Warning: This Article Contains Descriptions Of Graphic Violence
After hitting the masses on June 10, 2022, Supermassive Game's The Quarry continues to earn stellar reviews for its intense level of immersion and interactivity. With no shortage of gory deaths, the game features 186 different outcomes that can be determined by the specific decisions the nine camp counselors make as a family of werewolves terrorize Hackett's Quarry summer camp.
Among the most likable and popular characters is Ryan Erzahler, the smart, charming, and charismatic ghost story enthusiast who forges meaningful bonds with Laura and Dylan in the game, making his survival more impactful than some of the others. With a handful of grisly fatalities experienced through his playthrough, one false move can lead Ryan to a horrific fate.
Fatal Car Crash
In Chapter 10, Ryan, Laura, and Travis begin driving in a car together and are suddenly attacked by Silas the White Wolf. Once Laura fails to complete the QTEs and ward off Silas' attacks, Silas will rip the driver Travis' head off and leave the car rudderless, at which point it crashes and explodes into a heap of fiery sparks.
If this occurs, Ryan will die on impact from the crash, yet his death will not be shown onscreen, sparing fans the ultra-grisly carnage that the remainder of his potential death modes features. While no doubt painful, at least the death is swift, invisible, accidental, and far less barbarous than the supremely likable Ryan's other brutal homicidal outcomes.
Bleeding Out From Knife Wound
In Chapter 9, there is no way for Ryan to avoid getting stabbed in the abdomen by Bobby Hackett when he and Laura search the Hackett house. Afterward, players will be given the option to leave the knife in or pull it out, both of which lead to Ryan losing a large amount of blood. However, it's Ryan's bad decision not to allow Laura to bite him that really leads to his death via blood loss.
Once Ryan shoots Chris and refuses to let Laura bite him and regenerate his health, he will inevitably bleed to death in what is a relatively painless sequence (at least compared to his other options). As Travis promises that the threat still loons, Ryan simply collapses to the floor and dies in a pool of blood.
Stabbed In The Neck By Bobby
In the case that Ryan shoots Travis while Bobby is still alive in Chapter 9, Ryan will inevitably get stabbed in the neck by Bobby in a disturbing yet somewhat middling murder scene. While far more graphically unsettling than dying via car crash or blood loss, the human versus human fatality pales compared to the lethal lycanthropic slaughter that Ryan faces later on.
Of course, considering how integral Travis becomes in Chapter 10 as it relates to the survival of Ryan and Laura, most players choose to keep Travis alive rather than have Ryan shoot him. As such, despite the brutality of being stabbed in the neck, it's the least likely death for Ryan to encounter.
Shot In The Face By Travis
In Chapter 9, much of Ryan's fate depends on whether or not Laura shot Travis or incapacitated him with a syringe in Chapter 7. If Laura shot Travis, it will inevitably lead to Ryan having his entire face blown to smithereens by Travis inside the Hackett house in what is one of the most graphically gruesome deaths the character can encounter. The sl0w-mo effect sensationalizes the death even greater.
One of the aspects that makes the death so disturbing is the heroic fighting chance Ryan is given when he stands up to Travis, and tussles with him to gain control of the shotgun, claiming he is not afraid of the crooked cop. Just as Ryan appears to get the upper hand, Travis quickly yanks the shotgun from Travis and pumps a shell in his face from just a few feet away, leaving a pulpy cavity of gory brain matter for fans to look at as Ryan's body drops to the floor.
Devoured By Werewolf Chris
If the first cut is the deepest, then Ryan's first potential death in Chapter 9 of the highly-anticipated horror game is arguably his most savage of all. If Ryan shoots a lycanthropic Laura and subsequently fails to shoot Chris, he will eventually be mauled, mashed, and murdered by werewolf Chris inside the Hackett house.
Ryan will not only be devoured on the spot, including a claw-slash to the face, but werewolf Chris will also swiftly drive the butt of a shotgun like a wooden stake through Chris' jaw so forcefully that it will crush and cave his entire face. The death is so brutal that one can't even identify Ryan's face afterward, reminding players of the grave consequences one false move can result in during the game. Being shot from a short distance is one thing, having a spike driven through one's trachea at point-blank range is quite another.
Torn To Shreds By Silas
Rightly saving the best for last, Ryan's most intense death scene comes in the final chapter when he and Laura confront Silas the White Wolf in the woods. If Ryan refuses to take the vial of blood and Laura does not shoot Silas at the proper time, Ryan will be viciously and relentlessly marauded by the most rapacious werewolf in the game.
In a viscerally cinematic sequence that makes the game feel like a genuine horror movie, the shaky camerawork, tight framing, and claustrophobic close-quarters attack immediately get players' blood rushing before the attack takes place. Then, as Silas thrashes Ryan around like a helpless ragdoll, the animalistic snarling and bone-crushing sound FX vivify the fatality a great deal. After properly putting players into Ryan's perspective, the camera shifts to show his jaw ripped off and his entire chest cavity hollowed out like that scene from Silence of the Lambs. As such, it's bound to make every player wince in pain as they experience it firsthand.