I stumbled upon this game a couple years back and had shown some interest to it but never really got far. I would play the first chapter or so and that would be it.

Time flies by and I would make decent progress until about recently. Continued and finished all the way through.

Which I must say this game is pretty slow in story and gameplay. For something that is about 10 hours or so should not make you feel that way but it did. In between chapters there would be this prolonged TV show cinematic and was pretty neat at first, but after awhile it got repetitive and frustrating. The story was convoluted with several things you had to do to follow along with the story. It was ambitious, which I admire it for doing so, but it inevitably did not execute.

All in all, the concept was there with time travel and chronostasis but just executed poorly. I wouldn’t label this as “bad” but definetly not good either. In between the two of it being just “fine” is where this game belongs.

While not a game I can widely recommend or safely consider "conventionally good", I can say with certainty that it has won a part of my heart on a second playthrough and sticks out to me as one of the most unique AAA titles of the last decade.

Starting with the half-show-half-game design, regardless of criticism, I can definitely feel that they tried their best. Does it make the game better? Questionable. Should this design be repeated? Maybe? But, is it an enjoyable little experiment? Absolutely. While it's a pretty B tier experience, it does expand the world by avoiding following the main character as much as possible and focusing on completely different, simultaneous events. Production value doesn't feel too low either, with acceptable camera work and sets, while being presented through believable enough acting. Overall I wouldn't call it a selling point of the game but I can't say I hated it. It's very rarely that we see big developers use their ample budgets for off the wall stuff like this.

Beyond this aspect there's plenty of more nerdier details that I can't help but notice and appreciate. There's the stunning visuals featuring a constant use of advanced technology for the time (like global illumination, volumetric lighting and resolution upscaling), the use of real life brands and events (other than the amusing Nissan and Microsoft sponsorships), use of video streaming for the show element before the big streaming boom, the extensive use of corporate aesthetics, ties with the rest of Remedy's creative universe... Just a wide showcase of quirky elements that really make it feel more special, even when a lot of it's presentation can feel like extremely run-of-the-mill AAA slop.

Coming back to the visuals, I really cannot overstate how much of a visual treat this game is. The new for the time Northlight engine truly brought people into a new generation of visuals in 2016 and still creates jaw-dropping playable sequences, with excellent realistic lighting and materials. The heavy use of post-processing and screen space effects can be a bit overwhelming at times but still really adds to the experience. It genuinely still holds up even with the newest releases in 2023, perhaps with the exception of some low res shadows or iffy volumetrics at times.

Combat is also extremely satisfying, which is what Remedy always does best. It's not particularly deep or highly challenging, but provides good difficulty with excellent showmanship through it's visual effects and sound design. AI also feels a bit more engaging than most other games, with them constantly trying to push, flank or flush out your position, forcing you to remain mobile and aggressive.

So why doesn't this game get a better rating? Because I can see how it can just bore or annoy people. Combat is sparse throughout the game and is frequently interrupted by walking/platforming and talking segments, PC performance is lackluster unless you turn on the blurry upscaling (where even then you'll experience uneven frametimes) and the story is full of overly cheesy or empty characters, like the protagonist. It just has too many elements that can push people away unless they can appreciate stuff like the visuals while they get through the more boring parts, some might just hate the show aspect too.

Overall I'm left feeling quite happy this game exists at all. It's one of the few, brave AAA experiments of modern gaming and has a fair amount of character if you take your time to look around. A cautious recommendation :)

Much like Alan Wake, the gameplay has a lot of good ideas, and this includes some really cool combat abilities and mechanics, but still feels a bit clunky to use, it's almost there, just needs a bit of refinement (see: Control). This game is also an insane visual spectacle, this could come out now, an entire generation later, and people would still praise it's visuals, and not just because of the graphical quality, the set pieces and VFX are outstanding and really create a sense of excitement, but never make it hard to tell what's happening in combat.

The issue comes with the story, not only are the characters extremely dull and the story snoringly straightforward - the story takes up the vast majority of the game. For a game that includes an entire 4 episode live-action TV show that plays between the acts, it's an absolutely bewildering decision to also make more of the time during the game portions walking around listening to people talk than actually engaging in the fun combat. Seriously, I think about 75% of this entire game, even when not including the TV show episodes, is just story dialogue, which is a huge shame. So it should really speak to the absolute height of achievement this game reaches as a technical spectacle that it still recieves the score I've given it. Don't get me wrong, I think including live-action segments is not only on brand for Remedy but is a really interesting idea, it just adds nothing here and creates a sense of tedium.

Anyway, might replay Control again.

This is a wonderful example of how a lackluster environment and lack of creative vision can bring a game with so much potential down. The gunplay is good, the graphics and physics are impressive and surprisingly hardware-friendly, the premise is interesting - all of that with some quite high production value.

It does not fall apart because of the lengthy pseudo-TV FMVs, though those don't do any favors. They're not exactly bad, but it's unclear how they're providing any value to the narrative and you keep thinking 'I guess it's okay quality for a game...'. They obviously destroy the pacing, like is this game just intended for people playing on the couch or bed in front of a TV? If I play at a desk, should I just awkwardly sit out the FMVs? There are also the epic story choices (to spice them up, called 'Junction') which I totally forgot about because like all of them you don't even know what you're picking, you never get to see the alternative outcome except in a youtube video because who would replay this game and frankly, what-ifs don't work if they're not interesting.

It does fall apart because of the uninspired locations that were pulled from uninspired action movies. You can see some of them in the whole five (5) screenshots on the Steam store page (which are great, they all show boring gameplay footage). You'll be amazed! An office! A lab! A hideout which is just some concrete and a garage? An old factory????? A WAREHOUSE??? Wow! Holy hell, amazing. Just what I think of when I wanna play a game about a TIME MACHINE.

Just play Control instead. It's got the good graphics, gameplay with a better, more fleshed-out setting and super memorable environments - and a soul. Just a straight upgrade in every aspect. Not that this one is bad, it's just - there.

Quantum Break took me back to the old times when we had to go in a straight line and hit and break whoever came in our way. I can say that the story part of the game is beautiful and keeps up with the current science fiction trend. But enjoying the story is depend on the player…. For this, it will be enough to play the game by messing around a bit. As you pinch the game, you can get right into the story and you feel like you are reading a novel or watching a good science fiction movie.


Let’s talk abaout the game, the game makes you felt like you play an improved and modified version of max payne. The graphics are a bit behind the times; I can say that the sounds are at a satisfactory level. Apart from these, I have to say that there are plenty of bugs in the game. Since the physical movements of our characters are similar to the movements of rusted robots, you can sometimes feel that you are away from reality. I said at the beginning that the line of the game goes on a straight route. To explain a little more, you solve a few simple puzzles in the game and then you kill all the enemies with gun. In the meantime, you make the conflict enjoyable with your supernatural powers born from the breaking of time. So while playing, you don’t have to think much about what to do now. Since the power balance of the character is too much so There is not too difficult in the fights. But you are definitely not bored.

Quantum Break proved to me that it is completly an action game. Can I play second? I do not think so. Do I regret playing? No way. did i have fun? I can easily say yes. Bored? no. I felt very comfortable playing the game. I can say that I spent 5 6 hours with pleasure hitting and breaking without any contraction or tension. If you’re a fan of action style, I’d say it’s worth playing. If you have a better option and are going to try Quantum Break to see if I like the action genre, I’d say stay away.

after this game Remedy is definitely one of my favorite game developers

my only real gripe is that the ending was way too rushed, but aside from that I loved every aspect
even the TV show, as low-budget as it was lmao

RIP Lance Reddick...

Eu pensei muito sobre Quantum Break, e talvez a frase que melhor resuma sua proposta seja:

Nós não podemos mudar os eventos do passado, mas podemos garantir que exista um futuro.

À título de contextualização, minha aventura começou com a vontade de fazer companhia à um grande amigo em sua jornada de passear pelo jogos da Remedy. Fizemos questão de adentrar em entrevistas, documentários, artigos e conferências com a carinha do carismático Sam Lake.

Sendo o terceiro título do diretor com o qual tenho contato, temos percebido em nossas discussões um padrão colossal de importância nos elementos narrativos e estruturas de roteiro. O alto impacto que Sam Lake proporciona advém de uma escrita incrível, além de uma paixão inegável por músicas dos mais diferentes estilos.

Além disso, diversas influências de quadrinhos, livros, séries e filmes noir, de horror, terror, suspense policial, thriller psicológico, ficção científica e drama se tornam salientes na roteirização de suas obras, mas Quantum Break acerta diferente. Direi o porque a seguir.

Sendo um jogo de 2016, e escolhendo um tema que já estava relativamente saturado no meio audiovisual, a aventura de Jack Joyce tinha tudo para dar errado.

Mexer com viagem no tempo é como mexer em um vespeiro, principalmente quando a abordagem abraça os picos da ficção científica atrelados em conceitos de física quântica. Pior do que isso, dado o histórico do finlandês de estar para a escrita na décima arte assim como Kojima está para o cinema, a incontável quantidade de logs, e-mails e conteúdos narrativos poderiam ser uma encheção infindável de linguiça metafísica, o que não foi o caso.

A construção do micro-mundo da cidade portuária de Riverport é envolvente do começo ao final, e mesmo com o plano de fundo do "salvador loiro dos olhos azuis" inserido abruptamente no contexto de grandes poderes e grandes responsabilidades, Sam Lake transforma Quantum Break em uma homenagem de ponta aos materiais de perseguição policial — e incrivelmente não imperialista — com uma história que poderia ter sido facilmente escrita por Christopher Nolan, ressalto, em um de seus bons filmes.

Ao passo que a preocupação em estabelecer Jack Joyce como um herói não-blasé era inevitável, fui totalmente surpreendido pelas tramas que compõem presente, passado e futuro do que conhecemos como tempo. A sensação inevitável de urgência, as reviravoltas e os desfechos de cada personagem são pontos extremamente fortes no jogo, assim como diversas escolhas criativas que merecem elogios. Algumas delas são os pontos de ruptura, a sensação ininterrupta de correr contra uma ameaça iminente, a presença das bifurcações e os efeitos das nossas escolhas. É tudo tão forte, que eu realmente me questionei como seria ter o poder de controlar o tempo em mãos, e se eu estaria pronto para enfrentar as consequências dessa possibilidade.

Não bastasse o apontado, ainda temos a presença de uma transmídia dentro da própria mídia original que funciona como uma surpresa gratificante. Entendo Lake nesse momento, pois seria um tremendo desperdício não agraciar o mundo com as atuações não-interativas do elenco de peso contratado em Quantum Break.

O único ponto falho, para mim, é a jogabilidade, que infelizmente acabou se repetindo aqui e acolá nas minhas últimas experiências com a Remedy. Sinceramente, achei que fosse dar uma nota muito menor por conta disso, mas é necessário levar em consideração que os desenvolvedores entregaram um experiência que, mesmo com defeitos, se manteve fiel do início ao fim em sua primeira tentativa de lançar um título no motor gráfico Northlight. Testemunhas dizem que Control correu após a caminhada perversa da gameplay de Quantum Break (e espero realmente que seja esse o caso).

Diante dos pontos elencados, a aventura de Jack Joyce ficará marcada para sempre como uma das boas experiências que pude experimentar, e espero honestamente continuar me surpreendendo com as escolhas criativas da Remedy no futuro.

Remedy has made some of my favorite games of all time. I’ll almost always find something to admire if not love about their brand of ambition in molding cinematic storytelling with gameplay. Unfortunately I think this experiment shattered the test tubes. The episodic TV element feels entirely inessential and the game that’s bolted onto it feels unresponsive and unintuitive. Nothing about these characters or this world really grabbed me either. I had a revelation early on where I could just tell this was gonna pull a “Heavy Rain” and I decided it wasn’t worth investing the time to be disappointed later.