Remedy Entertainment, the studio famous for the Max Payne series of games, has released a new action thriller called Quantum Break that explores the theme of manipulating time. Remedy had experimented a bit with the concept by adding a bullet time feature—which lets you see bullets move in slow motion towards characters—in Max Payne, but they take it to a new level in Quantum Break, which has been published by Microsoft Studios and is available for both Microsoft Windows 10 and the Xbox One, for $59.99.
The Quantum Break story starts off with an experiment gone wrong. Jack Joyce, played by Shawn Ashmore (Bobby Drake/Iceman from X-Men), has been called over by a friend and head of a company called Monarch, Paul Serene, played by Aidan Gillen (Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish from the Game Of Thrones). Jack wants Paul to help him start up a time machine built by Jack’s bother William, played by Dominic Monaghan (Merry from The Lord Of The Rings movies). A disaster that ensues gives Jack and Paul powers to manipulate time, but also leaves time fractured, careening towards a breaking point. You play Jack, and it is up to you to repair time and stop Paul, who is trying to bring time to an end.
The story of Quantum Break is what makes it compelling. It is structured like a television show—at the end of every level, you have a 22-minute live-action video. When the storytelling pauses, the gameplay begins, and you can go wild with the time-bending powers Jack has. While the plot does have a few holes and clichés, it is perfect popcorn-munching sci-fi fare and it works for the most part due to the excellent performances, especially by Aidan Gillen as Paul, a villain who keeps you guessing about whether he is good or evil.
The spurts of action are fast and furious. You get to shoot, as in most action games, but the time-bending powers steal the show. You can jump right in front of the enemy with a slow-motion punch, or use the time bubble, which lets you stop time around a foe and then pump bullets into him, sending him hurtling to his death when the bullets attain normal speed. You get to use all the powers at the outset of the game itself, which may be the game showing all its cards too early.
In addition to the action gameplay, you have large puzzles to solve. In one scene, you have to deal with a slowly collapsing bridge—you have to avoid the slow-motion mayhem of debris and crashing cars and falling beams.
For a time, you also get to play as Paul, who, in addition to all of Jack’s powers, has the ability to see the future. You can influence the live-action sequences by choosing certain paths, thus making Quantum Break a fun game to play several times.
The graphics look absolutely fantastic—the characters look real, as do the surroundings, and the slow-motion scenes stand out.
While the plot of Quantum Break is not perfect, and we could have hoped for a few more elements in the gameplay, it’s a wild ride throughout—enough to keep you hooked.
