Can this horror game hack-ett?
As the sun sets on the last day of summer camp, the teenage counsellors of Hackett’s Quarry throw a party to celebrate. No kids. No adults. No rules. Things quickly take a turn for the worse. Hunted by blood-drenched locals and something far more sinister, the teens’ party plans unravel into an unpredictable night of horror. Friendly banter and flirtations give way to life-or-death decisions, as relationships build or break under the strain of unimaginable choices.
Supermassive Games have been pumping out yearly games with the Dark Pictures Anthology since Until Dawn and while the DPA games have been good overall, nothing yet has managed to top what Until Dawn accomplished so I was surprised to see a game set outside from the DPA that was a full priced game when the former have been budget priced, so I was curious to see if the team could pull off another “Until Dawn quality game”.
The premise is simple, you play as 9 different teenage camp counsellors who are being hunted by something sinister, but just what it is and the mystery surrounding Hackett’s Quarry is something that will definitely feel familiar to fans of camp horror stories and those who have played past games from Supermassive. The game handles like the past games as well with collectibles in the form of Tarot cards that give you hints on how to keep characters alive during certain situations.
The game has a nice feature with couch co-op where you can divide characters to players and swap the controller around when its their turn. I did this with my partner and managed to play as all the male players, while she had all the female characters. It’s a small thing but it was a nice way to balance playtime between us. Quick-time events come in the form of moving the right stick in what direction pops up or by tapping A to hold your breath until you are safe from pursuit.
It’s hard to go to much into detail with The Quarry without ruining the plot but I was really impressed with the plot, settings and while all some of the characters did annoy me a bit, the overall performance from the cast is impressive. Players will find they like/dislike certain characters, much like you would do when you watch a horror film and either hoping they either survive or die a grisly death. Naturally you’d want to try and keep them alive if you can, although sometimes death comes when you least expect it and there’s nothing you can do to undo it.
If there’s any criticism to be had with the game, it’s how it handles during certain times. Camera angles sometimes work against you when you are looking for collectibles and the lack of a sprint button definitely makes exploring feel like a chore in larger open areas. These issues aside, it’s safe for me to say that this is definitely Supermassive’s best game since Until Dawn. Everything from the game’s tone, script and overall presentation is highly impressive.
The visuals are also something special with incredible detail to character models and the surroundings of Hackett’s Quarry. It has this great 80s teen-horror look to it that fits perfectly and the performances from the likes of David Arquette, Ariel Winter, Ted Raimi and Lance Henriksen to name a few is brilliant and more importantly, believable. The game sometimes plays music during certain sections and the soundtrack for these are nothing short of brilliant.
The Verdict
Supermassive Games have delivered their best game since Until Dawn and in some ways, it’s actually superior. It’s just a massive homage to classic horror that had me hooked from start to finish and deserves your attention.