Players familiar with Supermassive’s other titles know that these games are founded upon putting players in harrowing situations and forcing them tomake split-second decisions,with the lives of the characters on the line. Sometimes these decisions can be counter-intuitive, and the safest choice may not seem safe in the heat of the moment. Thankfully, guides like this one are here to help. Here are theMan of Medanchoicesplayers should avoid making if they want to survive this trip to the South Pacific.
8Don’t Attack The Pirates (Act I, Chapter: Intrusion)
The significant decision-making inMan of Medandoesn’t start until Chapter 5. While playing as Conrad, he, Julia, and Alex are being held below decks on “Duke Of Milan” while the pirates interrogate the ship’s captain, Fliss. The three captives decide to try and sneak out through one of the ship’s windows in an attempt to steal the speed boat the pirates rode in on.
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Regardless of how the first QTE goes, once Conrad is out of the room and sneaking around the outside of the ship, he needs to choose the option to Escape, not Attack. Choosing Attack always results in either Conrad or Julia’s death. While choosing Escape can still result in Conrad’s death (make sure to hit every prompt in the QTE that follows), it’s still the only option that allows for the possibility of everyone surviving the pirate ambush.
7Do Not Pick Up The Knife (Act II, Chapter: Caskets)
A while later, assuming they’ve all survived, Alex, Conrad, and Julia will beexploring the murky halls ofMan of Medan’s ghost ship. There are some collectibles along the way, and lots of dialogue choices to make, but the big decision comes when the trio enters the ship’s kitchen.
After looking around for a bit while playing as Alex, players will find a kitchen knife on a counter next to some hanging pans. They will then be prompted to pick it up. It’s best to leave the knife where it is. While it isn’t a guarantee that it will result in a negative outcome, there will eventually be situations where players may have a hard time distinguishing between their friends and the monsters that are attacking them. If using the knife isn’t an option, it means they won’t be tempted to stab at the monsters, and therefore won’t accidentally harm their companions. Players should heed this advice when the opportunity to pick up any weapon presents itself.
6Pick Up The Gas Mask, NOT The Wrench (Act II, Chapter: Finding Friends)
Assuming Conrad didn’t attack the pirates, Alex’s brother Brad will have remained on the “Duke Of Milan” undetected to this point. He can now safely make his way off the boat and onto the ghost ship. After going upstairs and down a corridor, a cutscene will play when Brad enters a room with a pile of bodies. The adjoining hallway leads to a locker room, where the lockers have corpses stuffed in them.
The searchable locker on the right contains a gas mask, which can be picked up if the locker is searchedtwice.The first search willresult in a jump scareinvolving a Halloween mask, so ensure to double back. A few rooms later, after Brad uses a moveable box to climb over a wall, he will encounter another pair of corpses, one of which has a large iron wrench laying next to it. Once again, players should NOT pick up the wrench. This is yet another potential weapon.
5Don’t Waste Time In The Ballroom (Act II, Chapter: Ritual)
After escaping from her captors, Fliss can finally do some exploring of the ghost ship on her own. However, it doesn’t take long before she begins hallucinating. There is a sequence shortly after this Chapter starts where Fliss is attacked by demons, but regardless of how it plays out, she will end up in a pristine ballroom. It’s quite a change in aesthetic from the rest of the ship.
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Man of Medandoesn’t mention this, but there is a hidden timer that starts counting as soon as Fliss reaches this room. Therefore, it’s important to not waste time examining the room’s details quite yet. Instead, head to the stage and around back to the right. There is a room with a lever here, and pulling it grants access to the stage itself. Fliss needs to make her way backstage and through a door, which will lead her outside the ship. After going outside, the effects of the hallucinations will have worn off, and Fliss can now explore the ballroom freely. More importantly, when Brad comes crashing into the room, Fliss won’t mistake him for a demon.
4Don’t Ignore The Shovel (Act II, Chapter: Pressure)
Assuming Fliss and Brad didn’t kill each other in the previous sequence, they will escape the ballroom together. After some exploring, they will come to a room with a prompt to “Climb Up” through a hole in the roof.
After climbing up into the next room, players should verify to examine the shovel in the corner. It can be easy to miss, but in the next sequence when Fliss gets trapped in a room that’s quickly filling with water, she will direct Brad to use the shovel to free her. If she hasn’t seen it, Brad won’t know the shovel is an option. Make sure Bradsmashes the hinges,not the lock, and Fliss will make it out of this situation alive.
3Don’t Radio For Help (Act III, Chapter: Distress Signal)
After everyone has been reunited, our protagonists will find themselves on the ship’s weather deck. Crossing the deck, climbing a set of dilapidated stairs, and shoving open a blocked door will have players controlling Alex in the ship’s radio room.
Eventually, players will find the ship’s radio, which is somehow still functioning. Alex will tinker with the dials and pick up a signal, and after he calls out into the radio, he’ll get a response. When given the option, players should choose to “Say Nothing.“Like other Supermassive titles,this decision may seem counter-intuitive, but the military wants to keep the incident that took place on this ship a secret. Calling for help will result in everyone being sent to jail at best, and that’s if the military doesn’t kill them outright for having learned too much. When the option comes up in the next Chapter to return power to the radio, players shouldn’t do that either. There are other ways to escape.
2Don’t Leave The Rebreather Behind (Act III, Chapter: Depths)
InMan of Medan’s next Chapter, Brad and Juliaare exploring below decks in the ship’s boiler rooms. After ignoring the power switch for the radio, they will enter a room and discover a rebreather brought over from the “Duke of Milan.”
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Julia will be skeptical about taking it, given how heavy the rebreather is, but players should insist upon bringing it with them. In the next chapter, when players encounter Junior, makingthis decision will have been essential,as grabbing Junior’s pistol and forcing the rebreather onto him is the only way to save his life.
1Don’t Stab Olson, The Demon, Or The Rat (Act III, Chapter: Matters Of The Heart)
After the pirate leader Olson has a heart attack from the effects of the Manchurian Gold (this is the mist that’s causing everyone to hallucinate), Alex will discover his body being eaten by rats. Make sure to succeed in the QTE that follows, and Alex will get the distributor cap necessary for their escape. After that, the mist will start affecting him as well.
When Alex leaves the room, he will be confronted by either Olson or a demon, depending on dialogue choices made previously. Shortly thereafter, a rat will burst out of Alex’s chest. Players will then receive a prompt to make Alex stab either Olson/the demon, or stab the rat.Don’t do either.Stabbing Olson/the demon will kill Fliss, and stabbing the rat will make Alex kill himself. Instead, let the timer run out and Fliss will snap Alex out of his hallucination. Now they can both safely escape the ghost ship with the rest of their friends.
Man of Medanwas released on August 30th, 2019, and is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
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