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*all images used are screenshots from my gameplay.

Alright Hacketeers! This is my review of the latest horror game by Supermassive Games and published by 2K Games called The Quarry. One of my most anticipated horror games of the year, The Quarry did not disappoint!

Where do I begin? The Quarry is the spiritual successor to Until Dawn and it is done so well. The gritty horror of beasts roaming in the night, and one dark event that set it all into motion. There are a lot of things done well with The Quarry, and a lot of that success drawn from aspects of Until Dawn that make it so great.

There are still parts of The Quarry that could have been improved, especially when it came to the actual gameplay itself, but we’ll dive into that!

Game modes

Right off the bat the game asks you if you want to play in streamer or standard mode (the mode the game is original made to play in and is the recommended), which is pretty good. I’m assuming that with streamer mode, the game takes away the licensed/copyrighted music montages so it’s safe to stream online on different platforms. It’s really amazing that Supermassive Games catered their game to streamers too.

There’s also a movie mode, which I haven’t tested yet but heard its super cool. So you can either sit back and just watch the whole game unfold as a movie, or you can potential direct the cast in advance and tell them what you want them to do first before watching. Such a cool and unique idea.

There’s also multiplayer mode, which is essentially a pass the controller play, where you pass the controller to the next person when the game switches character. A lovely way to play with all of your friends together for horror game night.

There is also an online co-op mode, which differs from how offline couch play is run. So, instead of each player controlling their own character, when the perspective shifts, the host gamer is the only one playing but everyone else will have the opportunity to input the choices they want to make.

Also! After you go through your first run through of the game a special mode is unlocked, but I’ll leave that for you to find out!

So, with the game modes covered, onto the actual game itself, and more specifically, one of my favourite aspects of the game…

Music!

So, let’s start with the music. GEEZ! The music montages are one of my favourite parts of the game, it has a cool Life is Strange kinda vibes, mixed into the backdrop of horror. It really sets the mood and something everyone should experience if you’re not streaming.

Gameplay

Now to gameplay. I could have definitely done with a speed walk button! That was the first thing I noticed whilst exploring the big dark woods of Hackett’s Quarry. Forced to take slow steps in exploring the world around me, scared that there was a secret timer that would run out and I’d be jumped if I wasn’t searching quick enough. What’s worse is that The Quarry requires you to meticulously search every part of the map or section you’re in, so you don’t miss out on any vital clues or evidence that could help you later on. Miss something and you could be at a big disadvantage later on, so a speed walk button would have been useful.

Don’t. Breathe. 

Within The Quarry there are events in which you need to make sure your character doesn’t breathe or they will be caught by whatever or whoever is hunting them down.

The way this has changed is something I actually miss from Until Dawn. In Until Dawn the concept of don’t breathe events was literally that for the player. You had to make sure you held your controller completely still or whatever was hunting you would find you. 

Admittingly, there was a bug in one or the scenes where even if you didn’t move, the game would sometimes think you did leading to your character’s gruesome death. However, there was something so immersive and scary about physically not moving as opposed to simply holding down a button that feels much scarier, but I understand why they chose to change it.

Camera angles!

Just a mini mention, but I loved the camera angles in the game. They were a nice touch kept from Until Dawn, but enhanced in a beautiful way. It really felt like I was playing in a teen horror/slasher movie.

QTEs (Quick Time Events)

The QTEs I found to be a little too easy in The Quarry. Compared to Until Dawn, The Quarry stuck to just moving the analog stick up, down, left, right, which I found to be a bit too easy, but that’s just personal preference.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Another big thing that I love about The Quarry and Supermassive Games in general is that in their games your choices really do matter. There are some cinematic movie games, whilst I do still love, that give you choices but only a few truly affect what happens in the game. With The Quarry, you miss a QTE and you’ll be potentially devoured by a monster.

A choice you make back in chapter 1 will affect you in a far later chapter of the game. It’s factors like this that make The Quarry extra special. Your choices matter, so you better make them wisely and once you make them there’s no going back. No force quitting your way outta that one like you could in Until Dawn haha! Come on, many of you know what I’m talking about!

The Story!

The story is definitely a fascinating one. Admittedly, I kind of sussed the main parts of the plot just under halfway through playing and guessed the extra little ‘twist’ but that’s because I play too many horror games and watch too many detective and crime shows haha! 

The story itself was really good with the characters at the heart of it either being loved or hated. (There was definitely one character I probably should have just let die for being a big jerk, but ya know…)

For me, each character was memorable (Kaitlyn, Dylan, Abi and Ryan were my favs) and finding and piecing together the lore and clues in the game was definitely fun too. 

There are also tarot cards you can find, which if you choose to, can show you a glimpse of something that could happen in the future during your gameplay. Supermassive Games did really well to piece the story together (if you find the clues and evidence too) and they did a superb job with the dialogue.

Overall, The Quarry is everything you want in a cinematic horror movie game. The chase scenes get your heart pumping and the scary action scenes either make you want to throw your control at the wall if you get something wrong, and yell at the screen or make you want to stand your ground and fight. 

Supermassive Games have outdone themselves with this one, and the CAST was phenomenal. I’d give the game 4 stars for sure! (It would have been 5 if they made the QTEs harder, changed the Don’t Breathe moments and had speed walking.)

But Supermassive Games really put in the effort to make the game fun for many kinds of gamers and they should be commended for that.

This game is not one to miss and if you love horror games (and movies) definitely check it out.