Thoughts on the game? (spoiler talk)

[Vault-TecPhantom]

So how did everybody find this one? I thought it was brilliant and think it’s even better than Until Dawn. The production value is an instantly noticeable upgrade from Until Dawn  - which was great for its time but The Quarry blows it out of the water. The first few chapters are slow but necessary to world-building and setting up the characters’ relationships. It's probably why I much prefer the cast in The Quarry which only made the stakes here higher. Favourite characters were Emma, Dylan and Laura. Laura’s transformation from trainee veterinarian to hardened one-eyed badass was great. When she first showed up with the eye-patch she looked like Daryl Hannah in Kill Bill!

 

It probably helps that I haven’t played any of the instalments in Dark Pictures Anthology (please, no spoilers for those games!) so I’m not feeling the fatigue that I know some Supermassive fans are. I’m also not a horror movie aficionado and so perhaps the more tired tropes of the genre still impress me more than those with more discerning tastes.  Although there were definitely some character decisions that even I rolled my eyes at. The most common one being otherwise intelligent characters getting a gun and suddenly thinking they should take point. “I’ll go check it out” is the new, “let’s split up.” 

 

I realise my own hypocrisy as I write this, as opting to shoot my way out of a situation rather than playing defensively during a particular encounter in the final chapter arguably led to a character’s untimely death. Speaking of which, I only had two deaths in my playthrough which I’m embarrassed to say is already way better than I did in Until Dawn. ? The first was me misjudging the situation (I didn’t shoot Nick at the cost of poor Abby’s life). The second was arguably as result of a bug with the shooting mechanics (as I’ve seen others have had this same issue during Kaitlin’s final encounter with Caleb). Basically, I loaded the silver ammo that Emma slipped under the door and, despite very clearly shooting Caleb, the game somehow registered that I missed. Poor Kaityln died in perhaps the most gruesome way throughout any of the playthroughs. In hindsight, it would have been safer to run when Dylan told me to as I had already secured - what I didn’t know at the time - was a decoy that would have saved Kaitlyn’s life. Despite this, I respect that the game saves immediately after each decision, good or bad, as save-scumming on your first run defeats the point in my opinion. I also love that - as seen with the aforemention Kaitlyn/decoy example - ensuring a character's survival isn't only dependent on snap decisions but minor choices made in much earlier chapters by other characters.

 

Through youtube, I’m still discovering scenarios that occur outside of the platinum walkthrough. For instance, getting characters infected at different stages in the story can lead to very rare scenes/dialogue. On the flip side, repeat playthroughs do expose the seams somewhat (as is typical with these choose-your-adventure type games) and choices you think matter in the heat of the moment really don’t when you play the alternative. It’s also very obvious that the creators didn’t film an alternative playthrough for Dylan where his hand isn’t sawed off since the actor still moves his left hand like he’s lost it (that is to say that he doesn’t move it at all). But that’s a nitpick that most players won’t pick up on. Also, the collectibles have a surprising amount of attention to detail that is easily glossed over until late-game story reveals (for instance, Emma finding the police car keys at the treehouse). My only wish with the collectibles is that you could properly read them inside the menu as, for some reason, you can only read them in-game. 

 

Story wise, I never bought into the idea that the creepy hunters in the woods were the bad guys so whenever they did weird stuff like throwing blood on the kids’ faces I just let it happen. It was just too obvious they were trying to help you (at least until Laura kills the niece). It’s actually a tragic story when you think about it as there’s no ending in which all camp counsellors and all Hackett family members can survive. Killing Chris Hacket seems to be the best outcome for the majority of the characters which is unfortunate because the Hacketts are very sympathetic.  It would have been so easy for the writers to just make them pantomime villains so that the player wouldn't have to grapple with the moral implications of what Laura does. Even when they become our enemies temporarily in chapter 9 you can put yourself in their shoes - Laura did just kill their beloved niece.  In my opinion, the only real “villain” is Silas’ mother who is brilliantly acted. Thought it was really cool how a character you at first think is just there to guide your gameplay decisions actually has her own agenda and becomes so integral to the story being told as a result.  The tarot card implementation is also diegetic (even down to the reason they're burnt) which was a nice touch.  Overall, outside of those two deaths I mentioned earlier, I was satisfied with my ending: teens were never charged and the news reported the murders as an unidentified animal attack.

 

Oh, and I started a movie mode playthrough with the intention of watching it to the end with my director’s chair options, but it doesn’t seem to save chapters upon quitting the app, so when I went to resume it put me back to the prologue.  Anyway, fantastic game and one of my faves of the year. Has bumped the Dark Pictures Anthology up the priority list on my wishlisted games. 

 

Would love to hear your thoughts about how your playthrought went!

 

[mega-tallica]

I liked it a lot, it felt like every 80's teenage horror movie wrapped in one. Very throwback-y and nostalgic. 

 

Coming off just finishing Heavy Rain though, it feels like there wasn't nearly that many different choices in The Quarry looking back. It was just a matter of which characters you keep alive until the end and it's pretty obvious where and when most characters can get killed off and get removed from the rest of the story. Or, alternatively, get infected and it'll slightly change a scene later on. 

 

The platinum is absolutely exhausting though with all the multiple playthroughs you need to do and that's when you realize nothing much changes in the story despite the different choices you make so you really just end up replaying the same thing over and over again just to slightly change one outcome. You can practically recite the whole games script by the end. That's when I quickly began losing interest in it but it's a fun game for a single playthrough at least. 

[Flipendo64]

I loved it, Used a guide on my playthrough to keep everyone alive but decided not to go for the platinum after I finished the game because I heard a lot of people say it's really boring to platinum

[snakebit10]

I recently got the platinum in it and it was a very fun experience for me. I can agree with the OP with Laura showing up later in the game and looking like a total badass. I love Supermassive games and will continue to play their games. I always play a blind play through in these types of games and then follow a guide to get the platinum. 

[Rejim]

Went for this before they took it out from the PS plus catalogue. 

 

As a first playthrough, I dare say I was a big fan! Amazing graphics, did enjoy the changes between storytelling and gameplay, was cool seeing familiar faces and in general did manage to capture the classic teen horror story vibe and transmit it well to the audience. Some characters were a bit meeeh (looking at you Ryan! sooo bland, even his voice is boring), but in general was worth the time and the experience.

 

But....we are trophy hunters, and this game imposes to do at least 3 entire playthroughs! Thing is, the good storytelling part is only good the first time...you already know what happens and there is no way to skip it (chapter 7 was a horror!) The different decisions really don't change anything at all, was really disappointing. I understand they still need to retain the story on the same track pretty much but come on, not even a change of attitude or anything (best example is when Abi dies violently from Nick - best death of the story - and then Laura enters the room and they all act like nothing happened.....) Was expecting a lot more effort, especially when your game evolves around storytelling and supposedly decision making options. 

 

Ohh and the chapter selection only working once was one of the worst game implementation I've seen...

 

All in all, it's a wonderful game if you plan to play it just the once. If not, it becomes horrendous and tedious.