Ever since Max Payne creators Remedy Entertainment revealed their first next-generation game would be an Xbox One exclusive, we've been clamouring to find out as many details as we can about it. Quantum Break is a time-bending action adventure that takes the Matrix-style bullet time perfected by the Max Payne games and turns it up to 11, giving players complete control over time itself.
We finally got our first look at the game in action at the Gamescom show in August, learning some more about what to expect from the live-action tie in TV series that will arrive alongside the game itself. A second gameplay trailer released in October highlighted more time stutter gameplay, which you'll find below.
Quantum Break story
Science experiments rarely go to plan in the video game world, and the time-bending test at the heart of Quantum Break's story is no exception. After being caught in the blast radius, protagonist Jack Joyce discovers he is able to control the flow of time - but he's not the only one able to do it, and the shady Monarch Corporation responsible for the technology wants to stop Jack for good.
Quantum Break gameplay
On first inspection, Quantum Break looks a little like Max Payne - it's played from a third person perspective and you play a character that can slow down time, but beyond that this is an entirely different beast. Jack can't give around, but can slow down time around him to give him the edge in combat. The first trailer revealed a limited selection of these abilities, with localised time stops slowing down particular enemies or slowing down your bullets in midair in order to pack a greater punch when they reach their target.
Cover will play a big part in gameplay, as Jack isn't a soldier - he'll need to avoid enemies and pick his shots carefully using time-stopping powers in order to stay alive. In many ways the game looks like a combination of Remedy's previous efforts, Max Payne and Alan Wake, with the addition of cover mechanics and more time-bending shenanigans, but the game engine appears to take those building blocks and turn them into something visually impressive that puts the Xbox One to good use.
That first gameplay trailer, embedded above, also revealed a first look at time stutters - frozen sequences where Jack has to move through paused time, around objects and fighting enemies that also have the ability to manipulate time. You'll be able to slow your bullets down in mid-air, making an entire clip hit a target in one knockout punch, freeze enemies in place while you move to cover, and temporarily unfreeze objects in motion - causing them to slam into your aggressors.
We had to wait until October to see some of the game's platforming elements, with each new time stutter creating a unique new set of challenges. Jack will have to navigate through each one, using his own time-bending abilities to make it across cavernous gaps, avoid explosions or dodge endlessly repeating catastrophes and punch through to regular time. The clip shown above picks up where the original gameplay demo left off, leaving Jack to navigate a collapsing bridge as a cargo freighter ploughs into it.
Once again narrated by Remedy Entertainment's creative director (and original face of Max Payne) Sam Lake, the video initially explores the same combat scenario shown in the Gamescomm gameplay trailer - so if you want to skip through to the new content move the video on to the 10 minute mark.
Quantum Break TV Show
Quantum Break is fairly unique in that it will arrive accompanied by a companion TV series. The development team were so keen to have a streamlined experience between game and TV show that they hired a "cinematography director" to advise on camera angles, depth of field and other film techniques. Apparently your actions in game will affect the TV show, with multiple scenes filmed to accomodate the different choices players make in-game.
"Junctions in time" will force players to make critical decisions, including moments where you play as the chief antagonist, who has the ability to see multiple potential futures. As soon as those decisions are made, the game will throw you into an episode of the TV show to show you how your decisions made an impact. Episodes should typically last around 30 minutes each, and with a full season's worth of content covering multiple viewpoints and outcomes, Quantum break should have plenty of replay value.
The first series of the TV show will apparently be included on the disc, but it's unclear whether there will be a second season - the Xbox Entertainment Studios division responsible for filming was shuttered earlier in the year, and unless the game proves a major hit it's doubtful whether Remedy would be able to finance a second season of filming on its own.
Quantum Break release date
We're still a long way away from being able to play Quantum Break - the game isn't set to arrive on Xbox One until 2015. There's no firm release date, so it's unclear exactly when we'll get to play it for ourselves, but based on the initial gameplay trailer we can't wait to get our hands on it.
