In this review, I will be checking out The Quarry on PC but before that let me go back in time a little, back to 2015, when I stumbled across a game called Until Dawn, it was a new unique gaming experience for me as it built upon a very store driven game where a single decision affected an outcome, you could lose all the characters you fell in love with while playing or you could get them through everything and have them all live. I really enjoyed the whole actions that have consequences for the characters in the story. I know other games do that but not like Until Dawn did and from that, we started getting similar games that followed this style. Some of these games are Beyond Two Souls, Detroit: Become Human and now The Quarry. The Quarry is developed by Supermassive Games, which to my delight is the same company that worked on Until Dawn, it is due out on 10 June 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One and Series X/S.
Survival Horror Interactive Drama
It’s a survival horror interactive drama, where the player controls nine characters from a third-person perspective. You follow the journey of these nine individuals who must survive a night at Hackett’s Quarry Summer Camp after one of the characters destroys the only car that can get the happy campers back home. Though to the unknown camp counsellors, their last night of summer vacation is interrupted by blood-drenched locals and something far more sinister.
The game is one big movie where you the player are in the driving seat. Every move you make, every decision you choose and every quick-time event will determine who lives and who dies. The Quarry is split into chapters and mainly plays out as one big cutscene with some moments where the player can roam around an area looking for clues and collectables. It’s a strong successor from all the other games that Supermassive Games have done and for fans of the previous titles this company have done will be silly if they don’t add it to their wish list and unravel the mysteries around Hackett’s Quarry.
Storytelling
I love the fact the game has you looking for clues and trying to figure out the story for yourself and it really has led to some “no way” moments. The game doesn’t do a lot in terms of revolutionary mechanics but its try and tested mechanics from previous games have made a return and produced another hit. There is no need to fix something that isn’t broken, the gameplay is fun and you can’t help but be dragged into the story thanks to the characters and storytelling.
The detail in this game is unbelievable, with the character designs, models and detail within the chapters. All the different choices that are available for the players really make it feel that it’s your story and everyone is in your hands. The plot, relationship between different characters and ultimately the conclusion for the game is all on you and it really makes you think before just doing it. In one of the scenes that I played we could interact with the CCTV screens, which helped when looking at the surroundings, when I finished looking at them, I left it for a while then went back and suddenly saw something, this kind of detail is amazing and really keeps you on your toes. The only major bugbear I had with The Quarry was the facial animation, I played Until Dawn and thought it was really clean and smooth when it came to the animation but with The Quarry, it’s hard to not laugh or get pulled out of the horror when the character seems to be pulling funny faces or silly smiles. It is a real shame as I feel that if Supermassive Games managed to clean this up then the game would be incredible.
Voice Acting
Voice acting in this game is really well done and it’s really cool that they got some big actors to come and play big roles within the story. Some of these actors are Brenda Song, Justice Smith, Linda Shaye and David Arquette. Seeing as it is a horror game having iconic horror genre actors to set up to the plate really adds to the story and it gives you confidence going into the game knowing that these actors have put their all into making the game a truly memorable experience.
The game has an array of replay values whether this is playing through the campaign multiple times to see the different outcomes, watching the game through the movie like system or playing co-op locally or shortly after launch with people online. There are collectables and clues the player has to find throughout the chapters to get the full story. So even though the story might feel short for some players doing all the side bits and replaying the game to get the different outcomes really adds to the gaming experience. So even if you feel sad that you accidentally killed off your favourite character or characters you can simple just play the game again and hopefully have them live to the end, or alternatively, you can use one of your three lives to save one of the characters from the gruesome death that awaits them.
Closing Statement
The Quarry was a game that I didn’t know I needed in 2022. We have had some huge games like Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West and many more and I feel like this could be a hidden gem that could easily slip through players’ hands. It is one of those games that can be played with people, on your own or as date night instead of an actual film. If you can get past the dodgy camera angles at times and the facial animation then you are in for a real treat. The amazing roster of actors, the cleverly designed story and the player being the driving point for how it all unfolds really make me not want to put the controller down and for these reasons, I’m happy to give The Quarry a well-earned score of 7 out of 10. If the facial animation, bugs and cameras could be edited or tweaked in an update after launch then this game comes easily get a 9 out of 10 but as it stands well go with a 7.
Grab your copy of the game here https://store.steampowered.com/app/1577120/The_Quarry/
Developer: Supermassive Games
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Publishers: 2K Games, 2K Sports
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