Quantum Break Preview
First off I’ll apologize for that lead in; this game is certainly no joke. For the better part of a week I’ve had my hands on Remedy’s upcoming Xbox One (and now PC too!) exclusive, Quantum Break. After playing through the first act one thing is very clear; Remedy is here to tell stories that pull you in and don’t let you go. Much like the Alan Wake franchise that Remedy has been best known for up to now, the focus on telling a gripping tale that has you wondering what’s around every turn is still strong and true for the studio. While this should come as no surprise, there have been many doubters crying foul that Quantum Break is going to fall very short of the hype that has preceded its release. While I don’t want to comment on that yet, I can say that my early impressions are pointing to a hell of an experience.
You are Jack Joyce (Shawn Ashmore) and you have arrived in Riverport University to meet your long-time friend, Paul Serene (Aiden Gillen).  He has been working on a top secret, and slightly illegal experiment, and requests your help as the only one he can trust. Your brother, William (Dominic Monaghan) had been helping Paul but after getting into trouble has gone AWOL. That’s the setup and it doesn’t take long for things to go haywire and for time to get turned on its head. Now, we’re talking!
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“Remedy is here to tell stories that pull you in and don’t let you go.”
Over the course of Act 1 you become familiar with some of the gameplay mechanics and from what I’ve seen so far, it all seems to work rather well. One area that was of particular concern going in was the auto-cover feature that puts Jack in cover without the aid of a button push. I fully expected frustrating screams of ‘Why don’t you just go to cover!? ARE YOU TOO GOOD TO GO INTO COVER!?’ (Thanks to Happy Gilmore for that inspiration), but everything worked out rather well so the system is indeed quite intuitive.
You also gain access to your time powers which will allow you to manipulate situations as you see fit with time stops, time dodges and time shields… all very cool, all very helpful, all very limited. By limited I mean that you can’t just stop time all willy-nilly like you’re some sort of Time Bandit (if you don’t get that reference, shame on you). If you get too brazen with your abuse of power you may be left without when you need it most.
Making my way through the early goings I do have to admit I saw the odd screen tear or stuttering framerate, but nothing ever took away from what I was experiencing. Knowing that the team is working right up to release day, and that a patch is coming in a couple days to further improve the game is reassuring. Much has been said of Quantum Break running at 720p on the Xbox One but I can say that first hand experience is telling me this game is undeniably stunning.
Wrapping up Act 1 you are faced with what Remedy is calling a Junction. You need to make a game altering decision that will have serious ramifications from that moment onwards in the game. The choice is not an easy one, and nor is it meant to be. Depending on said choice the live action show and the game moving forward will reflect what you’ve decided. This will make for a ton of replayability in the long run.
Speaking of the live action show, it would hopefully be know that it’s one of the biggest parts of Quantum Break. Part game, part drama. The quality of the live action show is top notch and I highly doubt many people will look to skip over episodes. It all adds to the immersive story telling that we mentioned earlier. It sucks you in, holds you tight, and doesn’t let go for a second. Sure, there may be some story hiccups along the way but from what we’ve encountered up to this point it’s pretty gripping.
Essentially Act 1 is your setup; it establishes the protagonist, introduces you to the gameplay much like a tutorial (that doesn’t feel like one), and sets up the fantastic ‘your best friend is now your worst enemy’ scenario. Ok, now before you go on a rampage that part is given away in like the first 10 seconds of the game. I’ve been very particular not to ruin things for any of you! Quite honestly, the review is shaping up to be tough just because the last thing I want to do is take away from the joy of discovering this game for yourself.
I think it’s pretty safe to say that the early goings in Quantum Break point to an engaging experience from start to finish. I’m not quite there yet but moving further into the game has been wholly enjoyable and had not only tense gameplay moments where I’ve felt extremely challenged, but also tense and dramatic moments that have had me glued to my screen. Look for the final review on April 1st in anticipation of Quantum Break’s release date of April 5th.
*** Xbox One copy provided by the publisher ***
