The Medium
Give it 7 hours
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (48%); after 7h it's 1 in 15 (7%).
- The opening is criticised more than in 76% of games we track.
- 42% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “The Cheerful Kind” (Meet Sadness) and “The Childeater” (Experience your first vision of Thomas): from 82% to 51% of starters.
- 87% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 10,452 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 295 reviews: 9.5h for positive, 6.3h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (86.6% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- The Last Goodbye Send Jack's spirit away. 98% −2
- Welcome to Niwa Reach the hotel. 87% −11
- The Cheerful Kind Meet Sadness. 82% −5
- The Childeater Experience your first vision of Thomas. Most players quit here 51% −31
- Unforgiven Send the Childeater away. 49% −2
- Thunderstruck Defeat the creature in the flooded ruins. 46% −2
- The Hound Experience your second vision of Thomas. 45% −1
- Unrepentant Send the Hound away. 45% −1
- Among the Ashes Find the Red House. 44%
- The Pact Uncover the mystery of the burned down house 44%
- Dark Water Make it through the pump station. 42% −2
- Can't Always Save Everyone Finish the game. 42% −1
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (39)
story milestone ending side
- Inner Investigator Inspect 25 objects in a single playthrough. 100%
- The Last Goodbye Send Jack's spirit away. 98%
- Famished Feline Feed the cat in Jack's apartment. 94%
- From Niwa with Love Find a postcard from the groundskeeper. 94%
- Conduit Use Spirit Blast to create electricity. 90%
- Welcome to Niwa Reach the hotel. 87%
- Left Behind Find an Echo. 86%
- Caught the Scent Find an Echo of a mysterious caller. 86%
- Dual Detective Inspect 50 objects in a single playthrough. 84%
- The Cheerful Kind Meet Sadness. 82%
- I Know the Pieces Fit Reconstruct a Memory Shard. 75%
- Edge of Sanity Acquire the razor. 74%
- Medium Rare Burn through the moths using Spirit Shield. 72%
- A Dangerous Method Find a note from a troubled man. 70%
- Guiding Light Find a page from a mentor's diary. 67%
- Psychic Sleuth Inspect 100 objects in a single playthrough. 67%
- Running Sim Run 2 kilometers. 63%
- You Saw, You Ran, You Lived Survive a monstrous encounter. 62%
- Through the Looking Glass Use a mirror to cross over. 59%
- Insightful Use Insight for at least 15 minutes. 55%
- Cut the Crap Acquire the bolt cutters. 54%
- The Childeater Experience your first vision of Thomas. 51%
- Unforgiven Send the Childeater away. 49%
- Thunderstruck Defeat the creature in the flooded ruins. 46%
- The Hound Experience your second vision of Thomas. 45%
- Unrepentant Send the Hound away. 45%
- Among the Ashes Find the Red House. 44%
- The Pact Uncover the mystery of the burned down house 44%
- Dark Water Make it through the pump station. 42%
- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Complete the broken mirror. 42%
- Can't Always Save Everyone Finish the game. 42%
- Puzzling Out the Past Reconstruct all Memory Shards in a single playthrough. 39%
- Spirit Walking Spend 10 minutes outside your body. 39%
- Phantom Escape the creature without alerting it. 28%
- Devouring Darkness Find all pages from Richard's diary in a single playthrough. 20%
- Followed the Trail Find all of Henry's Echoes in a single playthrough. 20%
- Calling Out to Me Find all Echoes in a single playthrough. 19%
- All That's Left Unsaid Find all of Frank's postcards in a single playthrough. 5.9%
- An Unknown Outcome Find all of Thomas' notes in a single playthrough. 4.6%