The Quarry, an interactive horror game from the developers of Until Dawn, has a much longer runtime than its Dark Pictures Anthology titles, which is a bit of a missed opportunity no DLC would be able to fix. With as much time as it takes to reach one of The Quarry's 186 endings, players looking to play couch co-op would have to dedicate an entire day for a single, nail-biting playthrough. While that can provide its own fun for players, a shorter play time would have certainly been more manageable, and more DLC for The Quarry will likely only exacerbate the issue.
Though The Quarry is certainly enjoyable, and incorporates more decision-making than previous games from Supermassive Games, the game struggles to live up to the legacy of Until Dawn. Sadly, in many ways, The Quarry ruins its own story with moments of sarcastic brevity and flippant disregard for the impact of its characters' actions. Still, the game contains many improvements to Supermassive Games' brand of interactive storytelling, and gives players much more dynamic control of their experiences in playing through The Quarry.
One feature players can't avoid, however, is the game's sizable runtime. The Quarry takes about 10 hours to complete, making it difficult for couch co-op players to play through its story in one sitting. If games like The Quarry and Until Dawn took up less time to complete, it would encourage players to create more meaningful co-op experiences out of them (i.e. a game night), as was the case with other Supermassive titles like Man of Medan. Even in The Quarry's movie mode, where players can simply watch the story as it unfolds on its own, its 10-hour runtime prevents it from being a reasonable option for local co-op playthroughs.
New DLC Will Only Add To The Quarry's Already Lengthy Runtime
With its hefty 10-hour playtime, DLC for The Quarry would likely add even more time on to completing the game with friends. Though the game captures many of the chills and thrills of a schlocky slasher flick, the game's length makes it more of a chore to complete with friends than a Saturday night choose-your-own-adventure game. The Quarry could have slimmed down its runtime, separating it from other interactive story games, and making it more accessible to a wider audience.
Despite the missed opportunity in its runtime, The Quarry does nail a handful of its key elements. The performance capture in The Quarry is better than Until Dawn, and the characters' dialogue and interactions feel more like genuine friendships and relationships. The game's collectible tarot cards (which help players influence future outcomes) are also easier to collect than Until Dawn's totems, which makes finding them more enjoyable and rewarding. While it might not make for the best choice to play with friends, The Quarry remains a solid choice for thrills, chills, and many, many death animations.