Quantum Break

"The number one killer is time."

The opening line of Quantum Break instantly grabbed my attention. The fantastic cast and attention to detail cemented it. I hope we see more experimental media like this in the future as the genre evolves.

Quantum Break is a TV show/game hybrid about the end of time. It not only features great actors like Shawn Ashmore, Dominic Monaghan, Lance Reddick, and Courtney Hope, but has them in a full fledged live-action series that follows the events of YOUR game. That is to say the events of the show change based on your decisions and actions while playing the game. Unfortunately, this means the game requires a steady internet connection to stream the show itself. If you can deal with streaming and the questionable performance of the PC port (I had to fiddle around with settings for longer than I usually do), then the game delivers on its promises.

I wasn't expecting much from Quantum Break's gameplay, but it actually turned out to be a pretty refined third-person shooter. Aided by fantastic sound design, Jack Joyce's time manipulating powers feel great to use and offer plenty of tools to overcome combat challenges and puzzles. The upgrade system involved scavenging for "Chronon Particles" hidden throughout the game. This detracted from the narrative experience. It felt strange to stop pursuing the urgent tasks the game presents me with to search rooms for upgrades. Admittedly, the upgrades don't really do that much to help, even on Hard. It would've been nice to have a less invasive upgrade system that more naturally integrated itself into the story-focused gameplay.

The story is extremely well written. It makes your choices feel impactful, it has compelling characters and performances, and it has well thought-out sci-fi time manipulation goodness. The world feels alive and evolves over the course of the game, and it has plenty of immersive notes and intel to gather and fill in supporting details. The end of the game sets up for a possible sequel, so expect a few unsolved questions.

I'd recommend Quantum Break to fans of Alan Wake, fans of sci-fi TV like Fringe, or fans of wonky time-travel. If the TV component doesn't interest you, the game will likely fall flat. 

This is a game that I really wanted to like, and first act of the game wasn’t that bad. As the game progressed….well…things started to lose me. Quantum Break is a beautiful game to look at, but now (in 2019) I have seen some improved graphics, but they are still impressive nevertheless. I think a lot of the hype surrounding this game was due in part to the powers involved (Remedy Entertainment and Microsoft) and the fact that this game was one of the first releases on next gen. The story of the game centers on Jack Joyce (Shawn Ashmore), who seems to be an “every man” stock character, who is granted time manipulation powers. He is not the only person to have been changed during this experiment/accident gone wrong as his friend, Paul Serene (Aidan Gillen)is also granted similar time manipulation abilities. Together the two clash over the impending event dubbed “the End of Time” that has been set in motion. This sounds like a good story on paper, but the game does not effectively execute this. I found myself bumbling about and engaging in these set piece action settings as opposed to feeling the need to push forward in the game. I take that back, I actually wanted to press forward in the game….just so I could beat it and be done with it. I was getting tired of the unimaginative powers and abilities and shootouts that litter the game and this needlessly convoluted and distant story also hanging overhead. The shooting mechanics are very barebones and uncreative. I wanted to rush through shootout segments just to get through them because they were needlessly challenging or outright uneventful and boring. I did not receive any sense of accomplishment or relief upon completing many of these action segments, even with a vast array of time altering powers at my disposal. Quantum Break is an okay game. I definitely won’t be revisiting it anytime soon. It’s very much a one and done kind of game. There’s nothing enticing to really bring me back to it.  Also, the live action series that was made to accompany the game.....yeah, I could have done without that. It seemed like both a waste of time and besides Aidan Gillen (whose performance was questionable at times) and  Lance Reddick all of the actors were absolutely terrible. The series is definitely worth skipping.