of Medan. As a fan of the horror genre, this game felt like a solid horror movie with both an engaging plot and satisfying scares, all wrapped up in an interactive choose-your-own-adventure format.

The Dark Pictures Anthology from Supermassive used to offer a Friends Pass - this system was convoluted but essentially if you purchased the game, you had a one-time use code to let a friend play with you. After purchasing this game, installing it, giving the key out, my friend installing it, loading the game, then creating a lobby we were THEN told by the game we both needed the full game, and in an offhand comment on a Reddit thread we have found that Supermassive have decided to expire all friend passes - but didn't bother to put out any comms on steam, in their game client or anywhere it might have mattered, they released the game with this feature and it obviously would have required some work to remove this - so I can only assume this decision is driven by greed and as a result my opinion of them as a game developer has massively tanked and I encourage everybody to not buy their games anymore - as they care more about profit than delivering an actual fun experience.

The game itself is so-so, really weak writing, little build up and even then struggling to deliver a payoff.

They have however played themselves as they have now irritated 2 people who can leave negative reviews. It has also motivated me to leave this review on other Dark Anthology games that I've played in the past