LogFAQs > #970730957

@BlueCrystalTear

The Quarry (from the positive perspective) *SPOILER FREE*

When Supermassive Games made Until Dawn, they tapped in to several modes of horror. Some of the game's scares came from the tension between the wayward teens in your party. On top of that, you had the threat of a killer looming in the shadows. And then even more beyond that, you had a supernatural element to the story. These twisted entities could be anywhere and anyone could be a victim. The tension and fear was palpable. Keeping your entire party alive was difficult and definitely a cause for stress.

Supermassive also understood that horror's precision and effectiveness is achieved through cryptic clues and a disorienting lack of clarity. There were a few moments in Until Dawn where I was genuinely caught off guard by the game's numerous twists. And even though you could find these clues or hints, there was still the chance you could be in grave danger by misinterpreting it. It was a great horror game that captured several types of genres perfectly at the same time.

7 years later, in the midst of The Dark Pictures experiment, Supermassive went back to their horror roots. The Quarry captured dark 80s nostalgia to produce a scarily compelling game. Grotesqueries lurked about. The group of teens were even more stereotypical than Until Dawn, but they fit the mold and tone of the game perfectly. And finally, you had that distinct sense of space in Hackett's Quarry. You knew the unseen forces that were drawing you closer to your demise were different and powerful. The soundtrack evoked otherworldly scares with pulse-pounding synthwave compositions. The atmosphere was consistently unnerving.

Hackett's Quarry isn't far removed Blackwood Mountain's psych-out atmosphere, but instead of the depressive freeze of the mountain resorts it's the last gasps of summer heat on your typical camp grounds. The set-up is this - one of the camp counselors sabotages the group's van in order to spend one last night with his girlfriend, well ex-girlfriend that is as she recently dumped him. The kids become stranded in the camp, though it doesn't seem all bad at first. A group of unsupervised teens can always lead to a fun night of shooting, truth or dare around a bonfire, beer drinking, and skinny dipping. The Quarry takes its time building up its characters and relationship dynamics, throwing in all the stereotypical tropes of camp and teenage life. The cast is well acted and the dialogue is cringe but fits what the game is trying to achieve. And then of course, it brings in that supernatural horror element once everything is lined up perfectly. The Quarry is pretty much 80s horror honed to a nightmare fueled edge, every typical slasher and horror trope perfected and exaggerated to chilling effect.

If this sounds like a lot of setup and beating around the bush, you're right. Anything past here is really spoiling the game's many (and arguably best) details. The Quarry goes in ways you'd never expect, keeping a sense of mystery throughout the experience. There are some clever twists that play with your expectations, as a game of decisions should.

I'd love to go in to more detail but I can't do that without giving away major plot points. This is, after all, a game that's better experienced than explained. It works as both a horror fan's wet dream and for someone totally unfamiliar with the genre, as it clues you in on everything you need to know. The developers at Supermassive have once again created an experience so good and unique that it begs to be experienced again and again.