Chinese Market

All that glisters is not gold, often have you heard that told...

This article is about The Dark Pictures Anthology's first installment, Man of Medan .

Chinese Market
Installment	Man of Medan
Act	Prologue
Chapter	1
Overall	1
Theatrical Cut
Playable Character(s)	Joe
Time(s)	9:12 P.M. 1:36 A.M.
Location(s)	Dockside Market, Manchuria Sick Bay - SS Ourang Medan
Curator's Cut
Playable Character(s)	Charlie
Time(s)	9:12 P.M. 1:36 A.M.
Location(s)	Dockside Market, Manchuria Brig - SS Ourang Medan
Chapter Guide
Previous	N/A
Next	The Duke

Chinese Market is the official prologue of Man of Medan and the first chapter overall.

The player controls Joe (Theatrical Cut) and Charlie (Curator's Cut) as they spend an ordinary day on a ship, which escalates into something sinister.

Dockside Market, Manchuria, 9:12 P.M.

A group of military men load crates covered with an American flag onto the ship and place them in one of the cargo holds. Meanwhile, comrades Joe and Charlie are drinking in a Chinese market. Joe says it's time for them to get back to the ship, but Charlie spots the market trader and decides to practice on a dummy, while Joe asks him for a quarter to find out his future and goes to the Fortune Teller, after which they switch places.

• In Shared Story, if one of the players finishes early, he is automatically changing with the other player.

Dummy training teaches player about QTEs to attack and dodge, while dialogue with the fortuneteller teaches how to make choices.

• Joe can ask about his son or if he will be rich. The Fortune Teller will ask him to choose dragon or bamboo tile. Choosing one of them, Joe opens a tile with a fish, after which the Fortune Teller says that his fortune is like a mysterious wind, followed by death and doom.
• Charlie may ask if the voyage goes smoothly or if Joe gives him back two quarters. The Fortune Teller will ask him to choose a rooster or a water tile. Choosing one of them, Charlie opens a tile with a flower, after which the Fortune Teller says that his fortune will bloom with evil, followed by blood.

Depending on who finished early, Joe/Charlie will call Charlie/Joe, telling them to hurry to the ship. The last cargo is loaded onto the ship in Cargo Hold 2, while the drunken boys walk across the deck and argue over the fact that Joe owes Charlie fifty cents. Charlie pushes Joe, after which the latter accidentally runs into Ferris, who punches him in the face, knocking him unconscious. He orders some soldiers to take Joe to the sick bay and Charlie to the brig.

The ship leaves the port and gets caught in a storm, during which lightning strikes the ship and hits the cargo. Under the influence of water and electricity, the crates begin to leak and yellow gas begins to spread throughout the ship.

SS Ourang Medan, 1:36 A.M.

• Theatrical Cut
• Curator's Cut

Sick Bay

Joe wakes up in the sick bay. He tries to open the door, but it turns out to be locked. Opening the locker, Joe is frightened by the corpse that has fallen out of it. Having picked up a key lying nearby, Joe opens the door and leaves the sick bay.

Brig

Charlie wakes up in the brig. While trying to open the door, Charlie realizes that it is closed from the outside. Exploring the room, he can find the brig log and a report of his brawl.

After going out into the hallway, Joe finds Charlie and lets him out of the brig. Moving on, they hear gunshots and hide from Sergeant Ferris who appears. Whether or not they complete the subsequent Keep Calm segment, Ferris will flee in fear, continuing to shoot. Following him, the guys try to open the door blocked by the soldier's corpse. Going down the stairs, the fog begins to thicken around them. Upon reaching Cargo Hold 3, Joe is frightened by the child who has run through, but Charlie does not believe him, since he did not see anything. Approaching the corpses of the soldiers, the guys hear the soldiers and rush in: Joe takes a submachine gun and Charlie takes a knife. Walking down the corridor in Cargo Hold 2, Joe walks forward while Charlie is distracted by the corpse of another soldier, causing them to split up.

• Theatrical Cut
• Curator's Cut

Following the child's laughter, Joe ends up in Cargo Hold 2, but finds Charlie's corpse. Joe begins to hear laughter again and encounters his son, armed with a knife:

• If Joe asked about his son, Joe will see the boy near the car.
• If Joe asked if he would be rich or said nothing, Joe will see the boy hiding in the locker.

Later, Joe will have to decide whether to attack the boy or not.

• If Joe decides to attack, he will start shooting at the boy, but he will be unharmed. The boy starts screaming and exposes his skull, which causes Joe to have a heart attack and die.  
• If Joe decides not to attack, the boy will run up and stab him in the heart.

Charlie hears Joe whispering his name and, following him, finds him dying. Before dying, he manages to tell him to hide. Charlie can hide in a locker or examine the body. In any case, Charlie will encounter the Fortune Teller:

• If Charlie asked if Joe would return the money, the Fortune Teller will raise his hand and Charlie will be shot in the chest.
• If Charlie asked about the voyage, he will have a chance to attack the Fortune Teller. However, in any case, the Fortune Teller raises his head, revealing his disfigured face, which causes Charlie to have a heart attack and die.

Cooper, the radio operator, in a panic tries to send a request for help, but is not heard. Suddenly, the electricity goes out and a monster enters the radio room. Cooper tries to defend himself with a crucifix, but to no avail, after which he dies of a heart attack. Meanwhile, Ferris runs down the corridor and tries to open the door, after which he runs out onto the deck and crashes onto the lifeboat. The ship continues to drift in the ocean.

Meeting The Curator

After the intro, the player meets with The Curator, who welcomes him to his repository. He takes the "Man of Medan" book from a shelf and informs that it story is unfinished and asks the player to complete it while he, as the keeper of all stories, will record it, meanwhile talking about the moral compass. He also states that he can't interfere, but can offer clues, one of which is to look for pictures that can show possible futures. The Curator says that their conversation is over and sends the player back to the game, promising that they will meet again to discuss the decisions the player will make.

In the Curator's Cut, The Curator meets the player again and informs that even though the story has been told, it can change in a different perspective, allowing the player to find new opportunities and make new decisions.

Deaths

Inevitable

• Buckley - Dies of chemical leak.
• Numerous soldiers - Die of various causes.
• Cooper - Dies of chemical leak.
• Ferris - Falls onto lifeboat.

Joe

• If Joe decides to attack the child, he will die of a heart attack. (Theatrical Cut)
• If Joe decides not to attack the child, he will be stabbed in the heart. (Theatrical Cut)
• If Charlie decides to attack the Fortune Teller, Joe will be stabbed in the heart. (Curator's Cut)
• If Charlie decides not to attack the Fortune Teller, Joe will die of a heart attack. (Curator's Cut)

Charlie

• If Charlie asked if his voyage would go smooth to the fortune teller, he will die of heart attack, whether he chooses to stab the Fortune Teller or not. (Curator's Cut)
• If Charlie asked if Joe would return his two quarters to the fortune teller, he will be shot in the chest. (Curator's Cut)
• If Joe decides to attack the child, Charlie will be shot in the chest. (Theatrical Cut)
• If Joe decides not to attack the child, Charlie will die of a heart attack. (Theatrical Cut)

Trivia

• Joe's question will affect where he encounters the child, while Charlie's question will affect whether he is killed immediately or has a chance to attack the Fortune Teller.
• If Joe doesn't attack the child and Charlie doesn't attack the Fortune Teller, they will both die of a heart attack.