I think I was always interested in watching and sometimes playing these types of games since they are movie-like and have cinematic sequences based on the decisions made in the game. I love the butterfly effect concept with these games and like the different routes people playing can take.
Games like 2022’s The Quarry, 2020’s Dark Picture Anthology series, and 2015’s Until Dawn were trend-setting in the genre and are still memorable to this day.
I always thought the horror genre benefits from dynamic cutscenes the most and is one of the more entertaining games to watch since it’s a unique experience for anyone who streams it.
The Quarry: Developed by Supermassive Games in 2022
The survival interactive genre is going strong with this installment that debuted in June 2022, just two years ago. But originally, it was supposed to be a loose sequel to Until Dawn and different from The Dark Pictures, according to director Will Byles in an interview with IGN.
“Dark Pictures is obviously an anthology and has gone down a shared story route and a shorter format with a higher cadence,” he explained. This means Supermassive has a lot more freedom and can pull from a wide range of genres: “It’s a lovely smorgasbord of horror”, Byles added.
Like Until Dawn, The Quarry is a classic teen summer slasher at a camp that turns into a creature feature with more traditional tropes of a horror classic.
“For this teen horror, it’s not a set profile but there’s a certain expectation and it’s a lot lighter,” Byles said. It’s got a lot of that weird self-referential thing like Scream where we all know the rules, and the rules are ‘don’t open the door’, or ‘when there’s a trap door with a noise behind it, leave it alone’.”
However, according to former Supermassive employees, there was a prototype for Until Dawn 2 by Sony but that was shopped to other publishers once it was done. That led to a fallout of sorts, according to Time Extension.
Some different ex-employees claim The Quarry was the sequel since Sony refused to be involved after their previous release with Bandai, The Dark Pictures, was on multiple platforms unlike Until Dawn, which was Sony exclusive.
The Quarry: Direction is the Key for Interactive Horror
https://://gty.im/490869216
In 2K’s The Quarry, there are names like Brenda Song, Justice Smith, Siobhan Williams, Skyler Gisondo, Miles Robbins, Halston Sage, and Ted Raimi.
Raimi, most known for his role in the “Evil Dead” franchise was inspired by its origins of Until Dawn enough to join in this star-studded cast brand new to motion capture. In an interview with Looper, he mentioned how big of a fan he was as a horror gamer himself.
“Sometimes, when I play the games, I get bored rather quickly. I’ll play it for a couple of hours, and I’m like, ‘Okay, it’s just a bunch of scares,’ and then I get bored,” Raimi explained. “Honestly, part of the reason I’m so excited to do ‘The Quarry’ is because I have played ‘Until Dawn’ extensively.”
Raimi mentioned how the director, Will Byles, enhanced everyone’s performance and the game itself.
“You’ll find a similar style, but the story is very different, and the style will come from primarily the same director, which is Will Byles,” Raimi offered. “Will gets a lot of credit and is notable, for the most part, in the press because of his frenetic directing style and his beautiful lighting and his interesting camera angles.”
He also mentioned how Byles is different from other video game directors with his attention to detail in his cast.
“The reason that game [‘Until Dawn’] works so well, and the reason ‘The Quarry’ is going to work so well is because Will is equally adept at working with actors. It’s a very unusual skill,” Raimi observed. “Typically, especially video game directors, they’re good with actors or they’re technically proficient, but Will is both. He puts them together in this to create a truly frightening experience. This is going to blow people away once they start playing it.”
Also Read: 3 Interesting Features That Make Roguelikes Shine
The Quarry: Other Games like it and 2015’s Until Dawn
https://://gty.im/1054631614
I already mentioned other Supermassive games that involve interactive horror and drama, but 2020’s The Dark Pictures Anthology was a series of four games published by Bandai Namco from the creators of Until Dawn.
The Dark Pictures included Man of Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me.
I have watched tons of playthroughs and streams of games like The Quarry, Until Dawn, and The Dark Pictures Anthology since 2015. But I was inspired by Nijisanji English’s Vanta Crowbringer from Krisis, a Vtuber who recently streamed The Quarry a few days ago and finished it the other day.
From watching the biggest YouTube content creators like Pewdiepie playing Until Dawn back almost a decade ago to now seeing streamers playing games like The Quarry, the influence on the genre seems everlasting and won’t stop anytime soon.
Other Vtubers I watch are usually Nijisanji or Hololive English, although there are a few indie streamers I watch as well. One was Pomu Rainpuff, who used to be part of Nijisanji English but used to play another game I found fun to watch, Tomodachi Life. Other games I currently play include Madden 24 and Pokemon Emerald.
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