Allow me a few minutes to explain why you should play these video games, even if you’re not a gamer. The only prerequisite is that you’re into horror. The Quarry and Until Dawn are essentially choose your own adventure horror movies. Even for someone like me (a very unskilled video game player) these games are totally accessible. Beyond the basic controls like walking around and investigating, there are relatively very few combat or quick time actions needed. These are two of the best horror video games out there.
Each of these games are much more about the story, and the choices you make, which impact what happens next. In our house, we’ve even played through Until Dawn multiple times and each time found ourselves in a different version of the story.
For the summer/fall season I would suggest The Quarry. Thematically we find ourselves at a summer camp that is about to close for the season. The Quarry features David Arquette, Brenda Song, and Halston Sage. My big warning here is that figuring out the shotgun controls is the most challenging part of the game. Perhaps this is a realistic challenge for the teenage camp counselors we are playing as, but that did leave us feeling frustrated. That being said, don’t let that dissuade you. The Quarry is so fun and such a perfect horror story to unravel this fall.
Until Dawn is well-suited to play in the winter months. The story takes place at a ski lodge on a desolate mountain. You’ll notice some familiar faces in Until Dawn, which features Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, and Jordan Fisher. Totally my opinion, but Until Dawn feels a bit more complex in both its controls, settings and its storyline. Another reason I would suggest starting with The Quarry and graduating to Until Dawn once you’re more familiar with how these choose your own adventure games work.
Gamers and fans waited 7 years between the release of Until Dawn in 2015, until The Quarry was available. Both games are from Writer/Director Will Byles. The story of both of these games is excellent. Both games left me wanting to play again to see if we could create a better outcome for our characters. And by the way, the characters in these games are incredibly complicated and easy to care about. A big part of the game play is making decisions for characters and building relationships within the story.
One other game worth mentioning is Heavy Rain, which we also played a few years ago. Heavy Rain hovers slightly closer to thriller, a super engaging detective story. Though the game play is a bit more advanced than the other two games.
There is something very satisfying about having the freedom to make your own decisions and mistakes in a game, without simply playing through a singular story as written.
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