STACK #214 August 2022

GAMING REVIEWS

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THE QUARRY

SURVIVAL HORROR MULTIPLAYER

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In 2015, Supermassive gave us Until Dawn , a horror choose-your-own-adventure wherein a bunch of teenagers collided with a cabin in the woods. Now, The Quarry takes a similar path. And, what could possibly go wrong with such a combination? As any horror buff out there will be screaming, “LOTS!” Wearing all manner of classic horror movie tropes on its

sleeve with a beaming grin, The Quarry boasts a hot cast of both established and young actors – including David Arquette, Lin Shaye, Lance Henriksen and Ariel Winter.

SHARING IS SCARING!

creepy cop who really sets the tone… and that’s just the prologue! There’s much creepier stuff to come. The full horror unravels over ten main chapters in

The Quarry doesn’t have to be a solo affair. You can hook up with up to seven other players online for a playthrough, or do a round of pass the-controller locally, with each participant controlling their own counsellor.

several ways, from variously controlling nine different camp counsellors and where they wander, to finding collectibles, tarot cards and clues that aid with the story, to making oodles of decisions as to chosen paths – some of which are inconsequential, while some matter big time. In all there are a whopping 186 possible outcomes, with some campers living, some dying, all living, all dying etc. Until Dawn had six... The Quarry is a really ridiculously good-looking (and often extremely grisly) stab at cinematic-level interactive horror that really hits the bullseye genre-wise, plus it also shows some sneaky referential love along the way. Dare we say it’s a camp classic? AF

The script is scarcely Shakespeare, but that’s kind of the point. This is wonderful cheese with all the requisite plot holes, jump scares and occasional dodginess that inspired it. Our scary trip kicks off with two young counsellors heading to the Hackett’s Quarry summer camp a night early to set up. Cue a spot of possible roadkill, a horrible accident, curious figures in the forest and a

MARIO STRIKERS: BATTLE LEAGUE FOOTBALL

SPORTS MULTIPLAYER

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With prowess in basically any sport you can hurl at him, we’re surprised that Mario ever has time to swing a wrench. Mario Strikers: Battle League Football is his latest sortie onto a pitch. It’s soccer, but not as we know it. There’s a pitch, a goal either end, a kick-off, passing and tackling, but with essentially no rules.

Barging through opponents is good, and we haven’t seen any of these superpowered “Hyper Strike” moves, let alone electrified boundary fences, during any sleepless World Cup viewing nights!

PLAYING NICE This wouldn’t be a Nintendo game without oodles of neat little touches. From the character themed Hyper Strikes to choosing which half of a customisable stadium you’d like – and the further embellishments from here such as what music plays – there’s no shortage of Nintendo niceties.

definitely a lot more entertaining than taking on the CPU. Then there are online variations against friends, foes or randoms, and the big one, ‘Strikers Club’. Working much like a typical real soccer league, you can join an existing club or create your own. Teams are comprised of a Boom Boom goalie and four familiar faces from a pool of ten (with more to come). Each has strengths and weaknesses, and that’s not where the Mario Kart influences end. Familiar power-up question mark blocks appear randomly during play, yielding such extra-cheaty delights as speed mushrooms, bananas, green turtles, red turtles, Bob-ombs and the classic invincibility star. These can really turn a game on its head. Mario Strikers: Battle League Football is a wild, super-fast and often crazed assault on both the senses and the game of soccer in general. AF

The first thing that any sane newcomer will do is work their way through the tutorials. You likely won’t remember everything and, even if you do, managing to recall it all in the heat of battle can be a challenge. The solution? Practice! This is accomplished by playing against your Switch, or other learners. There are numerous configuration options, up to eight players locally or four online. Battling other humans is

30 AUGUST 2022

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