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The psychological horror video game The Medium, exclusive to Xbox, has received a live-action trailer. The live-action trailer comes soon after the title's recent gameplay trailer, which released just over a week ago. These trailers capitalize on the innovation the team behind the title, Bloober Team, is bringing to the table. Like Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga, The Medium is another Xbox exclusive that explores cognitive concepts using fantastical elements as a conduit of navigation.

Previously, The Medium was set to release for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 but was ultimately pushed back in favor of utilizing hardware from the time’s upcoming generation (PS4 and Xbox One) to pull off the title’s core gameplay conceit effectively. The game was then slated to release in December 2020 for the Xbox Series X/S but was delayed into 2021 due to COVID-19. The new release date is set for January 28, 2021.

As The Medium’s release date approaches, Bloober Team has released a live-action trailer for the upcoming psychological horror game. The trailer tics all the boxes for the genre: suspenseful music, creepy monstrosities, decrepit buildings, and the ever-looming promise of death from unnatural causes that culminates in an amalgam of psychologically bewildering torment. The game’s realm-shifting between the spirit and real worlds is also highlighted, providing a stark contrast between the two dimensions.

Psychological horror surges in popularity during times of strife and societal upheaval, as the genre tends to reflect the turmoil raging within its audience. The panic caused by COVID-19 and other worldly misfortunes caused 2020 to be a year of ambiguity that has bled into 2021, and The Medium functions as an outlet for gamers to experience their varying emotional states in a controlled yet simultaneously unpredictable environment. With the live-action trailer, fans have a glimpse of what the title offers in terms of a grittier representation of its setting.

Moreover, the trailer’s intensity and professional creation lends credence to the idea that The Medium could serve as an interesting film or television series that leaves viewers clinging to their seats to keep themselves grounded. Bloober Team has done a marvelous job of teasing a world plagued by things far worse than a pandemic or civil unrest. It also expends some effort in exploring the ramifications of being a spirit medium, opening the protagonist up to cognitive ramifications that manifest themselves physically, such as her strangulation at the trailer’s conclusion.

The Medium is scheduled to release on January 28, 2021 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.