Supermassive Games' newest interactive horror experience The Quarry has a sinister double-meaning title that many players may not know about. Considered a spiritual successor to previous Supermassive games like Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, the recently-released title takes inspiration from classic monster movies and slasher flicks. This influence comes through in The Quarry's cast of horror icons including David Arquette from Scream, Lin Shaye from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Lance Henriksen from Aliens. In fact, The Quarry's emphasis on horror even extends into its title.
Following in the footsteps of previous Supermassive Games projects, The Quarry plays out like a horror movie but lets players make choices that can significantly impact the events of the narrative. For example, in an action sequence players can decide whether the player character fights back or flees. Branching storylines mean that making the wrong decision never ends the game, with it instead following a new scenario for players to experience based on each scene's outcome. The Quarry has a total of nine playable characters, and each of them can die in a variety of ways based on the players' choices. Some of the character deaths in The Quarry are incredibly brutal, but these only help pay homage to the game's slasher movie inspirations.
The Quarry takes players to the titular Hackett's Quarry, a mining site in upstate New York that serves as a summer camp. The plot kicks off when a group of seven counselors becomes stranded at the camp as they attempt to leave at the end of the summer. Soon the group finds itself threatened by two strangers and a group of bloodthirsty monsters, with the player's actions determining their death or survival. Members of the Hackett family, who reside in the quarry and know the true nature of the monsters attacking the counselors, are also drawn into the interactive drama. Making the right decisions at the right time can lead to the best ending in The Quarry, but every finale accurately reflects the player's actions throughout the experience.
The Quarry's Title Has Two Very Different Meanings
The title of The Quarry holds a clever double meaning that makes the story even more sinister. The most obvious meaning of the title is a reference to Hackett's Quarry, where the entire interactive experience takes place. However, the word "quarry" can also refer to an animal being hunted by a human hunter or other carnivorous creatures. This meaning of The Quarry is very appropriate, considering that the game's playable camp counselors become prey to a pack of vicious monsters. Gameplay choices in The Quarry immerse players in the action, turning them into the monsters' quarry as they explore Hackett's Quarry.
The Quarry serves as a worthy successor to Supermassive Games' Until Dawn by delivering a terrifying and intense interactive adventure. The game leans heavily into horror and slasher movie tropes, and that even extends to the game's clever double-meaning title. The name of The Quarry obviously refers to Hackett's Quarry, where the counselors must struggle to survive, but it also suggests that the playable counselors have become the quarry of horrifying animalistic monsters.