The Quarry is Supermassive Games’ latest horror masterpiece. If you’ve ever played Until Dawn, you know exactly what I mean by “masterpiece.” This game doesn’t only follow the formula; it refines it. Supermassive seemed to take a step back from the tighter stories of The Dark Pictures Anthology series and decided to go back to what they do best—turning us into stressed-out horror movie directors.
The setting is classic: a summer camp at Hackett’s Quarry in upstate New York. The counselors, nine of them to be exact, are sticking around for one last night after the kids have gone home. Naturally, they decide to throw a party because what could go wrong? Turns out, a lot. And that’s where you come in. Someone (or something) is lurking in the woods, and your choices will decide who survives the night. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure but with higher stakes and more screaming.
What’s good is that each of the counselors has a distinct personality. The game lets you influence their behavior in a natural way. There’s a whiskey campfire vibe going on at the start, giving you time to get a feel for the characters before everything spirals into chaos. It’s fun and a little tense—like watching a horror movie where you yell at the screen, but here, you get to control who makes the dumb decisions.
The game has classic horror tropes, but they’re pieced together in a unique way that’s enough to keep you hooked. Even though you’re playing a game, it often feels like you’re in a horror movie. From the moment the sun sets, the atmosphere shifts, and you know you’re in for something creepy. Hackett’s Quarry looks almost too perfect, like a postcard of a camp, but once night falls, that calm starts to feel eerie.
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, thanks to the game’s features. One of the good features is Movie Mode. If you feel lazy or want to watch the drama unfold, you can sit back and let the game tell its story. It’ll lead to one of several endings, though some of the juicy backstory and optional choices get cut out. It’s nice, but I recommend playing the game yourself—there’s something satisfying about making the tough calls, even if they lead to disaster.
What really impressed me was how The Quarry keeps surprising you. The cast is fantastic, with performances that look shockingly real for a video game. Thanks to some serious tech advancements, you can practically read the characters’ faces. You’ll know when someone is scared, nervous, or flirting without them saying a word. It’s like watching real people—people you might send to their doom if you’re not careful.
The dialogue, when it’s not making your heart race, is pretty sharp and realistic. There’s even some humor sprinkled in, which is a nice touch when things get too dark. You’ll have time to get to know the characters and watch their relationships develop before the chaos starts. The first couple of hours are mostly set up, and while that slow burn works in the beginning, there are some moments later on where scenes drag out. You’ll find yourself wishing they’d trimmed some of the fat. Still, when the stakes are life and death, every moment counts.
For the downside—and it’s a big one for some people. A lot of The Quarry plays more like an interactive movie than a traditional game. You can sit back for long stretches without making any real decisions, which looks odd. It’s a little frustrating if you’re craving more control, but sometimes being a passenger on this thrill ride is worth it.
That said, the choice-and-consequence model The Quarry uses is still super effective. You’ll care about these characters because they’re written well, acted well, and full of surprises. Even when you only make a choice every few minutes, those moments are tense. It makes the whole experience feel immersive, and you’ll want to see what happens next, even if it’s not always your doing.
Verdict
It would’ve been nice to have more control over the action, but the choices you do get to make are satisfying—especially when they lead to chaos. The dark mysteries, the rush to save lives (or not), and the constant threat lurking in the woods all combine to keep you on edge until the very end. Is The Quarry better than Until Dawn? Tough call. Both have their strengths, but this one nails the slow-burn horror genre, giving you a solid story with multiple rewarding endings. Even if there’s room for improvement, it’s a killer ride the first time through.