High temperatures. traffic jams Serial killers. The nature of adolescence in which the individual becomes increasingly self-aware. The truth is that if there is a season that can end us once and for all, it is summer. Since the dawn of time, this kind of solstice has given us as many hours of leisure as there are mortal dangers.
Whether camping or a family outing, visits and travel can be complicated at the slightest change. The wrong place, at the worst possible time, an oversight or, why not, screaming to destroy an entire family while hiding in a fridge, it’s possible. Everything can happen. And if not, let them tell games like The Quarry, the new narrative adventure from Supermassive Games, the same developer of The Dark Pictures, which once again bets on teenage terror.
An adventure, full of cliches and references to different horror moviesset in a camp where every choice, big or small, shapes the story and determines who lives to tell it.
technical part
For many years, the Uncanny Valley hypothesis has not only been studied, respected and even feared by designers and developers, but its effects have generated great interest. Technology has brought us closer to creating entities that with each generation they more closely resemble humans in their facial expressions and gestures. It seems natural to assume that the more humanoid characteristics are incorporated, the more familiarity will be aroused and, therefore, the more fluid and pleasant the interaction will be. However, there is still a long way to go to reach the maximum perfection and reach the maximum possible affinity.
When using motion capture with actors and actresses from the world of cinema, The Quarry seems to walk in the so-called “disturbing valley”, with characters so close to photorealism that they end up generating a certain unease. Although the facial result is particularly surprising on many occasions, with breathtaking close-ups. Likewise, it is a particularly spectacular work (in perfect Castilian), with some passages that really make your hair stand on end for its efficiency and its staging.
In addition, the use of light on them is very successful and provides a unique atmosphere, capable of putting us in a tense situation.
gameplay
The video game industry has seen great changes throughout its more than 40 years of history, both technological and narrative. Cinema has undoubtedly been the medium that has most influenced the maturation of video games as an audiovisual product, which has gone from mere entertainment characterized by its primitive narration and simple game mechanics, to being considered a new artistic discipline which manages to convey emotions and make the player think through the stories it tells, adding the factor of interactivity
For example, Supermassive Games games are characterized by the constant combination of moments of absolute control of the actions of the character or characters with the Quick Eventsespecially at times when it is necessary enhance the drama of the storyline. In this case, by a more elaborate use of camera shots, arranged in an assembly and photography comparable to Hollywood blockbusters.
The Quarry is no exception, since the script weighs more than the actions, and the narrative flow is a constant. In fact, even if we fail again and again in QTE moments, the storytelling does not stop, but adapts to player actions during cutscenes. Thus, the developer of old presents another type of experience closer to cinema or television series, only that each decision generates an action and all actions have consequences.
In other words, when making decisions in the game in question, we should pay attention not only to what we intend to achieve with our decision, but also to all sorts of intended or unintended consequences that may arise from our decision, short and long term. In this regard, whether the characters who make up the adventure survive or not, something that has become a kind of mantra in the games of the studio based in Guildford, UK and which he knew how to handle with great mastery.
duration
Death is the final destination for each of us. It’s something we have to accept. And while it obviously can’t be compared to real life, death is part of our progress in video games, especially ones in which there’s no turning back.
In The Career, death acts as an omniscient protagonist, being able to permanently lose any of our characters at any time. Throughout the adventure, which can last up to nine hours, we have a series of decisions that we must make in an essential way and which require evaluating different options. Yes, death is appealing when it actually gets in the way of life, especially when aiming at stereotyped characters, but trying to save them all is a revitalizing boost, increasing the number of hours one can spend in command. .
conclusion
Thanks to hits like “Halloween Night” and “Friday the 13th”, the 1980s saw the explosion of slasher cinema, a subgenre in which, typically, a group of teenagers became the target of the service psychopath. Thus, characters like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and company would become the execution weapons for an entire generation of viewers.
The Quarry pays a stylish homage to the classic slasher horror that terrified us so much on those summer nights, delighting any fan of this subgenre through an intense interactive cinematic experience. An experience that hides your cards more than it seems.
We thank 2K Games Europe the equipment provided to carry out this analysis.
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