In the latest cinematic horror game from Supermassive Games,The Quarrypresents a story with multiple narratives and endings based on player choice. The intense horror comes from monsters hidden amongst the wilderness and preying on the cast ofThe Quarry, but their identity is a mystery for players and non-players alike.
Death is a potential outcome for all charactersinThe Quarrydue to sudden surprise attacks from monsters, plus the paranoia that develops amongst the group. The origin of the monsters is gradually revealed over the course of the story, but that doesn’t make them any less terrifying to witness and fight throughoutThe Quarry.
What is the Monster in The Quarry?
SPOILERS AHEAD
Clues are given from the start of the game in small amounts, but the first time players get a good look at the monsters would be duringChapter 3 when one attacks Nick. They have red skin, long sinewy limbs, sharp teeth, and incessantly growl when in the vicinity. As the game continues, the monsters are revealed in a better light and with more information; each one is a human that has transformed into a werewolf.
Per traditional werewolf mythology, cursed humans transform into these monstrous creatures every full moon (roughly every 28 days). Werewolves seek to devour and kill humans, but their curse can spread via bites and lead to infection,which can happen several times throughoutThe Quarry. They can be successfully killed via silver shotgun shells or other creative measures.
Historically, werewolves are traditionally associated with a more feral and furry design, just like their wolf namesake. Still,The Quarryuses some artistic licenseto render them hairless and more bloody. This is due to the visceral transformation occasionally shown on screen where the infected human’s skin appears to explode off their body in a bloody mess.
The designers presumably considered it a step too far for a human transforming into a werewolf suddenly sprouting wolf-like body hair that would disappear by the next day. The game never shows a werewolf transforming back into a human, but the aftermath clearly shows the human’s skin is back to normal and fully healed. This becomes a useful plot point late in the game for healing wounded characters.
Supermassive Games have preserved the aggressive nature of werewolves seen inThe Quarry, sticking close to their supernatural origins. The slight artistic license was used to render a somewhat more realistic depiction of the monsters, which arguably allows for a more terrifying enemy design. As a result, there are manyjumpscares and intense moments throughoutThe Quarryfueled by the werewolves' horrifying presence.
The Quarryis a spiritual successor toUntil Dawn, which also deals with unsettling human-like monsters of supernatural origin. Continuing the trend with more mythology spread over scary moments appears to be a winning formula for the developers and hints that more is to come with theDark Pictureshorror anthology.
The Quarryis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Complete Guide to The Quarry: Collectibles, Endings, And More
