Man, for the first like seven or so chapters of The Quarry I was ready to award it the elusive "Better Than Until Dawn" crown that Supermassive has been chasing for the last near decade. The setup, characters, and slow burn of the story really just work for this game. It's a shame that things go downhill so quickly as the action really starts to heat up.
The first and largest thing holding this game back is the shotgun mechanic, in that it just doesn't work both conceptually and, in my case, practically. These type of games are at their best when they depend more on the choices you make than success or failure with quick-time events. For the shotgun mechanic in particular, the game switches genres to a third-person shooter for all of three seconds while you are supposed to make a choice as you reorient to the new controls. It's a mess. And worst of all, in my playthrough it didn't even work in critical moments! Multiple times! I took aim at my target, fired, heard the shotgun sound and saw the muzzle flash... and then was treated to a cutscene of my character dying gruesomely as the game chastised me for not pulling the trigger. This happened twice in the last two chapters, resulting in three character deaths and completely taking me out of the narrative during the climax.
The game looks great at least, with dramatic lighting and character models that mostly look human. (poor Halston Sage) That being said, Supermassive definitely needs some new blood in the creature design department. If you asked me to identify the monsters from The Quarry in a lineup alongside Until Dawn's and House of Ashes' beasts, there's no way I'd be able to tell a difference.
As I said before, I liked the story and characters of The Quarry a lot. The somewhat odd pacing of some chapters and criminally abrupt ending ultimately make this one lesser than it could have been, which is so frustrating. Combined with the ill-conceived and even somewhat broken mechanics and uninspired creature design, well... Sorry Supermassive, you're going to have to chase that Until Dawn white wolf a little longer.
The first and largest thing holding this game back is the shotgun mechanic, in that it just doesn't work both conceptually and, in my case, practically. These type of games are at their best when they depend more on the choices you make than success or failure with quick-time events. For the shotgun mechanic in particular, the game switches genres to a third-person shooter for all of three seconds while you are supposed to make a choice as you reorient to the new controls. It's a mess. And worst of all, in my playthrough it didn't even work in critical moments! Multiple times! I took aim at my target, fired, heard the shotgun sound and saw the muzzle flash... and then was treated to a cutscene of my character dying gruesomely as the game chastised me for not pulling the trigger. This happened twice in the last two chapters, resulting in three character deaths and completely taking me out of the narrative during the climax.
The game looks great at least, with dramatic lighting and character models that mostly look human. (poor Halston Sage) That being said, Supermassive definitely needs some new blood in the creature design department. If you asked me to identify the monsters from The Quarry in a lineup alongside Until Dawn's and House of Ashes' beasts, there's no way I'd be able to tell a difference.
As I said before, I liked the story and characters of The Quarry a lot. The somewhat odd pacing of some chapters and criminally abrupt ending ultimately make this one lesser than it could have been, which is so frustrating. Combined with the ill-conceived and even somewhat broken mechanics and uninspired creature design, well... Sorry Supermassive, you're going to have to chase that Until Dawn white wolf a little longer.
Hebi
1 year ago
Josh's "mental illness" depiction is so bad, only Peter Stormare could carry that shit on his shoulders.