If you’re not sure you know Quarry, a narrative-driven horror game with 186 endings oversized game you’ve heard. Supermassive Games is known for its cinematic psychological stories that keep you immersed while also giving you the chance to become a director.
Supermassive Games’ first full-story-based release was 2015’s Until Dawn (one of the best horror games of all time, by the way), where eight teenagers plan a party at a Blackwood Hills hotel overnight. In true slasher fashion, things go bad and it’s up to you to decide what’s next (and how many of them survive).
Since 2015, Supermassive Games has spent time working on anthologies of dark pictures (Man of Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, and soon, My Demons), which follow a similar structure. The anthology installation offers a variety of compelling stories about the paranormal, but none of them come close until dawn.
But the studio’s next game, The Quarry — not protected by The Dark Pictures — is a contender.
The Quarry is the spiritual successor to Till Dawn, and in this story, we’re not dealing with the paranormal in The Dark Pictures Anthology. Instead, we’re back to our slasher roots again. The Quarry takes everything people love from Till Dawn, interweaves it with new features in the anthology title, and the result seems to be a brilliant, bloody orgy that insists on having fun in horror. That’s what all true slashers are about, right?
After camp, the kids went home, the camp counselor’s car broke down and the group of nine found themselves stranded at Hackett Quarry for another night. While Mr. H warns the counselor to stay indoors until he returns in the morning (we’re not sure why he’s fleeing into the night, we’re not sure), the teen’s behavior is exactly what you’d expect: quite the opposite. You’re overnight at camp alone with your friends, so of course it’s time for a big outbreak!
A star-studded cast makes up nine characters you’ll love, for different reasons
In each act of The Quarry, you’ll take on a different advisor, and our preview builds allow us to play the events of Acts 2 and 3. It was engaging enough for me to have enough time to have fun, get to know the characters, and jump into some terrifying action.
I’m getting used to the characters, arguably one of the most important elements in these narrative-driven games. No one wants to spend hours escaping the most annoying or boring personality; that’s the problem with the latest anthology, House of Ashes. However, like Good Times Until Dawn, I think this might be an actor I won’t hate.
These may be my famous last words, but having a cast of characters that are easily likable (even if their negative traits are on full display) is what makes these games more memorable and even more difficult; you feel like it’s you who keeps these counselors alive Personal responsibility—whether for themselves or for you to see their relationship develop—the attachment you form with them becomes all too real.
It’s these add-ons that lead to the most exciting and engaging playthroughs, and a refreshing array of dynamic characters, mostly made up of Hollywood horror actors. I’m also completely unprepared when I accidentally trigger the death of my favorite character without a doubt. With 186 endings available, no one is safe.
You don’t have to spend more than 15 minutes playing The Quarry to get a feel for the dynamics between each character, and as a game it does a great job of cementing those relationships. After all, they stand at the center of everything, and Supermassive has now put a lot of practice into building complex relationships quickly.
So you can’t forget who’s crushing whom, but you have a chance to let the relationship blossom — or you can crush their hearts. The choices are yours, and while the Dark Pictures Anthology is also advertised as yours, it often feels like your conversational decisions don’t have the greatest overall impact on relationships.
In The Quarry, however, things are different. There are multiple endings, regular reminders of your “chosen path” (an indicator that you have made decisions that will have an overall impact on your story), and how easy it feels to develop affinity with these characters, your decisions and relationships more impactful than ever.
It feels fun while constantly reminding you that this is a horror game
From my preview, The Quarry has a superb soundtrack. Considering it’s filled with what you’d expect a teen to listen to: pop tracks and indie bops, here’s what you’d expect from a slasher. However, the soundtrack incorporates black tones and a typical horror soundtrack.
For a moment, you’re enjoying a campfire as the camera just takes a break, allowing you to enjoy the entire scenery and the soundtrack that accompanies it. The next moment, you’re in the forest helping Abby to safety as the tension builds up on the delicate score and the roar of an unknown monster beckons you. Quarry makes heavy use of juxtapositions to switch between fun and true horror, many of which are direct while being propelled by the soundtrack. It was a brave directorial decision – and one that paid off handsomely.
At the beginning of Act 2, it’s time to pick up the rickety shotgun found by one of the teens and blow up some watermelons. While I’m terrified of seeing my favorite fruit go to waste, this is one of the funniest attempts I’ve seen in a tutorial in a while.
We can safely assume this is our first time using a weapon in a quarry, so the watermelons are just our future test dummies – what a great test dummy they are. Paired with upbeat tunes and some cheery brawls, the scene is nothing more than some cheap fun for the camp counselor. When an argument goes too far or a gun falls into the hands of inexperienced people, those moments of suspense are a sudden reminder that it can all get sinister.
Maybe not at that moment, but every time an ounce of tension creeps into the air, whatever fun you’re having seems to be called out by the game. You might have some well-meaning fun in one scene, but Quarry is good at building suspense and reminding you that sooner or later things can go wrong. It’s fun at times and the characters are fun, but with an invisible hand, Supermassive takes control quickly, alerting you to the imminent danger.
I’m ready for more lights, cameras, action (but mostly suspense)
While I spent a lot of time in previewing The Quarry to figure out who was sleeping with whom — or who was having a crush on whom — I did get a brief glimpse of the action. As is the tradition in mega-games and hack and slash, something terrible lurks in the woods, and our characters will eventually face it, whether they like it or not. They either fall prey to horror or fight for their lives; the only difference between Thriller Movies and Supermassive Games is that the lives of these teens are in your hands.
In Act 3, two innocent lovebirds, Abby and Nick, spend quality time in the forest and soon discover they have company. The company was also apparently hungry, as it growled threateningly and started hunting them down. I wasn’t allowed to research this monster or what it might be, lucky Supermassive because even after staring at it after it lost Abby’s scent and slipped away, I’m still no wiser. It sucks, though, and that’s the best we know right now.
Action sequences play out like previous games. You need to respond to a variety of fast time events, press the right button at the right time, and also have to control your breathing by pressing the button from time to time, and even decide what to do next.
While I don’t like action sequences at all, I usually have to devote myself to making sure I don’t miss a QTE and accidentally kill my only favorite character (RIP Salim from House of Ashes), and I’m craving more. I’m mostly Want to see more of the monster lurking here, not deal with the anxiety of trying to escape it. Either way, there’s no denying that Supermassive Games has achieved a high level of suspense in these action scenes.
This action sequence in Act 3 starts with Abby walking around in the forest, lost and alone, until Nick finds her (thanks to my great decision). The couple share an intimate moment (or a hostile one, it’s up to you) before being rudely interrupted by the creature. Before I could understand what was going on, I got up and tried to run away, and I don’t know why I was so shocked. After all, that’s exactly what we expect when Abby navigates the woods.
However, the quarry is so immersive that once Nick shows up and asks if Abby is okay, you forget that danger is waiting to prey on these characters. You’re dragged into a conversation that may or may not lead to a kiss, and the monster feels like it’s in the past; when the creature finally shows up, suspense and a false sense of security have built up, making the revelation all the more terrifying .
I admit, this may not work in every scenario, as decisions can drastically change what’s going on. But if most of the key scenes were made this way, I think I’d have a pretty good experience. Supermassive Games has had plenty of time to figure out what immerses players and how it really upsets them, and it seems they have mastered that in The Quarry.
After being brought back to camp, my time at the quarry ended. Several characters sit around a campfire and have a final round of Truth or Dare between them before they hear Abby scream. Two of them sprinted to help, while one—looking far scarier than their peers—stayed behind; can they do something about it? Do they know what’s going to happen next?
It’s a hell of a temporary suspense, Supermassive, but I wholeheartedly look forward to seeing how the rest of the action (and the new death rewind mechanic) unfold on June 10, 2022.
