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still in the game," he confirms. “From early on,
it was about time breaking down. But actually
figuring out what it looks like when time breaks
down – from the artistic side – took a long
time. Originally, time is frozen. Visually, frozen
time looks very cool, but when you actually
play it a couple of times, that becomes pretty
boring. It’s like, nothing happens, right? That’s
the idea at the start of Quantum Break – how
time really is ending in the game, because time
‘breaks’, through to the experiment of how
the game begins. All the testing we did came
up with the idea of time breaking down. We
had this feature, and you could sort of 'rewind'
time, so we were like, ‘let’s break things up in
a really creative way, and have the world shift
back and forth in a really violent way.’”
And that’s exactly what they did. Quantum
Break is as beautiful to look at as it is daunting.
You play secure in the knowledge that anything
around you can change at any given moment –
and it usually does.
“Things just break down around you," Puha
confirms. "For instance, a big cruise ship
suddenly comes crashing around you and then
it all just builds back up again – this really keeps
you on your toes, and that took a long time to
get right. That was a very crucial moment in the
game when we nailed that. So the 2014 trailer
with the ship crash was a big ‘okay, now we
know what the game is’ moment, and it took a
long time to get there to figure that out."
Puha also notes that the studio didn’t want
this to be just another third-person shooter.
“You don’t stay in cover. If you stay in cover
you die. The Monarch enemies will come and
get you. It’s really about using the time powers
in a way that encourages you to move around."
Remedy have always been heavily involved
in live-action and Quantum Break is certainly
no exception. It features a blockbuster cast
including Shawn Ashmore, Aidan Gillen, and
Lance Reddick.
“Obviously when we were at a point
where our digital characters could really act,
you actually need good actors, not just for
the sake of them being famous," explains
Puha. “[Shawn] Ashmore
was somebody we did
talk about early on, and
then [he] became really
interested in the game.
And I have to say, he’s
a really good guy. Really
into the games and plays a
lot of them. He cares about the
performance and the story – he’s
basically an extended family
member of Remedy at this point
because we spent so much time
with the man."
Quantum Break is a time
travel game with a live-action
Shawn Ashmore
Look familiar? The leading
man of QB was made
famous as Bobby – aka
Iceman – in the X-Men
series. Fun fact – he also
has an identical twin.
Aidan Gillen
“There’s no justice in the
world unless we make it.”
GoT's Aidan ‘Littlefinger’
Gillen is the best brothel
owner this side of the
Narrow Sea, and now
he’s playing your enemy in
Quantum Break.
Lance Reddick
He's no stranger to
appearing in video games,
providing the talents for
Commander Zavala, the
Titan Vanguard, in Bungie’s
Destiny.
Dominic
Monaghan
Another X-Men alumnus,
Dominic Monaghan is
however better known as
Merry in The Lord of the
Rings trilogy.
Leadinglads
miniseries, and Remedy were keen to tackle
the stigma attached to live action and video
games head on.
“I understand that live-action’s a really bad
connotation when it comes to video games –
we’re not stupid, we know what people think."
notes Puha. "People still think that live-action
games are like what they were 20 years ago.
Or maybe they think that we were running
around in backyards doing YouTube stuff.
"No, the live-action Quantum Break is made
by Lifeboat Productions in LA; an experienced
television production company with a pretty
sizeable budget and a great cast.”
Though it isn’t a true Alan Wake sequel,
Quantum Break promises to be an inspired and
unconventional third-person shooter with more
to see than you have time for.
“It’s Remedy’s vision of what the characters
are, and what the game should be, and what
the story should be about obviously, you know,
a sort of artistic endeavor," says Puha. "It’s a
team effort – it’s about collaboration and sort of
getting the best out of everybody."
• Quantum
Break
is out April 05
visit GAMES FEATURE
58 APRIL 2016
GAMES
You don't stay in
cover. If you stay in
cover you die.