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lundi 27 juin 2022

F1 2022 marks a brilliant effort from EA and Codemasters to grapple with an all-new set of regulations. The driving feels responsive with an all-new physics engine that ekes out every ounce of realism in an incredibly detailed package. While Braking Point may be absent, F1 2022 is still jam-packed with a great set of modes and features that beginners and pros are sure to enjoy.

Pros

  • Incredibly detailed graphics
  • New handling model feels excellent
  • F1 Life is a fun new feature

Cons

  • Career mode has seen little changes
  • No story mode

Availability

  • UKRRP: £79.99

Key Features

  • Platforms:Avaialble for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC
  • Release Date:1st July 2022 (full release)
  • GenreRacing, simulation

Introduction

F1 2022 is the latest instalment in Codemasters’ yearly series of challenging racing games that put you in the driving seat of some of your favourite F1 drivers.

This year’s entry brings with it a whole raft of new features and improvements that seek to provide the most faithful recreation of an F1 season, packed with new regulations to deal with.

Keep reading on to see what I made of F1 2022.

Features and gameplay

  • New 2022 regulations offer a redesigned physics engine
  • F1 Life acts as a fun social hub
  • Addition of supercars provides even more content

Unlike the humble jump from F1 2020 to F1 2021, the move to F1 2022 brings with it changes both on and off the track. It’s the first game to feature the all-new regulations which seek to shake up the racing pack and bring runaway teams back into line. 

You now have the option to do manual race starts, including fine-tuning your car’s position and angle if you wish to get an edge going into turn one at a certain circuit. Pit stops have also been somewhat manualised too, with drive-ins now determined by how well you can time your button input to a countdown clock. If you’re too early or too late, your overall pit stop time is affected. There’s a lot more to think about with F1 2022, but getting it all right can make for an incredibly rewarding experience.

One of the largest scale changes here involves the adjustment of the F1 cars themselves to the all-new 2022 regulations. With it comes larger tyres, the addition of ‘ground effect’ aero and new wings. This, therefore, has changed the handling model and physics engine of F1 2022 compared to previous games. While there is still the traditional understeer on corner entry, for instance, these changes in aero mean that throttle input is a lot more important. Boot it out of corners like I do most of the time and you’ll end up spinning. Chaining together a clean and quick lap is now even more of an art form than it was before.

The notion of not being able to chuck cars into corners as with previous F1 games also extends into the way that the all-new supercars handle in F1 2022. That’s right, you’ll get access to a small but great selection of road cars alongside the full-blown track monsters. Each of them (including the McLaren Artura, Ferrari Roma and the Aston Martin DB11 V12) has their own handling characteristics, although I couldn’t help but feel they were a little too unforgiving with driver aids turned off. Maybe that’s more a reflection of my skill level as opposed to the game itself, though.

The supercars can be driven in either the game’s Time Trial mode or within a new mode called Pirelli Hot Laps. This gives you access to a range of scenarios in which you can drive supercars around the F1 circuits, ranging from Average Speed Zone (where you need to blitz a piece of track as quickly as you can) to my favourite Autocross, in which you drive through a set of gates in the quickest time possible. It’s a refreshing change of pace to an otherwise incredibly serious title, and can provide you with an extra game of skill if you so wish for it.

Career mode is back, and feeling as detailed and excellent as it has in the last few games. There’s the option for either a single or two-player career mode, as well as to play as a real world driver or create your own, alongside the clever My Team option which chucks you in at the deep end as both driver and team owner of a new F1 constructor. 

I spent a fair few hours messing around with My Team, completing a few races of the first season to get a feel for the mode, and it’s the most detailed simulation I’ve played in a game in a long time. For the micromanagers out there, it’s a tricky balancing act between on-track performance and vying to keep all your departments happy and growing your team on and off the track. There is a bit of a learning curve if you haven’t played an F1 game before, but once you’ve learnt the basics, you’ll be up and running in no time at all.

When it comes to career mode, there is a notable absence in the form of Braking Point: the story mode first introduced in F1 2021. EA had tried story modes within sports games before, as FIFA’s The Journey proved. Braking Point is a sore miss for those who like a good story and are looking for the Drive To Survive-style narrative.

In addition to those on-track changes, the interface and menus of F1 2022 have received a shakeup, with this new title centred around the new F1 Life section. This is more of a customisable home for your avatar where you can choose everything from the supercar you have on display to all the trophies you’ve won.

It’s a fun little addition, and more customisation is always welcome, even if it has no real impact on the overall playing experience. If you want, you can even customise the clothes of your avatar with branded threads from the likes of Puma, Sparco and Beats. These items are unlocked via the Pitcoins in-game currency, of which you get a little bit when you boot up the game for the first time. 

Racing games usually have an in-game currency to deal with. However, much like with the in-game currency in Gran Turismo 7, you can buy Pitcoins with actual money – it’s £7.99 for 11,000, which is the same rate as F1 2021. 

Microtransactions haven’t gone down well in racing games before, as GT7 demonstrated earlier this year, and I just hope that these new EA-backed F1 titles don’t go the way that FIFA has. Of course, the Pitcoins are used to purchase cosmetic upgrades and don’t necessarily alter gameplay, but the precedent is there. 

Alongside the large UI overhaul of F1 Life, F1 2022 has also brought with it some smaller quality of life improvements that offer an even more realistic experience. For instance, Sprint Races are now present as an option when structuring a race weekend, designed to mimic the inclusion of the format at three circuits as in real life: Imola, Interlagos and the Red Bull Ring in Austria. 

Graphics

  • Great overall detail
  • Each track has its own nuances with great rendering
  • Supercar interiors feel a little rushed

F1 2022 is an excellent-looking game. While it is the second entry in the title to bridge the gap between console generations, it looks incredibly polished. The different weather options act as an immense showcase of the game’s graphical prowess with sunny days looking incredibly bright and pleasing, while wet weather racing takes on a noticeably darker quality. 

Each track features its own clever details, whether it’s Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium or the yachts docked in Monaco, and they’re all rendered in marvellous detail. Roadside scenery such as the crowds and medical trucks and tents add an extra layer to the simulation, and they too look detailed.

Interiors of the F1 and F2 look rather detailed with all the little knobs and buttons mapped out in impressive style, alongside vibrant liveries on the outside, too. In the case of the supercars however, I can’t help but feel they look a little cartoony at times, with the cockpits lacking some substance and detail. The exteriors look especially shiny, even in heavy rain, and feel more like they were designed for the first Test Drive Unlimited than F1 2022.

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Should you buy it?

You want an incredibly realistic experience: F1 2022 is arguably the most realistic title in the F1 series so far with its revamped physics engine and new regulations, so if it’s a true simulation you’re after, this is fantastic.

You want to experience a story mode: While F1 2022 is jam-packed with features, the lack of a story mode is a sore miss, and may leave some fans wanting more.

Final Thoughts

F1 2022 has arrived with both a lot of fanfare and a shedload of new and exciting features. It has delivered, offering a captivating experience that’s sure to please both beginners and hardcore sim racers alike.

There’s definitely a lot to love about F1 2022, whether it’s the revamped physics engine and clever AI, or the incredible levels of detail on tracks and in the cockpit. The inclusion of F1 Life as a main social hub is an interesting move and adds a new arcade-type dynamic to what is traditionally more of a sim title, while the addition of supercars adds a fun element alongside staples such as race weekends and a practically unchanged career mode.

It’s really the little things that make F1 2022 such a great game with little flecks of extra realism added to a tried-and-tested formula and while it isn’t perfect, it’s definitely a shining entry.

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How we test

We play every game we review through to the end, outside of certain exceptions where getting 100% completion, like Skyrim, is close to impossible to do. When we don’t fully finish a game before reviewing it we will always alert the reader.

Played on Xbox Series X

Played for over 20 hours

FAQs

Is F1 2022 coming to EA Play?

Yes. F1 2022, much like other new EA games, will be subject to the same 10-hour trial, with early access beginning on the 28th June 2022.

Will F1 2022 have VR?

F1 2022 does have VR support, and is the first game in the series to offer this functionality. It works with Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and Valve Index, although it’s unknown at the moment whether PSVR 2 will support it.

The post F1 2022 appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

mardi 21 juin 2022

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes cover art

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a fantastic hack and slash game that anyone can sink hours into. The world is immersive, featuring a roster of interesting characters that you can build relationships with. While the story is slightly overwhelming at the start, this is a game that anyone could enjoy, even if you have never touched the franchise before.

Pros

  • Entertaining battles
  • Multiple storylines to explore
  • Engaging characters
  • Quirky and interesting art style

Cons

  • Too many cutscenes
  • Fights can become repetitive
  • Camera can be annoying

Availability

  • UKRRP: £49.99
  • USARRP: $59.99
  • EuropeRRP: €59.99
  • CanadaRRP: CA$83.99
  • AustraliaRRP: AU$79.95

Key Features

  • Platforms:Available for the Nintendo Switch
  • Release date:24th June 2022
  • Genre:RPG, fighting, hack and slash and adventure

Introduction

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is an incredibly easy game to get into, with hours upon hours of gameplay and an immersive world.

Three Hopes is the long-awaited sequel to Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Houses, ditching the turn-based combat strategy for a quick hack and slash experience.

As someone with little to no Fire Emblem experience, I found this game to be engaging and fun, even if the story beats were occasionally too complicated to follow.

Keep reading to see what I thought about Fire Emblem: Three Hopes.

Story

  • Up to hundreds of hours of content
  • Multiple sidequests
  • Three paths to choose from

Fire Emblem: Three Hopes takes place on the battlefields of Fódlan, bringing together some familiar faces from Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Houses along with some new characters.

I decided to play this game on Normal difficulty in Casual mode, which meant that my fellow fighters were resurrected after death in battle, instead of being permanently dead for the rest of the story. For anyone like me that doesn’t have a lot of Fire Emblem experience, I would recommend sticking to Casual mode, as you can miss out on important story beats if certain characters are not around.

You play as Shez, a mercenary that can be either male or female. After battling Byleth from Three Houses and losing terribly in the opening act, you are approached by three characters: Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri. After working together in a camp and enjoyable battle, you are tasked with choosing which team you want to join.

Three Hopes Edelgard giving a speech

I liked the freedom in this game, as I was able to rename the protagonist and even Byleth, making the story feel more personal than if everything was set out for me. I decided to join Edelgard in her Scarlet Blaze team, being joined by a roster of new characters that fight with you through the game.

As a newcomer, I was originally overwhelmed by the large group of characters and seemingly deep lore that you’re presented with at the start of the story. However, it becomes apparent early on that you don’t need any prior knowledge to enjoy this game, with the many cutscenes and conversations between characters providing enough content.

Three Hopes gemma talking to her team

Since I can’t reveal too much about the story for embargo reasons, but I can reveal that the overall story is engaging, with more specks of information and gossip being revealed as you talk to more people and battle more enemies. A lot of the story can be diluted down into rival factions, but the nuanced story beats and character interactions keep things interesting, with a few twists along the way that I never saw coming.

While it took me 20 hours to complete my playthrough, I can easily see this game taking upwards of 100 hours. Not only will it depend on which faction you join – I can’t say how long Claude and Dimitri’s stories are – but there are multiple side quests you can delve into, with the option to replay levels if you want to explore every nook and cranny.

Gameplay

  • Multiple playable characters
  • Activity and training points to use
  • Hack and slash combat throughout

Three Hopes has a set gameplay routine throughout. Your camp will move to a new location wherein you can take on multiple battles before defeating the final boss of that area, though after taking on the final boss you cannot return. This makes progression feel linear, and it gives you a chance to level up and gather resources before moving on to a new area.

Whilst in camp, you can talk to team members and use your Training and Activity points. These are gained after battles and can be used to boost morale, develop bonds between characters and activate certain boosts before battles.

While only a small part of the game, I liked how much freedom the protagonist has and how you can roam through camp. Cooking meals for teammates was my personal favourite, and it was nice to see the bonds between characters grow after gifting people special flowers and items you can procure in battle.

Three hopes Edlegard talking to gemma about the war

The first few hours of the game, however, do take on a very slow pace, with multiple cut scenes and character conversations lasting a little too long for me. While some of it was definitely needed to catch me up on the lore, it felt like the developers didn’t trust me to make certain obvious judgements on characters.

The long cut scenes are pretty consistent for the whole game, with each battle ending on a round-up from my team and sometimes even the enemies. While they do help to create a more interesting world, I would have preferred the start of the game to be more combat and action-focused, rather than constantly slowing down to tell a story.

Out of the camp and on the war map is where the real run starts, however. After picking your battle, you can choose who is in your roster, though not every fight allows the same amount or even type of people. There is victory and defeat conditions for all battles, giving you an idea of what sort of strategy and attack you should take on.

Once fighting, you can pull up the full-screen map to command your teammates to take on certain foes or defend a base. This reminded me of Total War: Warhammer 3, as you can direct specific forces, like archers, to attack certain groups where they will have an advantage. I found this riveting, as it was really satisfying to deploy team members west as you run east in the final minutes of a battle.

Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes battle startegy
Three Hopes defeat restrictions

Even with the strategic elements, this title is still mostly a hack and slash. I enjoyed tearing through hundreds of enemies with my character and the fact that unique combat styles work differently depending on the situation also made me flip through my team more often.

My favourite character to play was myself, followed by Edelgard. My character primarily used a sword while Edelgard favoured the axe, giving both players a distinctive vibe. While Edelgard felt heavier and fought best against heavy-duty enemies, I liked how quick Shez could navigate the map and the force with which her sword would cut through enemies.

While I do think that the gameplay felt fresh for a majority of the game, the last few hours did start to get repetitive. While there are different moves and special moves for each player, I found I could manage many battles simply by button mashing on anything but the highest difficulties. I still liked this, and there is something innately fun about watching your enemy fly up into the air after a long combo, this may not be stimulating enough for anyone who prefers the tighter combat of games like God of War.

Three Hopes a large combo with Shez

Thankfully, even with the button-mashing aside, I did not find the gameplay overly simple. I played on Normal mode and found there were multiple challenging foes which demanded more time, with my team even losing some battles due to poor strategy.

Overall, I thought the gameplay was a lot of fun and an overall rewarding experience. The camp dialogue and fast-paced combat keep you on your toes, even if it isn’t the most challenging game I’ve played.

Graphics

  • Quirky and interesting character design
  • Fighting animations looks grand
  • Switch has slow graphical load-up times
  • Camera can be a hindrance

Since this is a Nintendo game, I had high hopes for the graphics. With games like Breath of the Wild and the recent Metroid Dread looking so impressive, I was pleased to find the same level of detail and personality in Three Hopes.

Scarlet Blaze has an almost gothic aesthetic, with the characters embodying their personalities through their fashion. The fighting animations are very grand, with the special moves showing off vibrant colours and engaging combat. I loved watching my character rear up and pull dozens of enemies into a ball of slashes, sending large enemies flying across the map.

Three Hopes big combo attacks

However, even though the close-up animation and design look great, Three Hopes has the same issue as Pokémon Legends: Arceus, wherein the Switch can’t seem to load the environments fast enough. This isn’t a huge issue and was actually only noticeable when you’re racing through the map, since the combat was usually too frantic and busy for me to notice new trees sprouting a few feet in front of me.

Playing on the big screen did not alleviate this issue, and it was slightly jarring to see huge enemies appearing in front of me all of a sudden. Like Arceus, is it not a deal-breaking issue, and I do think the overall style makes up for it, but it’s frustrating to see the Switch stumble during these instances.

Three Hopes edlegard fighting stance

A final big bear for me in this game is the camera, as a lot of the time, it felt like it had a mind of its own. While you can lock on to certain enemies, sometimes the camera will force you to turn around for no reason and can zoom in really tight during special moves.

Due to the nature of the game, the camera issues never resulted in me dying or getting trapped, but it was more confusing to navigate than I would have liked.

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Should you buy it?

You want a hack and slash experience:

Whether you have played Fire Emblem before or not, this game is really easy to recommend. The combat is thrilling and it feels great to mow down hundreds of enemies in one fell swoop.

You want a shorter game experience:

If you don’t want to sink dozens of hours into a title, you may want to steer clear of Three Hopes. While the game won’t necessarily take too long to finish, the multitude of side quests and extra content is a worthwhile experience and would be a shame to skip out on.

Final Thoughts

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a fantastic game. While I may have found the beginning to be a little slow, once the battles pick up there are hours of fun to be had.

The button-mashing technique is simple but thrilling and will please anyone that enjoys racking up large combos. Hacking and slashing through enemies feels rewarding, and the added strategic element allows for experimentation in how you take on each battle.

And ignoring the awkward camera, the style of the game is wonderful to look at, with each playable character having their own distinctive style and aesthetic. This game has ignited a love for Fire Emblem that I didn’t even know I had, and I think this is a great choice for anyone after a new Switch game.

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How we test

We play every game we review through to the end, outside of certain exceptions where getting 100% completion, like Skyrim, is close to impossible to do. When we don’t fully finish a game before reviewing it we will always alert the reader.

Played on Nintendo Switch

Played through the entire single player campaign

FAQs

How long does it take to finish Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes?

The run-through time will depend on the choices you make in the game. My playthrough took 20 hours, though yours may look very different.

Where does Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes take place?

This game is set with some familiar characters but in a different land, focusing on the world of Fódlan.

Full specs

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Manufacturer
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Release Date
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The post Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

mercredi 8 juin 2022

For both gamers and non-gamers alike, The Quarry is well worth playing thanks to its branching storylines, fascinating core mystery and a well realised cast that you’ll want to root for from beginning to end. It might not be as scary as some of the company’s previous games, but there’s still a lot to like and plenty of content worth coming back to.

Pros

  • Engrossing story
  • Well realised cast
  • Stunning graphics and facial capture
  • QTE are more forgiving

Cons

  • Not quite as scary as Until Dawn
  • A few cheap deaths
  • Death Rewind needs fixing

Availability

  • UKRRP: £64.99
  • USARRP: $69.99

Key Features

  • Multiple endings:Choose your own story narrative
  • Hollywood cast:Lots of recognisable actors
  • Movie mode:Sit back and let the game play itself

Introduction

A spiritual successor to Until Dawn in almost every way, Supermassive Games’ The Quarry is an essential buy for horror fans.

Despite a fairly lengthy history of game development, it wasn’t until Until Dawn hit the scene in 2014 that Supermassive Games went from relative obscurity to becoming one of the most recognised developers in the realm of interactive entertainment. That game took a ton of inspiration from classic horror movies and presented a ‘choose your own adventure’ story that was terrifying to play but a great deal of fun nonetheless.

In time since Until Dawn’s release, Supermassive Games has tried to recreate its success with The Dark Pictures Anthology series, but those games lack the sense of scope and lofty production values that made Until Dawn so popular. For anyone feeling underwhelmed by The Dark Pictures Anthology, you’ll be glad to know that The Quarry is the true Until Dawn follow up we’ve been waiting for.

Story

  • Well realised cast
  • Great central mystery drives the story forward
  • One major suspension of disbelief

There’s a case to be made that The Quarry is almost a little too similar to Until Dawn. Stop me if you’ve heard this premise before: a group of teenagers are stuck in the woods, hunted by nightmarish creatures and have to fight to survive until morning.

To the game’s credit, the setting has changed somewhat – the teenagers in question this time around are camp counselors as opposed to old friends on a getaway, but it does make me wonder what it would have been like had Supermassive pushed itself to invest in a unique horror scenario.

The Quarry

Still, it’s a small gripe that quickly fades away once you get into the game itself. This time around there’s a solid amount of Hollywood talent staring in the game, with performances from David Arquette, Ted Raimi, Justice Smith and Ariel Winter, just to name a few.

One issue that I had with Until Dawn was its characterisation (or lack thereof), which saw only the briefest amount of time spent in fleshing out its characters before they were thrust into a night full of terror. Luckily, The Quarry – after an exciting prologue – spends a good amount of time letting you get to know its main cast before nightfall.

The game’s characters don’t feel like one-note creations designed for gory deaths either. Each of them have clear life ambitions and endearing personalities that, if not immediately apparent, reveal themselves as the game goes on.

Unlike Until Dawn, which was very much about the main characters facing off against the terrifying wendigos, The Quarry has a lot more intrigue at the centre of its narrative. And as the game progresses, it become clear that there are multiple factions and viewpoints contributing to the whole thing. It’s a story that had me gripped from beginning to end, and I already plan to return for multiple playthroughs in order to finish off the loose threads I missed along the way.

The Quarry

In a strange twist, The Quarry’s fascination with building a greater sense of mystery impairs the game’s ability to scare, with the fright factor feeling like more of an afterthought. This isn’t to say that the game doesn’t have its moments that’ll have you reaching for the back of the sofa, but it never terrified me to the same extent as Until Dawn.

Then again, given that Until Dawn’s narrative was driven by tragedy and a loss of life, that game benefitted from a much darker tone. This won’t be an issue for everyone, but it’s worth noting if you’re heading into The Quarry specifically for the scares.

Unfortunately, the one area that feels just as underwhelming as it was in Until Dawn is the game’s ending. This seems to be a bit of a recurring pattern in Supermassive’s games wherein once the big bad is dealt with, the story simply ends. There’s no epilogue to deal with the aftermath outside of a podcast playing during the game’s credits, which feels frustrating as some of the game’s characters feel forgotten about towards the end.

The Quarry

This is especially true for several characters who have large roles in the beginning of the game, but because they’re located in a different part of Hackett’s Quarry to where the climax is taking place, the game doesn’t seem particularly interested in offering them any closure. This could be a biproduct of how my playthrough went down, but if there is an alternative then the route to get there wasn’t made obvious.

There’s also one glaring plot hole right at the start of the game which sees one of the characters outright ask another camp counselor how they might go about sabotaging the car and forcing everyone to stay another night. Despite doing exactly that, the questioned counselor never puts two and two together as to why the car isn’t able to start properly just a few moments later. It’s particularly bizarre as it’s this single act that kicks the game’s event into motion, so I’m not sure how it was overlooked.

Gameplay

  • QTE are more forgiving than Until Dawn
  • Death Rewind is huge, but its implementation is flawed
  • Movie Mode lets gamers take a hands-off approach

One issue I had with Until Dawn was the super-fast pace with which quick-time events were thrown at the player. I’ve been playing QTE-based games for years, but the game still managed to trip me up several times, and handing over the controller to a more casual gamer resulted in something of a bloodbath onscreen.

Thankfully for everyone involved, The Quarry is far more forgiving with its QTE inputs. Not only does the game warn you when a QTE is about to happen, but the time you have to complete the action is also noticeably longer. This isn’t the only change to make The Quarry more accessible however.

After plenty of accidental fails that emerged from Until Dawn’s ‘Don’t Move’ segments, which made use of the PS4 controller’s motion sensing and required players to sit perfectly still, Supermassive has swapped out the mechanic for ‘Don’t Breathe’ moments.

These scenes simply have you holding down a single button input as your character holds their breath to avoid detection. It’s then up to you to decide when it’s safe to release that button, but there are plenty of visual cues to let you know when you’re in the clear.

While these modifications are duly appreciated, it’s the new ‘Death Rewind’ feature that is easily the biggest shake up. In The Quarry. Death is no longer the end, as the game gives you three opportunities to go back and save a character if they’re killed off. For the most part it’s a great feature, and I found myself using all three chances to resurrect some of my favourite characters who I simply couldn’t be without, but it isn’t without its flaws.

On my second use of Death Rewind, the game sent me back a good 20 minutes within the story to a decision which, at the time, I had no idea would result in an impending death. I wouldn’t mind if the game had simply let me tweak that crucial decision before sending me back to the present, but that’s not what happened. Instead I had to sit through a load of scenes that I had just watched before I could get back to where I left off.

I also encountered a dead-end scenario later in the game that saw my character die no matter what I did. When it happened the first time, I used my final Death Rewind to go a different route but that still ended up with that same character dying. It’s bad enough that the game gave me no indication that I was running towards an unwinnable scenario, but the ability to use Death Rewind should be removed in this instance to avoid any false hope.

The game does give you a few chances to glimpse into the future with regular visits to Eliza the Fortune Teller. These segments are similar to the psychiatrist visits from Until Dawn, except this time around they play a greater role in helping you navigate the story as you have to think carefully about which future you’d like to see.

Returning from Until Dawn is the ability to enjoy the story in Couch Co-op mode. This mode lets you and up to seven other players take control of a character, swapping one controller around the room when it’s your time to shine.

If you can get several friends over for a playthrough then I can’t recommend it enough as it often leads to unintentional hilarity, and it’s always interesting to see the narrative go down a path that you wouldn’t necessarily have chosen if you were in control.

Because games like The Quarry have always blurred the lines between games and films, Supermassive has decided to go all in on this concept with the addition of Movie Mode. As you can probably derive from its name, this mode lets you simply kick back and enjoy the story without having to go anywhere near the controller. Essentially it means that the game plays itself.

The Quarry Movie Mode

You have the opportunity at the beginning to decide which type of playthrough you want to watch, such as ‘Everybody Lives’ or ‘Everybody Dies’, but for folks who want a more personalised experience, ‘Director’s Chair’ allows you to determine everyone’s personalities from the get-go for a night of randomised fun.

The mode is a little janky at times as the traditional exploration segments are cut out in order to connect the main cutscenes together, but this often results in teleporting characters and moments of confusion over how a character has gotten from A to B. There’s also no option to rewind once the mode’s in motion, so make sure you’re paying attention.

Graphics and performance

  • Industry-leading facial capture
  • Lighting effects are superb
  • Inspired artistic design

As you’ve probably already surmised from the screenshots shown here, The Quarry is a drop dead gorgeous game. The attention to detail on the characters is industry leading, and the superb lighting effects go a long way to adding a palpable sense of atmosphere to the game’s proceedings.

Of course, if you’ve played any of the recent Dark Anthology titles then the game’s graphical prowess won’t be too surprising as Supermassive is already known for its expertise in this area, but the gradual improvements over time are best shown when compared to Until Dawn.

I still think that Until Dawn looks great, but it’s clear that facial capture and environmental design have come a long way. Almost everything in The Quarry will capture your attention for the right reasons, but with one odd exception: water.

Water physics in The Quarry look like something taken from a PS2-era title which is extremely jarring during one scene in particular where two camp counselors are having a conversation whilst swimming in a nearby lake. It’s a minor gripe given how great the rest of the game looks, but that’s why it feels so strange to see an element of the environment that isn’t up to the same standard as everything else.

Beyond that however, there’s so much about the game’s artistic design that’s worth pointing out. Tutorials take the form of animated, almost Fallout-esque cartoons, and all the major narrative paths have their own video nasty-inspired VHS covers that feel like they’ve been plucked right out of the 1980s. It’s small touches like this that just make The Quarry an absolute joy to experience.

The game also runs on a near-perfect level. Only twice in my playthrough did I come across lip sync issues with the dialogue, but other than that I saw no major instances of slowdown, nor did I come across any glitches.

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Should you buy it?

You love interactive entertainment:

For horror fans and those who enjoy narrative-driven games, The Quarry is a must-buy title and one that you’ll no doubt want to revisit multiple times after the credits roll.

You’re not a fan of quick-time events:

If the idea of sitting down to enjoy what is largely a hands-off experience just isn’t your cup of tea then you’ll find more joy with games like Resident Evil Village or The Medium.

Final Thoughts

In lieu of a direct sequel to Until Dawn, The Quarry packs almost everything that fans could have asked for. The game’s longer opening and more intricate mystery ensure that the characters and the narrative are far more compelling this time around, and while the game doesn’t pack quite as many scares are Until Dawn, it’s easily a far more polished product.

If it wasn’t for a few cheap deaths, issues with the Death Rewind mechanic and the abrupt nature of the ending, the game would be held in much higher esteem. But even with those problems, I can easily recommend The Quarry to almost any gamer out there.

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How we test

We play every game we review through to the end, outside of certain exceptions where getting 100% completion, like Skyrim, is close to impossible to do. When we don’t fully finish a game before reviewing it we will always alert the reader.

Played through the entirety of the single-player campaign

Completion time: 12 hours, 22 minutes

Reviewed on PC

FAQs

Does The Quarry have multiplayer?

There is a co-op mode but it involves passing a single controller around the room.

How long does it take to beat The Quarry?

An average playthrough will take between 10-12 hours.

Is The Quarry available on Nintendo Switch?

At the time of review, there are no plans for a Nintendo Switch port of The Quarry.

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