Any memorable slasher can be different, but most of them follow a formula. The individual characters have their quirks (depending on the movie) but they're usually painted with broad strokes. The Quarry keeps up that tradition and while some people may complain about them being stock characters, much like Until Dawn, they walk a fine line and they're successful. Jacob and Emma came the closest to annoying me as the "jock-bro" and the "vain mean-girl" but they each have their moments where they show a little depth underneath. There's also some really good character development to counter balance, Laura and Max are a compelling couple and team that were very easy to root for. I'd also submit Dylan as another example, he seems like a type, but as you go on, he's really funny and surprisingly multi-layered. So while the writing on the characters may not be stellar across the board, it's more than satisfactory overall and even really good for some of characters.
Getting to the creatures, the Wendigo in Until Dawn were a nice choice. They weren't as established and it allowed them to play with the mythology and the look. Without spoiling anything, the beasts stalking our intrepid heroes is of the A-list monster variety and their design even resembles the Wendigo. But it's a fresh design considering other version of these monsters and it played for me. They carry over most of the classic rules and mythology (being scared of water was new to me but maybe that's always been the case) and they do a good job fitting them into the story. They know to obscure them and to have them lurk around instead of wandering around in the open and it adds to the sense of danger and mystery. But they also pack a punch, the wrong choices in The Quarry lead to savagery and those moments should satisfy the gore fans in the audience.
Until Dawn had a surprisingly loaded cast list. Most of this was due to them lucking into catching several famous actors and actresses on the upswing (Hayden Panetierre and Peter Stormare were already names but Academy Award winner Rami Malek and Brett Dalton weren't there yet). Most of The Quarry's cast are either horror genre vets or people you'd recognize from other things. My favourite performances were from Ted Raimi as Travis Hackett, Siobhan Williams as Laura Kearney and Skyler Gisondo as Max. I don't think there are any terrible performances (Justice Smith isn't great but he just doesn't fit the brooding and angsty loner type for me) but there are members of the cast that are underutilized. Ethan Suplee, Lance Henrickson, David Arquette and Lin Shaye are in the game less than you think and that's too bad. They have the talent and they're all respectively good, I just wish they were given more to work with.
The last thing I wanted to touch on was the element of choice in the game. I'm a sucker for games that let you influence the story through your choices but it's harder to execute that kind of formula (Telltale made some good games but they made a fair amount of lacklustre ones too) than you may think. The Quarry isn't firing choices at you at a mile-a-minute clip but I'm happy to report that the choices do have consequences and how attentive you choose to be has ramifications on the narrative. It's also a pleasant surprise that the QTEs (quick time events) are more forgiving in The Quarry. Until Dawn's QTEs are brutal, you miss one and that character's done. I think the studio listened to that criticism and even if you miss one or even two in a line, you usually have a chance to course correct and that will help new players.
The Quarry is a much needed home run for Supermassive but I'm so happy both for them and for the fans of Until Dawn. Anyone who played any of the Dark Pictures Anthology knew they could do better and with The Quarry proved that they still can deliver the goods. I love Until Dawn even with the cliche characters and the hammy dialogue, it feels like the creators are paying homage to the genre instead of being careless with the material. The Quarry is tightly plotted, the characters have more dimension this time around and while it isn't as multi-faceted as Until Dawn, they bring the thrills and chills. Partner that with how the story branches out in a satisfying way to justify the choose-your-own adventure aspect and you've got a winner. Supermassive deserves all the kudos and I hope we can get another project of this quality from them moving ahead. If you're a fan of the choose-your-own-fright genre, The Quarry is worth picking up at full price.
Getting to the creatures, the Wendigo in Until Dawn were a nice choice. They weren't as established and it allowed them to play with the mythology and the look. Without spoiling anything, the beasts stalking our intrepid heroes is of the A-list monster variety and their design even resembles the Wendigo. But it's a fresh design considering other version of these monsters and it played for me. They carry over most of the classic rules and mythology (being scared of water was new to me but maybe that's always been the case) and they do a good job fitting them into the story. They know to obscure them and to have them lurk around instead of wandering around in the open and it adds to the sense of danger and mystery. But they also pack a punch, the wrong choices in The Quarry lead to savagery and those moments should satisfy the gore fans in the audience.
Until Dawn had a surprisingly loaded cast list. Most of this was due to them lucking into catching several famous actors and actresses on the upswing (Hayden Panetierre and Peter Stormare were already names but Academy Award winner Rami Malek and Brett Dalton weren't there yet). Most of The Quarry's cast are either horror genre vets or people you'd recognize from other things. My favourite performances were from Ted Raimi as Travis Hackett, Siobhan Williams as Laura Kearney and Skyler Gisondo as Max. I don't think there are any terrible performances (Justice Smith isn't great but he just doesn't fit the brooding and angsty loner type for me) but there are members of the cast that are underutilized. Ethan Suplee, Lance Henrickson, David Arquette and Lin Shaye are in the game less than you think and that's too bad. They have the talent and they're all respectively good, I just wish they were given more to work with.
The last thing I wanted to touch on was the element of choice in the game. I'm a sucker for games that let you influence the story through your choices but it's harder to execute that kind of formula (Telltale made some good games but they made a fair amount of lacklustre ones too) than you may think. The Quarry isn't firing choices at you at a mile-a-minute clip but I'm happy to report that the choices do have consequences and how attentive you choose to be has ramifications on the narrative. It's also a pleasant surprise that the QTEs (quick time events) are more forgiving in The Quarry. Until Dawn's QTEs are brutal, you miss one and that character's done. I think the studio listened to that criticism and even if you miss one or even two in a line, you usually have a chance to course correct and that will help new players.
The Quarry is a much needed home run for Supermassive but I'm so happy both for them and for the fans of Until Dawn. Anyone who played any of the Dark Pictures Anthology knew they could do better and with The Quarry proved that they still can deliver the goods. I love Until Dawn even with the cliche characters and the hammy dialogue, it feels like the creators are paying homage to the genre instead of being careless with the material. The Quarry is tightly plotted, the characters have more dimension this time around and while it isn't as multi-faceted as Until Dawn, they bring the thrills and chills. Partner that with how the story branches out in a satisfying way to justify the choose-your-own adventure aspect and you've got a winner. Supermassive deserves all the kudos and I hope we can get another project of this quality from them moving ahead. If you're a fan of the choose-your-own-fright genre, The Quarry is worth picking up at full price.