The Quarry – PS5 Version, Reviewed on PS5 – Horror
More of a choose your own adventure type giving you the choices your characters make and not a ton of other gameplay options, The Quarry is a fun and fast paced horror adventure featuring a group of unsuspecting characters entering into dangerous territory. This game is similar in play-style to many other story-driven type adventures, however while it is limited in mechanics it remains a fun time.
Story:
Hackett’s Quarry summer camp has seen the last few days of the season wane and all the kids take off. The remaining counselors are ready to take off and head home, however drama and desires lead to one of the kids sabotaging their Jeep in order to get another shot with one of the other counselor hotties he wants. A typical set-up, but a decent one, and harmless, right?
Little does this group of kids know that there is an off season for a very strict and dangerous reason. As the woods begin to growl and crawl with something mysterious, the kids start to worry and encounter different challenges. Will this group of teens be able to focus on the survival mission at hand, or will their hormones, and lack of developed brain cells get in the way? You be the boss! Try to keep them alive overnight and make their decisions for them.
Gameplay:
While it may be a bit limited compared to most games, since this game is focused on the story experience, there is less to do as a player. Yet, it remains fun to watch your decisions play out and get involved when you can. Mostly the gameplay is comprised of controlling the player you are assigned during the scene, and walk around looking for clues or items of use. For the most part, that’s it, until you get to action or decision type scenes, when you get prompts on the screen to choose what to say, or do, or both.
As a single-player gamer you basically just start with what the game gives you for who to control in all the scenes playing out, however the game can be played by two players on the couch, or up to seven online, with everyone getting their own counselor.
Since there are so many playable characters, its hard to see all the game or really get the total experience with one playthrough, and it’s designed to give players some replay value seeing chapters from other angles, or seeing new scenes while playing as different characters.
You get a bit more control after completing the game once, which opens up a bit more control over what to replay and how. There are collectibles, clues, and some fun stuff laying around also, in addition to the story of the game.
All characters are very expendable, so making every “right” choice and keeping everyone alive overnight is not that likely for a first-time player. That adds to some tension for players, which is great for a horror themed experience. If you are very familiar with the controller, that helps, as there are some timed-type prompts and such. Overall, the story is only a few hours long, but brings plenty of adventure, action and terror. The dialogue is pretty solid, which is important in a game like this.
Graphics:
Graphics are very good, with all characters fully modeled on their real-life actors. They look just like themselves and are well voiced. They move naturally and sink into the detailed backgrounds and world created well. The world around moves and breathes, heightening tensions and horrors. The few scenes in daylight look wonderful, but the dark and ominous nature of the game sets in and steals the show. Bad guys and evil things look great, and the blood and guts are overly detailed to shock an unfortunate player who has led their counselor into the wrong area.
Fun-level:
For me, this type of game remains quite fun despite the game mechanics which favor paying attention and choosing smartly compared to quick slashing, blocking and shooting, of which there is very little of for this game. At times there will be a moment of action potentially, but again this game is focused on walking, talking, observing and trying to stay alive by choosing the right prompt.
Downloadable Content (DLC) Review:
There are some cosmetic items that were available with a Deluxe Version of the game, as well as a few different modes. It’s not really DLC, more like a few of the game’s normal available modes that are locked behind additional dollars.
Final Score: 7.5
DLC Score: N/A