Thanks to KawlunDram and Wolfman for helping with edits.
As a tendency, I dislike covering big budget, “AAA” games in this series. I favor more obscure stuff, curios people rarely discuss. Who else would play Donkey Kong and Zero Escape simulacrums, games that were unceremoniously delisted from Steam, or works hailing from discontinued digital marketplaces? But last year did yield an expectation to this standard: Alan Wake, a 2010 Xbox 360 cult favorite. Developed by Remedy Entertainment in partnership with Microsoft, Wake was a respectable success despite my lukewarm opinions of it. However, I did see potential therein that warranted refinement, something Remedy sought to do with Wake’s 2016 successor, Quantum Break. A “second season” to Wake ultimately matured into Break, a “time-amplified suspenseful blockbuster” for computers and the Xbox One. So how does it compare to, and learn from, Wake?
As someone who also enjoys covering games from yesteryear, it’s a rarity for me to review one this recent. (Image: Microsoft)
Anyone familiar with Alan Wake should quickly settle into Quantum Break. They’re both linear treks with collectibles and firefights strewn throughout starring lumbering, loquacious guys. Both games’ trinkets usually just offer a deeper insight into their worlds, but a handful serve a greater purpose. In Break, only two varieties have mechanical import. The first are “quantum ripples,” which are triggered by interacting with specific objects and change details later in the campaign. Second are “chronon sources,” glowing orbs that are spent on upgrading protagonist Jack Joyce’s abilities. The two games handle their pacing a little differently, too. Wake‘s episodes start as safe, slow, plot-centric breathers before transitioning into the action-heavy nighttime sequences. Break is slightly less formulaic, alternating between its shooting and exposition-delivering segments routinely. Several of Wake’s other stylistic techniques continue here: acts close with licensed music, open with a plot recap, and Jack monologues about everything incessantly (he’s a blander lead than Alan though, something I don’t blame on actor Shawn Ashmore). Break also directly pays homage to Wake, occasionally referencing its characters and lore (Break’s own successor, 2019’s Control, makes similar allusions).
But despite inheriting so much from Alan Wake, Quantum Break, well, breaks away enough to carve its own identity. Where Wake primarily took cues from Twin Peaks and (to a much greater extent) Stephen King’s bibliography, Break‘s concentration is science-fiction, specifically time travel. All of Jack’s abilities – he can dash, temporarily freeze things, and create barriers – revolve around the motif, as does the story. Jack’s caper starts with him assisting his longtime friend Paul Serene on a project, a time machine. William, Jack’s brother and the one whose research powers the device, gets roped into the demonstration. It goes disastrously; Jack and Paul are doused with radiation, giving both chronokinetic powers. An older, cynical Paul returns from the future having seen the “End of Time,” a seemingly inevitable universe-breaking event. Working with the amoral Monarch Solutions tech giant, Paul blows up the building, killing Will, and apprehends Jack. However, a “time stutter” – a phenomena where everything freezes – gives him the chance to escape, beginning Jack’s race against time to repair time.
As with Wake, you can change weapons on the fly and a quick cinematic plays when you vanquish the last baddie in a wave of them. (Image: Microsoft)
Gameplay is the one department where Break outright outshines Wake. Shooting enemies here evolves beyond Wake’s threadbare “shine a flashlight on them, then shoot” baseline. Alongside Jack’s various abilities, Break employs basic genre fundamentals: you duck behind things and explosives are placed strategically, potentially letting you exterminate multiple foes simultaneously. Both games introduce new enemy types as they grind along, though Break’s assortment is arguably more impressive; some gain access to powers akin to Jack’s and have weak points. Occasionally a machine suppresses Jack’s powers, demanding an extra level of care. Additionally, Break interjects small puzzles and platforming segments into the affair. Neither amount to much, sadly – you freeze a broken door here, re-assemble something there. Kindly, there are a few other ameliorations: a collectible screen lists each chapter’s goodies, and Jack’s “time sense” highlights them and guides players if they’re lost. Ultimately, Break lacks anything especially innovative or even engaging, but it’s an improvement nonetheless.
Quantum Break’s art direction is also a departure from Wake’s dreary palette. The game’s menus are white and minimalistic, conveying a mechanical, sterile feeling. Its many laboratories follow suit, helping give Break a cold mood. Attention was placed in its graphics and visual effects, featuring fancy, busy blurs and details. A few of Break’s set pieces are impressive; seeing boats and buildings flicker and get distorted as you wonder through them is cool, a nifty sci-fi alternative to Layers of Fear‘s trippy transitions. Unfortunately, the visuals risk getting too busy during scuffles. Most of Jack’s abilities sport a cyan aura, whereas those used by opposing forces are orange. Using Jack’s time sense helps identify things: ammo and weapons glow blue, enemies appear red, and hazards, like combustible barrels, are orange. The screen gains a red tint when Jack gets injured. Blasting enemies’ gear causes bright orange explosions, which struggle to fade away. Bullets fired by the hero and villains alike fly in an orange streak, sometimes getting obscured by other orange luminaries. Should a fight continue for a while, visual readability can become an issue. At their worst – like the showdown against Paul, who nukes his lab with harsh red blasts – fights devolve into a nigh incomprehensible collage of neon lights, resembling a cheap movie poster more than anything.
Quantum Break struggles to run decently; at least on my launch-era Xbox One, it lags regularly. (Image: Microsoft)
All of that – the fights, aesthetics, lore-focused extras – are in service to Quantum Break’s story. It’s the game’s raison d’être, leaning into the Xbox One’s goal of being an all-in-one entertainment system. Furthering Remedy’s fascination with television and Microsoft’s mission, much of Break’s narrative is conveyed through a companion television program. These air after each act and are affected by the choices made therein. Some of those choices occur during Break’s “junction” segments, which close each act. Aiming to produce a compelling antagonist, you shift control to Paul during junctions, learning about him and his potential futures. It’s Telltale Games-esque, giving you one of two paths that tweak the overarching narrative but never alter the fundamental experience. So how is this experience, the cinematic story told through two mediums? It’s… alright, a sufficient excuse to gun mooks down but one that falls short of the lofty expectations placed upon it. Its core question – is destiny inevitable? – is interesting, and Paul is a tragic figure whose failures augment that well, but Break’s subpar writing lets it all down. Break’s live-action episodes seek to enhance its narrative by primarily focusing on side characters who get little screen time in-game. That’s ultimately detrimental; these tagalongs are particularly boring, forgettable, and just too disconnected from the game’s core conflicts. It leaves all four (skippable, thankfully) episodes feeling like sizable chunks of filler, adding little value beyond the sheer novelty of them existing.
An ambitious endeavor, Quantum Break nevertheless couldn’t match the cult favorite it’s so indebted to. It started off promising, performing well in pre-orders. Marketing executive Aaron Greenberg was hopeful the third-person shooter would grow into a defining title for the console. And Break wasn’t a failure, becoming the publisher’s best-selling original property for the system until Sea of Thieves dethroned it two years later. But it’s largely faded from the public discourse, outshined by its predecessor and successor. Alan Wake left some impact, scoring supplemental media, a spin-off, and recently saw a formal return through Control‘s AWE crossover DLC. Break, meanwhile, accrued its own fan following and little else. Whatever’s next for the studio, we know it’s set within the “Remedy Connected Universe” and likely isn’t more Break. Although Remedy reacquired Wake’s publishing rights, Break’s still under Microsoft’s jurisdiction, requiring their blessing to revisit it. But hey, weirder things have happened – Bubsy rose from the grave for two (two!) games, Shaq Fu got a sequel, and some people still pay money for new Leisure Suit Larry games.
Considering Quantum Break’s ending, plenty of room’s left for a sequel. I’ll be happy for the sci-fi shooter’s fans if they get their closure someday. (Image: Microsoft)
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