Supermassive games are easy to compare because they each follow a similar format. The Butterfly Effect, making choices, and having a curator, collectibles, and clues all come with the territory. If you've played Until Dawn, Man of Medan, Little Hope, and House of Ashes you'll have plenty of preparation for The Quarry before you begin your first playthrough.
If The Quarry is the first Supermassive game you're playing, you won't have the tips and tricks you could have learned from your experiences in the previous games, and you probably won't recognize any direct references either. Here are ten things only players of previous Supermassive games will notice.
10 The Importance Of Collectibles
Whether you're picking up totems, secrets, or tarot cards, collectibles are always important to look for during your playthrough. The tarot cards in The Quarry are similar to the totems in Until Dawn in the way that they can show a future potential path.
The tarot cards can be generally hard to find, and you won't get an immediate look into the future as you do in Until Dawn. Instead, you have to choose which of the collected cards you'd like to see more of at the end of each chapter.
9 Red Herrings And Scapegoats
Scapegoats and red herrings are common in a lot of horror mediums, and Supermassive uses them to their full potential. Although things change towards the end of the game, you'll notice characters that turn out to be red herrings. You're meant to fear and run from them without realizing they're actually trying to help you.
If you've played Until Dawn, you'll notice a similar situation where a character is placed as a red herring from the very beginning of the game and is later discovered to be an ally to the teens.
8 Shortcuts Are Sometimes The Best Choice
Sometimes slow-and-steady is the best option. You're less likely to mess up during the quick-time events as you get a little more time to react. But, if you've played other Supermassive games, you'll know that sometimes, shortcuts are the safest option, as taking a long way can often have unforeseen tragic consequences.
Of course, you don't know this for sure during your first playthrough, but having experience from other games may help you make a more informed choice.
7 Butterfly Effect: Small Choices And Huge Consequences
One thing you need to know while playing Supermassive games is that the Butterfly Effect should be taken seriously. Even the smallest of choices can have the greatest consequences. Something as simple as choosing what to do with an item, which path you decide to take, or how you speak to another character can be the difference between life or death. While playing The Quarry, Supermassive players will know how detrimental a small choice can be, which can help in analyzing all potential outcomes.
6 You Don't Have To Kill Everything
Violence isn't always the answer in these games. Sometimes being passive is your best way through.
Players of past Supermassive games will know that you don't have to act on every prompt placed in front of you. In the first chapter of The Quarry, Jacob is startled by a spider and has the choice to squash it, but you don't have to act on the impulse - doing nothing can prevent a character from being injured or even killed under the right circumstances. Choosing to do nothing will sometimes benefit your characters and story.
5 Never Run Into The Woods Alone
If you've played Until Dawn, you know that running off into the woods alone is never a good decision. Hannah runs into the woods in the prologue of Until Dawn which catalyzes the events of the game. If you've already acquired this knowledge, you'll likely realize that Abigail's decision to run into the woods is a recipe for disaster.
It's likely intentional that the two scenes are so eerily similar, and that there's foreshadowing here. If you notice this, you're already prepared for the worst possible scenario.
4 Going To The Radio For An SOS
Calling for help in a horror movie or game is never as easy as it should be. In Supermassive games, characters often have to take the most drastic of measures in order to call for help, and it typically falls on deaf ears.
In Until Dawn, two of the characters travel to a radio tower in the hope that they'll be able to reach someone for help. When you're prompted to send out an SOS via the radio station at the camp, you'll notice the similarities between the chapters and their outcomes.
3 Exploring Is Always Helpful
When you've played Supermassive games, you know how important it is to explore as much as possible. Even if you're eager to advance to the next choice or cutscene, it's always a good idea to be thorough while traversing the area.
Clues can provide more information that helps to explain the plot, and sometimes, not finding a clue can result in death. Supermassive fans will know that knowledge is power in these games, and even something as simple as exploring can result in the Butterfly Effect.
2 The Ski Lodge Reference
The most direct thing Supermassive players will notice is Kaitlyn's Until Dawn reference. Towards the end of the game, Kaitlyn expresses that she'd like to go on a ski trip and be stuck at a lodge in a storm while the cable cars stop working and the food supply runs dry.
This is a direct reference to Until Dawn's plot and setting. And funnily enough, if you notice this, you'll also recognize that Kaitlyn's fantasy scenario is just as bad as her reality.
1 Hardest To Kill & Hardest To Save
Every Supermassive game has a character that's hard to kill and hard to keep alive. Certain characters face more potential deaths than others, while other characters will only have a few death risks.
The Quarry has a number of characters that are very difficult to lose and protect. But, in true Supermassive fashion, there's always one of each that is more complicated than the rest. In The Quarry, you'll realize how disproportionate the risks are and that some characters have more of a chance than others.