The Quarry is Supermassive Games' latest foray into the world of cinematic horror games, and much like Until Dawn and the Dark Pictures anthology, the nature of endings can leave some players dissatisfied. However, it is possible to see several mandatory elements to each ending that are not determined by player choice, which helps to outline what really goes on at the end of The Quarry.
Since The Quarry has almost 200 endings, it is understandable that most players will receive different outcomes the first time they play. However, there are certain game devices that will occur no matter what ending is chosen by the player, hinting at potential ways to avoid their demise in future playthroughs.
Monsters Still At Large?
The end of The Quarry sees all the surviving characters (any/all from the camp counselors and the Hackett family) trying to fend off the monstrous force. If Laura and Kaitlyn are still alive, they will seek out the remaining creatures and attempt to kill them, while the other counselors focus on trying to stay alive.
Meanwhile, the Hackett family are determined to kill everyone else as payback for Kaylee, who was killed earlier in the game by Laura.
Whether they survive or not is up to the player, with Chapter 10's final run of Quick-Time events branching the story in multiple directions. The big threat of the White Wolf can only be vanquished if players manage to kill Silas and revert all werewolves back to humans.
Much like Until Dawn, The Quarry's story is self-contained, so following on with a direct sequel seems unlikely.
The Quarry Has Evolving Credits Depending on Your Play Style
Depending on whether a character is alive or dead, their status will be shown in the game's epilogue section in a montage. This section is set to "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees as a typically cheesy outro song that befits classic horror movie tropes used by The Quarry.
The delightfully gory deaths leave a chilling effect for the epilogue as a reminder of all the player's decisions throughout the story, whether the Hackett family or the counselors have been slaughtered.
One running gag throughout The Quarry is the 'Bizarre Yet Bonafide' podcast, where spooky events are discussed, and players get to listen to one such episode over the credits. In story paths where a lot of the counselors get killed, the news story reads: "Bodies Pile Up After Camp Massacre." In story paths where lots of them survive, it becomes "Psycho Teens Charged With Camp Massacre."
The Quarry's Collectibles Subtly Influence The Epilogue
Additional setpieces that can change the ending include the collectible evidence pickups. Evidence can be found in certain Quarry chapters as proof of the werewolves' presence, and the more evidence found by the player will change the podcaster's verdict given in the epilogue. Finding only one piece of evidence will leave them uninterested, whereas finding 9 or 10 pieces gives a more favorable verdict that implies the counselors get away with it.
Thanks to 15 story paths with wildly different interactions, The Quarry comes with the chance to save all players, none of them, or just the cast members liked by the player. This shows an impressive amount of foresight from the developers who don't railroad the player into making choices that affect the story outcome.
Supermassive Games has found an effective formula for its cinematic horror style. The Quarry's endings skilfully entice gamers to keep playing and discover new plot points as often as they wish.
The Quarry is out now for PC, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/ Series X/ Series S.