Preview: Quantum Break

I’m trying not to geek out over Quantum Break but OH MY GOD IT IS SO GOOD.

I’ve been trying to fill an Alan Wake-sized hole in my life for years now, and while Quantum Break isn’t the perfect fit, it is decidedly a Remedy game. As such, it’s got an emphasis on story and characters. On exploration. On taking things back to the beginning, even, with some very Max Payne-like bullet time.

It’s hot, no bones about it.

A number of years in the making, we’ve seen Quantum Break in many forms since its reveal. Generic hero man has been replaced by X-Men’s Shawn Ashmore; the likes of Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen, Lost’s Dominic Monaghan and Fringe’s Lance Reddick round out a star-studded cast. Regardless of the extremely lifelike Travolta-esque face swap, Remedy isn’t relying on star power alone; our protagonist Jack Joyce is as complex as they come. Just like Quantum Break’s story, in fact.

The Pacific Northwest seen in Alan Wake makes way for the very Boston-like, far more metropolitan Riverport. It’s here in a hi-tech laboratory that both Joyce and the game’s antagonist Paul Serene gain their superpowers. Both have control over time due to an accident that’s seemingly broken time itself; while Joyce fights to save the world, Serene battles to seemingly destroy it in a perverted lust for power.

The beauty of Quantum Break, like other Remedy properties before it, is that there’s far more going on than just the main game itself. Alan Wake – and Alex Casey and, unless I’m mistaken, Mr. Scratch – all make appearances within the game’s first few minutes (and hopefully that continues). Beyond that, each of Quantum Break’s acts are broken up with live-action television episodes, each providing a bunch of well-written backstory.

While you control Joyce in the game proper, the TV episodes – and a short Choose Your Own Adventure-like device called a Junction – focus on the bad guys, filling in the motivations of Serene and his seemingly evil company, Monarch. While there is only one ending to Quantum Break, the Junctions let you tailor Quantum Break’s narrative to some extent. First, explorable instances called Quantum Ripples will offer up additional minutes of in-game TV episodes, thereby filling in more gaps when it comes to the tale of Joyce and company. Second, finishing an act as Joyce will put you in the shoes of Serene for a short time; there, you’ll need to make a choice between two decisions.

Those choices really dictate how the evil Monarch behaves behind-the-scenes, changing the TV episode you watch and, in turn, changing gameplay in subsequent acts. In the first chapter of the game, the incident that breaks time also is quite noticeable by the population of Riverport. As Serene, you need to decide if you’ll simply eliminate spectators who were present, or instead use your company’s massive resources to put a positive PR spin on the event. The choice means that some characters will live or die, and waves from that effect ripple from NPC companions to the people you hear on in-game radios. It’s compelling stuff.

The TV episodes, just like myriad narration-spilling collectibles, are optional. If for some crazy reason you just want to treat Quantum Break as a shooter, you’re certainly able to. Why you would do that is beyond me, but on those merits alone, Quantum Break does extremely well. Using similar controls to Alan Wake, you run with the left bumper and aim and shoot with your controller’s triggers. Beyond the standard gunplay, Joyce is able to beat down enemies with a number of time-powered moves.

A time dodge lets you slip around enemies, almost Flash-like, while another takes that mechanic and overpowers it as a punch-powered time rush. Joyce can also throw bubbles of time to stop enemies in their tracks and adds more insult to injury by firing into said bubbles, super-charging bullets in a very explosive fashion. Lastly, that same mechanic can be used to throw grenade-like bursts at enemies rather than that bubble.

Wielding Joyce’s abilities, you feel superpowered – and that makes perfect sense as Quantum Break plays out as a modern-day superhero origin story. While you’re initially encouraged to take cover and shoot at baddies, Joyce’s abilities mean you’re worse off if you resort to it. He has more than enough power behind him to gracefully move through an environment. Gunplay is almost Superhot in nature, though with that quirky Remedy slant fans know and love.

Saying I’m excited for Quantum Break is a massive understatement. A compelling mix of action, characters and story, the title seems perfect for fans of Remedy and Alan Wake as much as any other player who’s appreciative of a damn good game.