Quantum Break

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.

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...

The fictional Riverpoint University in the United States is conducting research into the possibility of time travel. During one of the experiments, an accident occurs, causing a series of inexplicable oddities as the world around us begins to slowly and gradually disintegrate. In addition, three scientists: Jack Joyce, Beth Wilder and Paul Serene, are endowed with supernatural abilities that allow them to control space-time. While the two of them strongly believe in the possibility of fixing the world, Serene, convinced of the inevitability of the impending catastrophe, tries to use the damaged spacetime and Jack's abilities to fulfill his own goals.

The story of Quantum Break is very similar to the television series. The events depicted in the game are supported by live movie scenes with real actors. While the game follows the actions of good heroes like Jack and Beth, the movie scenes focus exclusively on the game's main villain Paul Serene and his company Monarch. Thanks to this way of narration, we learn many aspects of the same story, shown from two different points of view during the game. In addition, both in the game and in the movie scenes, we, the players, have to make important decisions that will be reflected in the subsequent flow of the game.

Quantum Break is, first of all, a dynamic third-person action game where, besides shooting, the important thing is to pass the next levels and use your abilities not only to fight, but also to repair the world. This aspect of the gameplay is significantly diversified thanks to the constant change of our environment after the damage of space-time, numerous anomalies in which objects, structures or buildings disappear or crumble before our eyes. This means that during the game we don't just follow the predetermined path and sometimes we may have to look for alternative solutions and paths to the destination.

Traveling and fighting in an ever-changing environment is accelerated thanks to supernatural abilities resulting from the failed scientific experiment. During the game, for example, we can speed up or slow down the passage of time, or create a special protective shield around Jack. While each of the abilities in question are important to use together constantly during the fight against various enemies and obstacles, the key to success is to use them judiciously in battles, as your powers need a certain amount of time to regenerate. The whole process requires not only great skill, but also the ability to tactically plan your movement.

Quantum Break's graphics are of high quality for its time. They were also developed using an engine called Northlight, which allows for realistic rendering of facial expressions. In addition, the authors took care not to distract us with an overly complex interface during the game. The interface is extremely minimalistic, with only a few icons indicating the powers available. Quantum Break also features more or less well-known actors from the world of cinema. The cast includes Shawn Ashmore, Aidan Gillen and Dominic Monaghan. Quantum Break offers 13 hours of gameplay.

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.

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.