The Quarry Review: Summer Horror Festival

By GamesRecon

In the midst of the forest, with nothing except an ominous threat, what happens to a group of young people who are desperate for attention? Supermassive Games’ sequel to Until Dawn, The Quarry, has a deviously compelling foundation. A new horror game The Quarry shows developers are returning to their basics after experimenting with narrow storylines in The Dark Pictures Anthology series, which was well-received by gamers.

The atmosphere is that of a horror film love letter. Instead of a melancholy farewell, the last day of Hackett’s Quarry summer camp is spent by the counselors partying it up yet another time without worrying about the kids’ safety. Each counselor has a unique personality, and Supermassive utilizes this whiskey campfire period as an opportunity for the player’s participation in their character’s behavior.

After the summer, nine counselors find themselves trapped in the woods for one last night before returning to their regular activities. Someone from the treeline is stalking the counselors, and your decisions will define whether or not any of them live the night. Even though the three horror storylines are all rather conventional, Supermassive Games used to have a great time piecing them together in this configuration. Even though you will be playing a game, you’ll usually feel like you are in a horror film.

you'll usually feel like you are in a horror film
More like a horror movie than a game.

Hackett’s Quarry, the upstate New York summer camp that serves as the setting for The Quarry. There are nearly one billion hectares of natural grandeur scattered over an area meant to look like an even more picture-perfect replica of its own. All of the camp’s colors are brought to life by the cinematography, making it look much like treasured remembrance. The horror begins when the sun sets, the night begins, and the woods become calm.

- Advertisement -

It takes about ten hours to play through as all nine camp counselors one by one. With its exploring moments, chat decisions, instant happenings, easy battle, and Mass Effect-style interrupts where you will have a tiny window to perform a quick motion, you can affect its happenings. Each of these tasks can be made easier or more challenging according to your preferences in The Quarry, thanks to the game’s many features. With the Movie Mode, you can sit back and let the tale unfold as it’s meant to be seen, leading to one of several predetermined endings. A few significant aspects, many optional, and a vast share of plot background are all missing from the movie mode, which is why it is best to play the game on your own.

The Quarry represents excellent realistic visuals
The Quarry represents excellent realistic visuals

Once you get further into it The Quarry, you’ll see how it surprises you. Every counselor is given a solid performance by the amazing cast as a whole. Because of the technological advancements, the characters in this game are one of the most true-to-life animated looks ever seen in a video game. Whenever a character’s attitude alters, you can tell if they’re frightened or seductive. It liberates the players from having to pronounce a single phrase while still conveying a range of feelings.

As a movie video game, the dialogue has a crisp and realistic vibe to it when it’s conversational, which is a good fit for a game like this. Aside from that, it is actually amusing, ensuring to include a few chuckles even in the bleakest of situations. Every character is given enough opportunity to build their relationships with one another and for you to learn more about them. Before things become crazy, you get a chance to watch how these personalities interact with one another during the first 2 initial hours at most. There are also pace concerns later on, with scenes that drag their feet to the point where it feels as if some of the fat should have been cut off this plodding approach. A scenario in which anyone can end up dying necessitates a keen interest in the fate of individuals on the verge of peril.

The Quarry is fundamentally an immersive film

There is a major drawback to The Quarry, which is that the majority of its playing duration seems more like a film than a game. It’s possible to play through a whole game without deciding to do any decisions or take command of any characters. Just sit back and observe. That’s all you have to do.

The Quarry is fundamentally an immersive film, and Supermassive does not really cover this up from the audience. When it comes to creating tension and giving credibility to your choices, nothing beats the basic choice-and-effect model. You’ll feel concerning characters because they’re well-developed, well-written, and well-performed, and the tale has plenty of interesting surprises that keep you hungry to see what comes ahead. In spite of the fact that you can only contribute once every few minutes, The Quarry is a wonderful horror game and the best effort from the Supermassive.

The Quarry Review: Our Verdict

A lot more control over the gameplay would be nice for the fundamental gameplay. There is no denying that the possibilities are fascinating, particularly when they result in complete pandemonium. Dark mystery and joy of preserving human life are potent lures that hold the players captivated to the screen till the curtain rises as the frenzied rush through the woods starts. After playing Until Dawn, it’s hard to say whether or not The Quarry is better or worse than the previous game. An excellent writing and an excellent ensemble deliver a slow-burning storyline with multiple rewarding endings. That makes playing it the way it was meant to be a challenge, however. Despite the fact that it’s really a fantastic treat, especially the first time, the Supermassive’s concept may stand to be improved in terms of performance.