Supermassive Games Makes Fun Stuff, but is Struggling. It's the Same for Much of the Game Industry

The video-game industry seems to, in general, be having a ton of issues. Lots of studios are getting shut down, or people are being laid off, and if you don't sell an insane amount of copies when your title comes out, it is a big problem. I have enjoyed anything from Supermassive Games I've had a chance to play, from "Until Dawn," to, "The Quarry." I just recently had enough free time to dive into, "Directive 8020," which I've been really digging! Without spoiling too much, the story takes place in the somewhat distant future, with a team aboard a spaceship tasked with inspecting a potentially habitable planet encountering... trouble. This issue is extraterrestrial in nature and the plot so far is a mix of, "Alien," with, "The Thing," as you (the player) try to keep everyone alive via a number of ethical dilemmas, some exploration/sneaking segments, and so forth. I quite like it, and when I saw there was a headline about the developer the other day, I was bummed that the news was, "Yep, more video-game industry layoffs." 

It is alarming that video-games seem more popular than ever, yet the industry for making the games is itself a huge mess. At least a bunch of executives with Electronic Arts are happy, however, thanks to selling the company to, "...the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners, a private equity firm owned by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner." 55 billion dollars was spent, and now Trump's son-in-law and Saudi Arabia are in control of one of the biggest game studios around; what could possibly go wrong? I mean, what indeed?

Video-Games of the Year--2022 in Review

"The Quarry," and, "Marvel Snap"

This year two video-games impressed me to a great degree for completely different reasons. During the Summer I had a chance to play, "The Quarry," and loved the complex and branching storyline with intriguing characters and a scary (but also funny and clever) storyline. Then, later in the year, we saw the release of, "Marvel Snap," which has a seemingly simple (but actually quite intricate) gameplay and delightful quick matches against other players (or skilled bots) as you lay down digital cards. "The Quarry," has a fantastic story that you get to alter through choices and, "Marvel Snap," is pure adrenaline-fueled gameplay. Both were my favorite games to come out this year (which I had a chance to play).

"The Quarry," is a Terrifyingly Fun Game

Way back in 2015 I played and reviewed, "Until Dawn." The developer, Supermassive Games, has their latest big release out now, "The Quarry," and I loved it. With a story that is a bit more focused than, "Until Dawn," and a good number of self-aware jokes about the horror genre, "The Quarry," is a lot of fun for horror fans or those who enjoy interactive dramas (with many possible outcomes). Focused on camp counselors who end up stuck at the camp for an extra night, things start to go horribly awry when it becomes apparent some kind of creatures are lurking in the forest, and they're hungry. The game takes its time getting to anything especially scary, however, instead easing us into getting to know everyone and slowly introducing gameplay mechanics that will later literally mean the difference between life or death.

Yes, the gameplay, my one quibble with all this. Much like, "Until Dawn," there are times you are basically watching the game and get dialogue prompts or choices you can make that drastically impact the story. I like these elements. There are also times you may have to move the joystick or hit the X button for a quick-time event as they are called. These are perfectly fine. Then, at some points, you are given control of a character and can wander around an area looking for items of note until you walk to the right spot to trigger more interactive-movie-style moments. These parts of the game are my least favorite. The characters feel kind of floaty and are not always the most responsive to the direction I'm trying to point them in. Then, I'll be walking along and the game's camera suddenly shifts to a whole new angle and I find myself struggling to point a character in the right direction to go where I want them to slowly amble towards It's a bit tedious, but I enjoyed so much of the game besides those times I had to wander around looking for points of interest that I can't whine too much.

When you see these symbols get ready to move your joystick/mouse cursor.

"The Quarry," is an incredibly fun time and I was amazed how after I beat the game and Googled all the various possible ways the story can go for the differing characters. There is no, "Correct," ending in the game, but some endings are arguably happier than others when it comes to keeping everyone that you get to play as alive (or just intentionally messing up a bunch so everyone dies if you want that to happen as well). I played the game on my PS5 and the graphics were absolutely gorgeous, but it looks quite snazzy on older consoles as well, from what I've seen. Should you desire a good dose of horror or just want a solid story-focused game, "The Quarry," is worth the 7-10 hours it'll ask of your time to do at least one play-through.

5 out of 5 stars.