by Jack Grimme, Contributing Writer
Back in 2015, I was willing to play any game I could get my hands on. The bulk of my time was devoted to online multiplayer hits like Halo and Call of Duty. Second place, in terms of play time, went to whatever Nintendo mega-hit currently had its grip on the gaming world. However, I still did my best to diversify my tastes. One genre that was always particularly daunting to me was horror. It generally took something special to inspire me to face my fears. Supermassive Games’ star-studded Until Dawn was exactly that. The game was a perfect blend of genuine horror and parody. It was cinematic in a way few games had achieved in the past. That can be attributed to its unique camera angles and inclusion of familiar faces like Hayden Panettiere, Rami Malek, and Peter Stormare. These achievements paired with a story that built off classic myths and tropes lead to one of the most memorable play throughs of my life.
Following the release of Until Dawn, Supermassive have been quite busy. Over the past few years, they have been consistently releasing entries of The Dark Pictures anthology series. They are bite-sized horror adventures in the same vein as their predecessor. The developers continue to rack up truly impressive ensemble casts including Will Poulter, Shawn Ashmore, and Ashley Tisdale. Another chapter is set to release this year with Jessie Buckley as the lead. Unfortunately, these releases have yet to recapture the spark. At best, they feel incomplete and at worst, they are incoherent. So, when Supermassive finally announced the true “spiritual successor”, The Quarry, to their flagship title, I was cautiously optimistic to say the least.
The way I see it, there are two parts that go into making the average game: story and gameplay. I want to begin with the story because that was one of the standouts of the previous titles. Supermassive brought together another group of talented performers for this new venture. Brenda Song, Skyler Gisondo, Justice Smith, and David Arquette were some of the big names that pulled me in. And I was pleasantly surprised by the performances from Ted Raimi and Gracie Zabriskie. The opening finds a group of young adults packing up after a long summer as camp counselors. Camp Director Chris Hackett (Arquette) is anxiously rushing the counselors to pack their things and hit the road. Car trouble forces the group to brave one more night in the woods. Things go downhill from there as they discover exactly what their boss was trying to protect them from. I intend on keeping this review spoiler-free because the mystery is one of the most engaging parts of the game.
This is also a good time to mention the central gameplay mechanic that exists throughout Supermassive’s catalogue. The Quarry is about as close to a movie as a video game can get. The player operates eight different characters throughout the story. You are constantly being faced with decisions, whether it be actions or dialogue, and your choices determine the fate of the characters and the outcome of the story. Some players will make it to the final act nearly unscathed. Others will limp to the finish line with only one or two characters left to tell the tale. It provides a true sense of urgency and risk that many story games lack.
While there are many ways that the game can play out, there is still one consistent overarching story that all players will experience. I think the story here is, for the most part, solid. I continue to be impressed by the developer’s ability to make a story feel familiar, yet new. Many of the key twists and turns throughout the story aren’t groundbreaking. But I believe they are portrayed in a way that keeps the content fresh and inspires the audience to keep theorizing until the very end. As for the characters, even though you may not like all of them, they all feel unique contribute to the plot in a meaningful way. This game also has a lot of villains, which makes sense when you are trying to pack a 10-hour story with consistently surprising threats. There are a handful of baddies with muddy motivations that seem to solely exist to elicit a jump scare. However, the main antagonists allow the player to explore interesting themes about responsibility and sacrifice. And the fact that the audience has an impressive amount of agency within the story allows those themes to impact the player even harder. They do a great job of scattering little clues and collectibles throughout the campaign that immerses the player and expands the world.
I hinted at it a little earlier, but let’s really dive into the gameplay side of this release. In the past, the various aspects of gameplay have been incredibly hit-or-miss for this game studio. This game is no exception. The first and most prominent issue that permeates every Supermassive release I have had the pleasure of playing are the camera angles. These games have some of the most frustrating camera angles and scene transitions in video game history. One moment you will be exploring the terrain with a bird’s eye view shot of the whole camp. Take one more step and you will be spectating your character from behind a tree on the opposite side of the park. Its jarring, clunky, and insanely frustrating. And the most frustrating part is that it is so obvious that this problem stems from genuine ambition. They are desperately trying to make these games as cinematic as possible. And let me be very clear — they often succeed. The camera angles are genuinely inventive, and are a very creative way of enhancing the atmosphere. Unfortunately, these decisions often fail to effectively translate to the keyboard, mouse, and controller. This pursuit does continue to show a lot of promise. If they can continue to work on their transitions, I strongly believe these games will go on to put many films to shame.
The Quarry also continues the tradition of implementing “quick time events” into the cut-scenes. This refers to moments during the game where the player has to instinctively react to threats by pressing a specified button within a minute time frame. This game does mix it up a bit. Instead of simply pressing A or B, the player must move the analog stick in a way that corresponds with the stimuli. For example, if the character is about to trip over a rock, the player will have to flip the stick up in order to vault the obstacle. I am kind of torn on this new development. On one hand, these moments do feel more real. Obviously, narrowly avoiding a bear trap in real life and in a game are two completely different feelings. However, pressing left to dodge left does a better job of giving the player that feeling than pressing square on a DualShock controller. The drawback is that these moments aren’t always incredibly intuitive. In real life, you don’t only have one option when evading an oncoming vehicle. You can dodge left, you can dodge right, you can even make the bold choice of trying to clear a ten-foot wall of steel moving at you at 50 miles per hour. The last example is a little silly, but you get my point. There are moments where this game punishes you for choosing left over right for no clear reason. The game does specify the direction if you wait long enough, but I still feel like it ended up feeling pretty arbitrary. Quick time events have never been my favorite gameplay mechanic, but I do understand that they are a guarantee in this kind of game. I think at the end of the day this is a step in the right direction.
The aforementioned decision-making engine is harder to grade at this point. I have only been able to play the game once. I do not really know how varied the endings of the game can get. This is the drawback of reviewing a game like this after a single playthrough. I want there to be as many potential endings as possible. That is what gives a game in this genre replayability. I don’t have the ability to compare my ending to other endings. I do, however, have the ability to reflect upon how impactful my actions felt throughout the game. There are moments where I felt like I had the agency to save my characters life. There are moments where I can trace an unfortunate outcome back to a decision I made. Both of these are incredibly rewarding and a testament to the potential of the medium. There are also moments where I felt like a seemingly arbitrary choice immediately led to the worst possible ending. This obviously is true to life. Every now and then you are going to do something that feels insignificant but ends up being met with magnificent ramifications. The unfortunate truth is that this just isn’t very satisfying from a video game perspective. I want to at least have the opportunity to protect my character with some critical thought. Ultimately, the good far outweighed the bad in this department.
I have one last major point and then will jump into a handful of rapid-fire comments before landing on my final score. The major point is that I know my final review is heavily influenced by the circumstances in which I played the game. The Quarry introduced a game mode that did not appear in Until Dawn. This mode is called couch coop, and it was everything I ever wanted for this style of game. The mode is simple. Instead of playing each character yourself, the game can distribute the playable characters between you and up to seven friends. I had an absolute blast sitting on the couch and living through this game with a handful of friends. Any single decision could spell life or death for a member of your group. Whenever you choose the sarcastic or flirtatious dialogue option, one of your friends was on the receiving end of the repercussions. It was hilarious, suspenseful, frustrating, and an absolute blast. It was a simple, yet worthy addition that I expect in every game to follow. I believe they intend on introducing online coop in the coming months.
I spent about 10 hours with this game, so I could go on forever. Here are a few bullet points to close us out. First, this game has some genuine pacing issues. The first half can be tedious and a little slow. There are important decisions and discoveries in the first half, but the bulk of the action and reveals occur in the last couple chapters. Admittedly, I do not know how you would be able to make the early chapters more interesting without cheapening the climactic moments. I also was met with a handful of technical problems throughout the game. There were some lighting issues towards the beginning and some long load screens throughout. This may be a result of running it on a PS4 that could hypothetically be enrolling in second grade in the fall. It also didn’t prevent me from completing the game, so no true harm done. I would also like to mention that this style of game would be the perfect way for movie lovers to dip their toe into the world of gaming. There are many points throughout my experience that I felt like I was just watching an extra-long film. The gameplay is really simple, and they even have several creative vignettes to add some color to the tutorialized moments.
The Quarry was my most anticipated game of the year. Being touted as the “spiritual successor” to one of the most beloved horror games of all time essentially sets you up to fail. Yet I still had hope that the game would fill a gap that had been empty for the past five years. I can confidently say I was not disappointed with the product I got. This release reignited my passion for the genre. I am back on board for their future releases, and am particularly excited to see what Jessie Buckley is able to bring to the table. The best part about this game is that I still feel like I have so much to do. There are so many pivotal moments that I fully intend to revisit. I want to experience the best ending and I really want to see what happens when things go completely off the rails. I’m itching to hop back in and have a sneaking suspicion that this title will only grow on me with future playthroughs.
Score: 7/10
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