The Medium developer discusses the art behind its Dual Reality world

We’ve been looking forward to experiencing the Dual Reality world of The Medium for a while. The developer is blending the old with the new in its latest horror effort. In fact, both aspects were shown off recently in an extended gameplay trailer. It’s the new side that intrigues the most though, with a Dual Reality mechanic that went as far as forcing the game to be next-gen only. While rendering two worlds at once is a bit of a technical marvel, there’s more to it than pure horsepower.

The developer has just released another video in its Behind the Scenes series. This one looks at how each reality contains a complete different art style. The real world elements of The Medium contain a muted color palette, and the team has tried to capture the “dullness of everyday life” in this mode. It’s a bit bleak if we’re honest, but the style works in creating a stark contrast to the spirit world.

In this world, colors pop and scenes are graced with a bright orange hue. Bloober Team says it attempted to make the spirit world feel more organic, but distinctly different to the normal world. Scenes still mirror each other though, and the developer made a deliberate effort to create an uncomfortable alternate reality that still feels oddly familiar.

It's not just the story that creates The Medium's vibe. See how our art direction and choice of colors create the emotions that we seek for you to feel. The latest episode of Behind the Scenes is here. Watch it below!#TheMedium #devdiary #makingof #artstyle pic.twitter.com/Ex01BJR2uM

— The Medium Game (@TheMediumGame) January 8, 2021

Dual Reality details

The level of detail goes right down to a granular level too. Bloober Team started by creating environments with small objects like bones and fabrics, before using them to influence the visual design at large. There’s a strong emphasis on environmental storytelling here, which is key for a horror game.

All in all, the game certainly looks interesting. The Medium’s Dual Reality mechanic sets the game apart from the team’s other projects, and we’re liking the clear influences from classic survival horror. Hopefully both realities can come together to create a cohesive experience.

The Medium releases on January 28 via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store. Preorders currently offer a 10% discount, bringing the game down to $44.99 USD.