Supermassive has really been killing it lately, and not just because they’re working on a new horror title that’s sure to feature some gruesome deaths, but because their promotional game for Man of Medan has been excellent at hyping up the game. In the latest developer diary for the project, we see a little more detail about how the developer is trying to create a game that’s fun for both solo and cooperative play.
As the team members put it, this is a huge and branching narrative that’s all about having fun with your friends. Fun being subjective since this is a horror game, but the idea of building co-op play into the horror experience is a unique and welcome one. A big part of that effort is the Shared Story mode we see detailed below.
Players will pick their chosen character, and then adventure through the game world together, making choices based on the information in front of them, as well as how they wish to play their character. And if Until Dawn was any indication, we can expect some kind of relationship or roleplaying system to be at play in this new game too.
Shared Story mode in The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan will be a bit coy though, as it won’t tell you everything that’s happening. When it comes to choices in the storyline, players can’t see each other’s choices. The game will simply tell Player 1 that “Player 2 is deciding,” but not what the decision was. The sheer volume of possible decisions, when combined with the replayability of the game itself, implies that this is going to be a huge game in terms of how much time you can sink into it. We can likely expect a much more complex and varied outcome compared to the last horror game from this team.
The developer wants to impress upon players that these choices won’t be easy, and it’s OK if you make the wrong one. According to Tom Heaton, choices can “have a massive impact” and even “affect the whole flow of the game,” this will lead to some wanting to replay the game to pick a new choice and see what happens, which Supermassive expects.
And don’t worry if you feel like these ideas might be rushed or tacked on, leading to a lackluster feel in the end product. Supermassive has taken the time to craft the game from the bottom up to build the importance of these choices, as well as the narrative tension they create, into a rewarding experience that pushes every player.
Man of Medan will release on Aug. 30 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. You can find more details about the game on the official website. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan will be Supermassive Games’ first game on PC since Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, released in 2012. let’s hope they get it right, which I’m sure they will.
Check out the full developer diary for the feature down below. If you want to see some more dev diaries, here’s one showing off the enigmatic Curator, a seemingly integral part of the story.
