Remedy may be better known for Alan Wake and Control, but its release in April 2016 was a completely different experiment in pushing the boundaries of video game storytelling. Players take on the role of Jack Joyce, a man with the power of time manipulation who is trying to prevent the end of time from coming. But the catch is that his former best friend Paul Seren is standing in his way — with superpowers of his own and an entire private army at his beck and call.
Quantum Break mixes the standard swamp-covering third-person shooter with time-manipulation capabilities, allowing the player to close the distance on enemies, stop bullets, and more. Outside of combat, these powers are used to solve puzzles and find additional story entries, remaining a key system to engage with for anyone looking to hunt down any additional lore.
What sets Quantum Break apart from any other video game is the TV tie-in: at the end of each act, an interactive TV episode will play before you're back to running and shooting in Joyce's shoes, and it changes depending on the choices you make. you have made them in the game. A brand new concept (even before Black Mirror's Bandersnatch), the show Quantum Break featured electric performances from the likes of Sean Ashmore, Aidan Gillen and the late, great Lance Reddick.
The mix of media was released to mixed critical results, but no other game has attempted to do what this one has in the years since its release.
Date of issue: April 5, 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Genre: Super powerful third person shooter
Developer: Lek Fun