Beginner's Guide: Basics and Features
The Quarry is an interactive survival horror from Supermassive Games that was released on June 10, 2022, on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. This Beginner's Guide covers the basic mechanics of The Quarry, including the death rewind system, the different choices and decisions that your character can make throughout their journey, the binge-worthy movie modes available, and so much more.
The Quarry: Story Explained
The Quarry is best experienced without knowing too much about the journey you’re about to undertake, so without delving too deeply into the game's narrative, here are the basics that you need to know.
The Quarry is set in the remote forests of upstate New York during the late summer. In an unexpected turn of events, a group of nine camp counselors spend one final night at Hackett’s Quarry Summer Camp. With no children, adults, or rules to stop them, they decide to celebrate what could be their last time together with an all-out teen party before they part ways for college.
Things aren’t as they seem, though, as their end-of-summer plans quickly unravel as they experience a night of chilling horror that they’ll never forget – that is, if they manage to survive until daylight. Hunted by blood-drenched locals and something much more sinister lurking in the woods, the fate of the teen counselors lies within your hands as every yell, lie, slip-up, and flirtation can create an unpredictable ripple effect on the story.
Characters and Cast
Using cutting-edge facial capture and filmic lighting techniques, The Quarry skimps on no detail, as the star-studded lineup of characters is voiced and acted by some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
The Quarry features the likes of David Arquette, Ariel Winter, Brenda Song, Skyler Gisondo, and Ted Raimi just to name a few. For even more details, check out our Characters and Cast page to learn more about this star-studded ensemble.
How Long is The Quarry
Given the sheer amount of choices and potential character paths that every player can choose to take throughout their journey in The Quarry, it is hard to pinpoint an accurate timeframe that it takes to complete the game. However, with that said, should you be aiming to achieve the “Everyone Lives” ending, you could expect anywhere from 10 to 12 hours of gameplay, depending on how thoroughly you search for Tarot Cards and other collectibles.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to watch the Movie Mode option for Everyone Lives, you can expect to watch through approximately six hours of cutscenes.
How Many Chapters Are There in The Quarry
In total, there are Tap to Reveal Chapters to unlock in The Quarry, however, unlocking all of these chapters is entirely dependent on your choices, as each character's death could potentially shorten your playthrough significantly.
Gameplay and Choices Explained
There is no right or wrong way to play The Quarry, as split-second decisions and unexpected Quick Time Events (QTEs) are designed to help shape your counselor's personality and dialogue choices. So whether you think you've screwed up, succeeded, or simply took too long being indecisive, these choices and decisions will ultimately help you build a path that shapes just how you decide to survive the night.
While some choices will be inconsequential, others will have the ability to create lasting effects that alter your entire character path significantly. A seemingly good idea at the time may end up coming back to haunt you in later chapters, so remember to think twice before acting irrationally. Here's a breakdown of each of the different choice types you'll be faced with in The Quarry.
Quick Time Events
Hackett's Quarry can be a dangerous place if you're not paying attention to your surroundings. Take your eye off the ball and it could quickly spell disaster. As you explore the many sites the quarry has to offer, be sure to keep your eye on the ball, as any distractions could cause you to miss crucial QTEs that could quickly spell disaster for your character or those close to them.
Combat
During your stay at Hackett's Quarry, there may be times when you're forced to defend yourself. However, these combat encounters aren't always as they seem, so you may want to think twice before pulling the trigger. There could very well be detrimental consequences should you act upon every combat situation in the game, as that's how people get hurt.
Another key factor to remember is that the closer you are to a target, the more damage you will deal. However, the further away you are, the wider the damage spread and the less impactful your shots will be. That's not to say that a long shot won't do the trick.
Don't Breathe
When it danger, don't breathe. When prompted with this timed event, you'll want to trick the beast or those hunting you into thinking you're nothing but a useless corpse.
During this event, you need to listen to key sounds and look out for crucial visual queues that indicate when it's safe to move. When the creature is near, a chilling sound will play. While this is playing, do not move and remain calm.
Once the sound has passed and the screen has cleared of the red haze (but don't let your breath run out), you'll be safe to escape the area. Just be warned, exhaling or running at the wrong time can have serious consequences, so when placed in these events, take them slow and don't panic.
Interrupts
Throughout the night, you will be presented with certain opportunities that will allow you to take matters into your own hands. While it may be tempting to react to the prompted action button at the bottom of the screen, it isn't always wise, as these opportunities are only suggestions that you do not have to act upon.
We often recommend showing restraint in most of these situations, as they can often have fatal consequences that can affect your character, especially in future chapters.
Path Chosen
Paths are best described as a string of crucial choices that directly impact both the story and its characters. Full of twists and turns, each choice you make will have its very own consequences, no matter how big or little they may seem.
While there's no wrong or right way to play out The Quarry, you should be warned that some paths are much more dangerous than others, so you may want to choose carefully as your next choice could potentially change everything.
Game Modes: Movie Mode, Multiplayer, and More
Below, you will find everything you need to know about all the different game modes available in The Quarry.
Movie Mode Explained
Want to enjoy all the best bits of The Quarry without actually having to physically play through the game or pick up a controller? Well, sit back and relax as you watch the cinematic screening unfold when selecting Movie Mode from the main menu. Unlike anything we have seen in games before, Movie mode essentially turns The Quarry into one of the hottest, binge-worthy teen horror movies of the Summer.
There's a catch though, as Movie mode is not unlocked from the get-go unless you have purchased the Deluxe Edition of the game, otherwise, you will need to have played through the game at least once in order to unlock it.
Once Movie mode is available, you'll have access to play through four different modes which include, Everyone Lives, Everyone Dies, Director's Chair, and Gorefest.
Not only will most of these experiences play out a pre-determined story of cinematic cutscenes, but characters will also interact with the environment around them, collecting all Clues and Evidence that can be found during their set paths. Unfortunately, Tarot cards will not be collected in any of the Movie modes, so if you're looking to 100% the game, you'll need to complete a standard playthrough in order to obtain the achievement.
Outside of the pre-determined 'Everyone Lives' and 'Everyone Dies' Movie modes, you'll also have the opportunity to take things further by stepping into the Director's Chair. This unique mode allows you to alter four crucial personality features for each of the nine playable characters. So whether you're looking to make a character more adept when under pressure or composed in a fight or flight situation, the Director's Chair allows you to uncover different character branches and story paths in a much more fluid and meaningful way.
Lastly, as the name suggests, Gorefest is much like all the other Movie modes, however, it will instead play out a pre-determined storyline that includes only the most brutal and gruesome deaths that can be achieved in The Quarry.
Multiplayer: How to Play with Friends
In addition to Movie Mode, The Quarry also features two multiplayer modes that allow you to experience the horrors of Hackett's Quarry together with friends. There are currently two modes available, however, online multiplayer will not be live until early July 2022. Here's what you can expect to find in each mode:
- Make decisions and experience the horror of The Quarry with up to seven friends in Local Co-Op. Depending on the number of people playing, you may potentially be assigned one or more counselors to control. With your roles defined, simply pass the controller around the group each time a different counselor becomes the current playable character. Whether you choose to work together with your friends or completely head in a new direction, is entirely up to you.
- Online Multiplayer is a unique mode that functions slightly differently from Local Co-Op, as it's an invite-only mode that allows up to seven friends to watch along with your playthrough. As key decisions begin to arise, all those watching can cast their votes, with the majority vote determining the outcome.
Death Rewind System Explained
With upwards of 10 to 12 deaths per character, you'll quickly learn that death lurks behind almost every decision in The Quarry. Thankfully, there's a feature that allows you to rewind deaths that may occur. There's a catch, though, as the Death Rewind mechanic is only available after you have completed the game, or should you have purchased the Deluxe Edition that provided instant access to both the Death Rewind and Movie Mode features.
Unfortunately, the Death Rewind system doesn't exactly work as you might expect, as the mechanic relies on a life-based system that only provides you with three Death Rewinds throughout your playthrough -- once those are up, you're on your own. The system isn't perfect though, as it's important to keep in mind that some character deaths can be decided from choices potentially made in previous chapters.
In one situation, we managed to use a Death Rewind that ended up setting us back two whole chapters in the game. So, you may want to be extra cautious when making important decisions and using the Death Rewind system as it can be quite the setback.
Discover more about potential character deaths and unique ending scenarios by visiting our Tarot Card guide.
Collectibles: Evidence, Clues, and Tarot Cards
Throughout your time at Hackett's Quarry, you'll have the chance to explore all of the Summer Camp's most hidden corners. Don't let the darkness that lurks in the woods distract you though, as you'll discover plenty of hidden collectibles and clues that help reveal even more about the camp's history and the mystery surrounding the Hackett family.
While some clues can be used as evidence to later prove your innocent, others such as Tarot Cards can be used to predict character deaths or even provide assistance to those stuck in tough situations.