Quantum Break

"Quantum Break" stands out as a bold experiment in gaming, blending traditional gameplay with an interactive TV show to deliver a narrative experience like no other. This game isn't just about shooting; it's about weaving a compelling story around the complex theme of time travel.

The narrative is where "Quantum Break" truly shines. The time travel mechanics are well thought out, providing a refreshing take on the genre with its closed loop theory. Characters like Beth Wilder add a human element to the sci-fi, making you care about their fates amidst the chaos. The live-action segments, although a bit of a mixed bag, give the characters a tangible presence, enhancing the emotional investment in the story.

While the combat might not push the envelope in terms of innovation or difficulty, it's satisfying once you master the unique time manipulation abilities. This isn't your typical run-and-gun; it's about strategy, timing, and making the most of your powers in creative ways. The environmental storytelling through collectibles and detailed world-building is top-notch, rewarding those who delve deeper into the lore.

Visually, "Quantum Break" is a treat. The game's art direction captures the essence of a world where time is literally breaking apart, with environments that feel both futuristic and hauntingly present. The integration of live-action scenes might not always blend seamlessly, but they contribute to the game's unique aesthetic.

This game deserves credit for its ambition. Trying to merge gameplay with episodic television was a gamble, but it resulted in a memorable experience. It's not perfect, but it's a pioneering effort in interactive storytelling that should be celebrated for what it achieves rather than where it falls short.

The player's choices, although they don't drastically alter the game's path, still offer an engaging layer of interaction. It's fun to see how your decisions can slightly shift the narrative or the live-action episodes, encouraging multiple playthroughs to explore different outcomes.

"Quantum Break" is a testament to Remedy's storytelling prowess. For those who love a good sci-fi yarn with characters that stick with you, this game is a must-play. If you're a fan of Remedy or just enjoy a well-crafted story with a dash of innovation, "Quantum Break" won't disappoint.

Before playing this game, I've never played anything quite like it. In this game, you experience reality as it's fragmenting. Using your characters abilities, you're able to use this fragmented world to your advantage, with some really spectacular action scenes. The game is so cinematic; so damn cinematic in fact that after every act, you get to watch a live-action episode based off the decisions you've made. So unique in that aspect, as before, I've never seen this episode feature in a game. It makes the story even more engaging, and shows this story from multiple angles. In all, this was a very memorable single player campaign. Felt like I was playing an interactive miniseries; that's how cinematic it was. Definitely give it a try if engaging single player games are your thing, and if you dig stories dealing with quantum reality and time distortion.

EDIT: I played this game a couple years ago with an understanding that this was probably was of the coolest and unique games I've played at the time and coming out of it thinking I just experienced one of my new favorite games. Fast-forward to 2022, I seen it was on gamepass, and with certain achievements I have yet to get, and me not remembering most of the story, I decided to replay this quantum mind****. First things first, the gameplay is still super cool and easy to master. Playing on hard, I felt like it wasn't ever too hard, but that may because I kept up on my upgrades. I loved time sprinting around unsuspecting fools and getting 3 headshots in quick succession, or breaking time around them and blasting 30 gunshots into the back of a heavy soldiers' head.

The story is one of the best aspects of the game, making truly one of the most cinematic games I've ever played. Plus all of the hidden stuff in the game adds to the immersion. After each act, you get to make a decision that shapes the rest of the game, for better or for worse.

Experiencing the TV episodes after each act was again refreshing, choosing the decisions I haven't chose before. This playthrough, I made the PR choices which made Serene and Monarch blame all of the "terrorist" acts on Jack Joyce. There's even cool things you can find in-game called "quantum ripples" that add small Easter eggs to the episodes that was sometimes kinda funny. Coming back to the side stuff, there's some that are really funny, specifically the Timestabber screenplay.

In all, the game was loads of fun once again. This time around though, I ended up completing the game 100%. Clocked in at 38 hours, (this includes my first playthrough back in 2017 and my 2022 playthrough) the game isn't super long, but finding all of the secret stuff like chronons might be a challenge.

If it wasn't for 2020 quarantine, I probably would never give a shot this gem and that would be a poor decision... It's been a while since I've seen a good story driven action game on PC... In fact there were very few decent sci fi action games in the past 5 years at all.. So yes with best video card on the market this game performs ok and the story is amazing... Although it's not the best graphics of 2020, it's still pretty good 4 years later, the gameplay is a joy although completely linear, the story isn't though...

You can tell how hard the developers were working to make this an intensely story rich game. A lot of effort was put into the look, sound, level design and lots of top notch voice acting. I have never seen a game with a tv show embedded in it like this one.

BUT....

Where Alan Wake succeeds I feel like this game fails. They took the same cludgy controls from Alan Wake and copied them into this game. I found myself at times trying to keep my character from getting to close to an edge and falling or not quite being able to jump up to a ledge because I was slightly misaligned to it. Where I could overlook this in Alan Wake for some reason I couldn't in this game, maybe because it was like Alan Wake was your first chance learn from those mistakes.

Don't get me wrong, Alan Wake is one of my all time favorite games and this one is definitely on my to replay again down the road. I just wish the game mechanics matched the ambition of the storytelling.

I recommend this game but not as your first Remedy experience. Start with Max Payne and then take it from there. You 'll see that by the end you 'll need to play Quantum Break!

As a game though (besides some extraordinary set pieces) it's pretty average and the story won't blow your mind. The strongest part of the game (for my money) are Acts 4 & 5.

As for the TV show parts of the game, I liked that they did it, but they were just mediocre and dragged the story a bit.

7/10.