TIme is the greatest ally of all

When Microsoft announced the Xbox One in 2013, one of its most talked about exclusives was Quantum Break by Remedy Entertainment. Three years later, the game is finally gold and is out for people to play. The easiest way to define this game is like this: it’s a fun, yet annoying ride with interesting mechanics.

Quantum Break’s story is appealing with amazing actors and beautiful art directions. The story revolves around Jack Joyce, a person who gained manipulation power after he was accidently in the accident at Riverport University. His best friend, Paul Serene, was also at the head of the experiment for time travel and gained the ability to see the future. Jack now has to stop Paul from exploiting his powers and the company he is working for.

At first, the story is super cool. As you play through it, it becomes the mix of a TV/video game experience. After an act of gameplay, it will divert you into a live action TV show that directly gets influenced by the choices the player makes in gameplay.

This isn’t all bad, but at times it feels incredibly lazy. The direction Remedy went in was more than impressive. It was a choice that altered the whole game for the player into something they don’t know they are doing. These choices were so bland and forced that near the end of game, I didn’t care anymore to even see what outcome mattered. However, the story was overall a satisfying experience, but I did expect more from Remedy.

“I want something different. Something that changes how people think about campaigns. Something that says you don't need multiplayer to have a good game,” senior Daniel Kricheli said.

Remedy is well known for its storytelling, as well as its gameplay. In my opinion, the gameplay is very similar to Max Payne.

Bullet time in Max Payne slows down time, which allows you to take out as many enemies as possible as a last hope or for a chance to be a badass. In Quantum Break, you have numerous abilities, such as Time Blast, Time Rush, Time Shield, and Time Dodge. These time manipulating abilities add fun to gameplay.

In the beginning, these abilities are godlike and are so much fun to go around to dodge time. However, the later parts of the game are not as fun as the first two hours. The game feels repetitive, with the same weapons and the same enemies being thrown at you. I wish more abilities or more ways to fight an enemy were implemented.

The level design was fantastic with great looking environments and open map design that allowed the player to act fast and use the abilities to their advantage. One of my favorites was the crashing bridge that became a map puzzle when trying to survive the entire falling bridge.

Some of my biggest gripes with the game are the small things that were never added. As an example, you can’t melee enemies that are right next to you. This adds as a frustrating dynamic because I don’t want to always shoot an enemy that is an inch away.

Another gripe I have is the cover system, because it is god awful. The player does not have the ability to take cover or crouch. Instead, the game does it for you whenever you are near a wall or only WHEN you are being shot at. This takes the element of stealth away, and makes the gameplay even more stale.

Microsoft wanted this game to show the power of the Xbox One. They said they heavily trust Remedy to deliver a great experience. At times, it feels like this is really the best exclusive item they currently have on the Xbox One. However, knowing Remedy’s track record, this is a game that should have been better. I wish the game had more, but whatever I had in this game was super fun, besides the later part which added nothing but stale gameplay.

Final

Verdict: 7/10 - A good game with minor problems.