The Game Pass gives marginal titles the chance to find an audience and people the opportunity to discover new experiences.
There is a strong argument that Game Pass does not excuse bad games. The point is that you should not tolerate and play bad games simply because they are in the service for which you are already paying. Time is valuable and you don’t want to spend it on something that doesn’t enrich you in any way. The Game Pass does not suddenly make a sticky game that deserves your attention. What it does, however, is to give games that cause division a better chance of finding an audience that appreciates. The medium is one of those games.
I really liked the slow, simulator-like terror of the Bloober Team, its two-world mechanics adding a next generation touch to a very traditional gameplay. But not everyone thought that. Criticism is everywhere, and it is an absolute certainty that this division of opinion will be carried over to the gaming audience, who take a spin on Medium.
Medium is not a full-price launch, but it still costs $ 45, which is a lot of money to spend on something you’re not sure about. Before the Game Pass, many people would simply never play The Medium. It may be their type of game, but a digital launch with limited refund options is a risky purchase. Bloober’s titles have been mixed a lot so far (I liked Layers of Fear, but I didn’t think much of the other titles in the studio), so you can’t expect your games to meet a certain standard – at least not yet.
The Game Pass essentially eliminates the need for your brain to check your spending. Medium and other AA, B or even C games can now be tested without risk. As I said at the beginning, I’m not suggesting that you throw all the care into the wind and throw hours in the trash (although the games on the Game Pass are at least decent), but games that were on the sidelines, on the line between buy and not buy suddenly it becomes an easy option when they are on the Game Pass.
This is not rocket science. I haven’t found the Game Pass hidden secret. It turns out that Game Pass is often seen as a service that allows you to play many games, while in fact it is a service that allows you to play many different games, many of which you would never have bought, but you may end up enjoying it a lot. Maybe even loving it.
Microsoft announced a game truck hitting Xbox consoles this year, many of which will make it to the Game Pass, but most of them aren’t what you’d call certainties when it comes to reaching a mass audience. Flight Simulator should be released in the summer, which may well be the most divisive game coming to consoles. My sensible head tells me that throughout history I have bought several flying games and have practically found each one extremely boring – even those with guns. But a part of my brain that loves sophisticated graphics is very eager to fly over my home, my old school, my university, the place I went on vacation when I was 12, the cities featured in Project Gotham Racing 2 and more.
I’m not paying $ 50 for Flight Simulator, but I’m going to download it on the Game Pass and fly over Edinburgh. Who knows, I may discover that I love flight simulators now and end up spending money on expansions. It is a victory for me and a victory for Microsoft.
That’s the beauty of the Game Pass. If something seems to you, even if minimally, interesting, try it. You don’t have to spend your life playing it safe with the big hitters, the numbers, the focus groups, the 8 / 10s developed in 10 co-developed studios. They will still be there, but maybe try something a little different from time to time.
Elsewhere on the site, we have many guides to help you through the complicated parts of The Medium. How to enter the Niwa Resort, solving the puzzle of the Door Code number, passing through the Water Tanks at the pumping station and solving the puzzle of the Vase.