The medium of games has grown by a significant margin since its inception decades ago. A medium that once housed very select kinds of experiences now boasts a variety like none other, and with technology progressing at a rapid pace – new avenues and genres have continued to find their place in gaming. From action games to expansive RPGs to sports simulations, games now come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
Narrative has cemented its place as an important cornerstone for most types of games. After all, we all like to witness fictional characters embark on quests in equally fantastical and sometimes, not-so-fantastical settings and grow and come of age. Many developers have focused their efforts to deliver a rich and emergent narrative by leveraging the interactive possibilities of the medium of games. Over the past few years, we have seen games such as the likes of The Walking Dead, Life Is Strange, The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter, and many more that have delivered some excellent narrative-driven adventures that players remember well after the credits have rolled.
Supermassive Games is also one such developer that has slowly but steadily built its reputation with similar narrative adventures that all share a common horror theme with Until Dawn. Its upcoming game, The Quarry looks to be a culmination of all of the studio’s biggest strengths and the learnings from past ventures. As such, there’s a decent chance that it could end up being one of the biggest hits of the year.
The Quarry is a survival horror narrative adventure game that sees a group of survivors surviving through a dreadful night at the Hacket Quarry summer camp. It’s being described as Supermassive’s most ambitious project to date, and with so many smash hits under the developer’s belt – this statement definitely has us excited to see what’s in store. On that note, The Quarry is also a spiritual successor to the PS4 exclusive Until Dawn, so that should also give a rough indication as to what to expect from the game.
As mentioned before, players will be taking on the role of 9 survivors – namely Abigail, Ryan, Nick, Kaitlyn, Max, Laura, Emma, Dylan, and Jacob. All these survivors will presumably have their own complex personalities, traumas, and coping mechanisms that players will unravel throughout the course of the night. The Quarry also features a star-studded cast with the likes of Ariel Winter, Brenda Song, and Justice Smith among others lending their recognizable voices and talent to these characters.
Much like Until Dawn before it, The Quarry is also a game that just keeps on going and going. There’s no defined fail state per se – and the choices that you make throughout the course of the game will continue to shape the narrative as you go. It’s supposed to be a continuous experience – and as such, events like character deaths and most failed quick-time events don’t carry much meaning in the grand scheme of things. That said, players will have a Death Rewind mechanic to reverse a character’s death up to 3 times per playthrough, although the mechanic would only be available once players have finished the story.
In addition to making The Quarry a highly replayable game, the complex network of choice and consequences also means that the game will have a variable length. Supermassive states that an average playthrough could last anywhere from 7 hours to upwards to 10 hours, bolstering the belief that The Quarry is a game that’s meant to be played multiple times to get the full experience.
And let’s also talk about the graphics. Supermassive’s games have been no slouch when it comes to graphics, and the fact very much stands true in the case of The Quarry as well. From highly-detailed facial meshes to impressive lighting and immaculately detailed facial animations, Supermassive’s upcoming game looks to be an absolute beast of a game on a technical level. The Hacket Quarry summer camp looks to be a setting that’s filled to the brim with many hideous psychological horrors in its darkest corner, which you will be encountering in plenty during the course of this game. Supermassive has an extensive history of crafting thrilling theme parks of psychological horrors, and we are confident that it will deliver once again with The Quarry. A special mention also needs to be given to the game’s cinematography, as a multitude of camera angles perfectly frame the action to capture picturesque moments – many of which we have already seen in pre-release trailers and gameplay footage.
Another important factor that could make The Quarry one of the biggest games of the year is its attention to accessibility. Unlike prior games from the studio like Until Dawn, The Quarry will feature difficulty options that should allow players to tune the game according to their own will. Additionally, The Quarry will also feature a special difficulty that will supposedly minimize button inputs to make the game even more in line with a standard horror movie or TV show – opening up the game to those who don’t generally play any games which is exactly what the developer is wishing for with this feature.
This then neatly ties into the game’s social aspect. The Quarry will also feature co-op options – both local and co-op. The former sees players taking turns in controlling characters, while the latter can be enjoyed with a party of up to 7 players as they cast their votes on the many decisions that the host takes over the course of the playthrough. The best part of it all is that only the host needs a full copy of the game, while others can join in through a free downloadable demo.
On the more business side of things, The Quarry also gets to be one of the very few releases within the narrative-driven genre. The fact that The Quarry will be releasing in June also does the game a lot of favors, as this is usually a sparse time for video game releases which should give the game an ample amount of time to shine in the spotlight. This is further helped by the fact that the game will be a cross-gen release, allowing for more players to experience the game in all of its high-fidelity glory without having to invest hundreds of dollars for the latest hardware.
In conclusion, The Quarry is looking to be a game that’s emblematic of Supermassive’s biggest strengths. With a star-studded voice cast and impressive graphical presentation, The Quarry is shaping up to be the most ambitious project from the studio. Topping it all off is the signature flowing gameplay that has come to define the studio’s narrative-driven adventures. Furthermore, a focus on accessibility with difficulty options and a Death Rewind mechanic also ensures that many more fans are going to find something to love in The Quarry. Between this and the developer’s cross-gen release plans, The Quarry is primed for a large target demographic – and if the game does indeed deliver on its premise, Supermassive could easily have the biggest smash hit on their hands with this game.
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