What The Critics Are Saying About The Quarry
Having struck gold with 2015's gem "Until Dawn" — which is considered one of the greatest horror games of all time – Supermassive Games has quickly established itself as a major player in the current horror video game market. Capitalizing on its success with "Until Dawn," the British developer would follow up with the warmly received three-part anthology series "The Dark Pictures Anthology" which only strengthened its roots within the genre. And with some very good experience under its belt, Supermassive has now moved on to "The Quarry," arguably the studio's most anticipated title yet.
Starring an ensemble cast that includes horror mainstays such as David Arquette, Lance Henriksen, and Lin Shaye as well as fledgling up-and-comers such as Justice Smith and Ariel Winter, "The Quarry" is a teen slasher title that, like "Until Dawn," plays as an interactive film-like game. The premise revolves around a group of counselors at the fictional Hackett's Quarry in Upstate New York who — without proper adult supervision — decide to throw one last party before returning home the following day. It's a familiar premise similar to the 80s slasher flicks we all know and love, but how does it translate to the gaming monitor? Here's what the critics are saying about "The Quarry."
The Quarry's story and characters have been well received
With "The Quarry" being less of a game in the traditional sense and more of an interactive experience based completely on choices and quicktime events, its story is arguably its most essential component. In this regard, the game seems to have delivered the goods. Writing for GameSpot, Richard Wakeling praised "The Quarry" for its atmosphere and choice system. "The basic system of choice and consequence is still highly effective at building suspense and lending a massive amount of weight to each decision you make," Wakeling said in his review. Wakeling also praised the game's characters, as well as the plot's unpredictability.
Though not a review as glowing as GameSpot's, Jon Bailes of PC Gamer also gave the story in "The Quarry" positive marks with particular praise aimed towards its characters. "[A]s in Until Dawn, the characters are The Quarry's strongest asset, and it's difficult not to get attached," Bailes said. Cass Marshall of Polygon said that though "The Quarry" isn't perfect, it's still a very enjoyable narrative-focused title, explaining: "As long as you can tolerate the moments where the veil slips and the story's illusion momentarily breaks, there's a great horror story to enjoy, full of satisfying twists, creepy characters, and tantalizing mysteries."
The Quarry has some issues
While the story and characters within "The Quarry" have received mostly positive feedback from critics, some of the game's sections have faced criticism. A lot of this criticism has been levied towards the exploration sections of the game when not making narrative choices or participating in QTEs. Writing for Polygon, Cass Marshall referred to the exploration sequences as the game's low points. Writing for The Guardian, Malindey Hetfield expressed enjoyment with the game's story but criticized the gameplay, saying that the game is "at its best when you're not actively playing it." Richard Wakeling of GameSpot criticized the characters' walking speed, saying it is done at a "glacial pace" and that it causes frustration when one wants to explore the game's sections.
Some critics have also said that despite being a horror game, "The Quarry" isn't particularly scary. In her review for Rock Paper Shotgun, Alice Bell said that the game is "not actually that frightening" and that it plays more as a gore-filled psychological thriller as opposed to a horror title. In Marshall's Polygon review, one of the reveals is said to be "more corny than scary."
"The Quarry" is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Microsoft Windows June 10, 2022.