The Quarry is the latest horror choice-based game from Supermassive Games. It is an 80s-inspired horror fest with characters resembling a classic 80s horror film. The story revolves around nine councillors at the end of a long summer who are hoping for one amazing final night together, in a story that you know will spell disaster.
All the action takes place on Hackett’s Quarry , which introduces us to the paranoid Hackett family on what feels like a random night. The characters all feel authentic, with genuine differences in their personalities which makes them feel different to you as a player.
The Hackett family are a brilliant addition, they don’t just feel like stereotypical game villains as you spend enough time with them to understand why they are the way they are. What’s even more impressive is the cast that they managed to get for the game. Recognisable names made it feel like you were playing through a movie and created a special experience.
If you are yet to play it then this is a warning, The Quarry is the most brutal release yet that we’ve seen from the developers, it punishes you a lot. Sometimes you can get away with hesitation and sometimes it results in death.
From my experience playing, the latter comes into play far more often. For the first time, even not making a decision feels like a decision within itself. Sometimes you are asked to make decisions simultaneously and it makes for a tricky gameplay experience.
The creators usually have a weird and creative way of guiding you to the right path for the perfect ending. This time, it is through going to fortune teller, Eliza Vorez, who reads tarot cards before showing you possible futures. Just in case there weren’t enough choices to make in this game, you have to choose which futures to see.
This does mean missing out on seeing particular tarot cards despite collecting them, and for these decisions, there was no time limit.
This made it feel as major of a decision as the ones in the actual story. To make matters worse, if you miss collecting a few of the tarot cards, Eliza will get annoyed at you and insult you.
The Quarry is incredibly replayable, there are multiple storylines I found unanswered after my first playthrough. Multiple clues that I couldn’t find and many details that went unnoticed.
This can be discovered through more playthroughs, and with so many people to try and keep alive, it’s super difficult to get the best ending creating another reason for you to play again. Making three or four playthroughs feel like a must.
Overall this game is a delight and despite occasional lag problems, which may also be down to the system you play on, it creates a great experience.The Quarry is an enjoyable game with shocks, twists, turns and horror. It’ll make you laugh, cry and shudder and then make you want to go through all of it again when the credits roll.
4/5 stars.
