The Medium Developers Explain the PS5 Version's DualSense Features

Following a period of exclusivity on the Xbox and PC platforms, Bloober Team's The Medium is poised to come to the PlayStation 5 in under a month. This psychological horror game features abilities and gameplay mechanics that are pretty easy to pick up on, and when the game lands on the PlayStation 5, we'll see the console's DualSense controller utilized to emphasize the protagonist's abilities even further. Ahead of the game's release, Szymon Erdmanski, the game producer working on The Medium, shared some insights into how the DualSense controller would work with the game.

As one might've anticipated, the game will utilize the DualSense's haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers. The former will be implemented in abilities like the Spirit Shield, the one Marianne uses to navigate perilous obstacles without taking bodily harm. While the Spirit Shield is up, players will feel hazards repelling away from the barrier. Her Out of Body ability will similarly use haptic feedback to warn players when she's been away from her physical body for too long which, from someone who's played through the whole game, actually sounds like a useful mechanic and not just a DualSense gimmick.

Feel, understand, react! See how the #DualSense controller is an extension of your senses and how it supports you in traveling and exploring the dual realities of #TheMediumGame

Watch our video and pre-order The Medium on #PlayStation5 today!https://t.co/ONT69pRibK

— Bloober Team (@BlooberTeam) August 6, 2021

Marianne doesn't have too many offensive tools in The Medium, but she does have the Spirit Blast ability. The adaptive triggers will take advantage of that move with the triggers putting up more resistance as players charge their blasts.

"The adaptive triggers will not only raise the level of immersion but also make the controls more intuitive," Erdmanski said. "When you start charging up the Spirit Blast, the medium's offensive ability, the trigger will resist at the beginning but gradually loosen up until it can be fully pressed – this means the blast is also fully charged and ready to discharge."

Bloober Team also said that the light bar would change colors whenever Marianne's in danger. That feature as well as the controller's speaker, touchpad, and motion controls will all be supported, too. There are some additional features which haven't been detailed, however, and will be left for players to discover when the game releases.

"You can expect a lot of hand-picked moments in the story enhanced with the gamepad's features… but we obviously won't spoil them now," Erdmanski said. "We're keeping a couple of aces up our sleeves until you play the game yourself on PS5 September 3."