What is Quantum Break? Everything You Need to Know

Apr. 5 marks the day when one of the Xbox One’s most highly anticipated games releases. Quantum Break sees Remedy Entertainment (Max Payne, Allen Wake) back at the helm of yet another twisted adventure for players to dive into.

With all of the hype surrounding the game, there are still those who don’t know exactly what to expect from the upcoming release. There’s a lot going on within this new title that offers time-bending gameplay and an interactive, live action show; so, here’s everything you need to know about Quantum Break.

Story

After an experiment gone wrong, a fracture in time threatens everything. The end of time is approaching and powerful forces have taken sides to deal with the impending doom.

One one side you have Paul Serene, played by Aiden Gillen (The Wire, Game of Thrones), who wants to do everything within his power to survive the coming cataclysm. Using his newfound time powers, he will stop at nothing to make that happen, even if that means eliminating those he loves.

On the other side, protagonist Jack Joyce, played by Shawn Ashmore (X-Men: Days of Future Past), wants to do more than just survive. Jack is determined to fix the fracture and save everyone. He’ll have to fight against seemingly insurmountable opposition including his dear friend Paul Serene. But Jack, like Paul, has a few tricks of his own up his sleeve.

The story is experience not only through gameplay, though. Developers Remedy Entertainment have also included an interactive live action series that will provide key insight into the antagonist’s motivations and actions.

Gameplay

Quantum Break is a third-person action game. As you play, you will explore and fight through linear areas to progress the story. Exploration includes platforming, traversal puzzles, and the collection of information through computers, documents, radios, and TVs. Combat revolves around a cover-based shooting core that utilizes time-altering powers to give the player an edge.

There are also moments where players will make decisions that alter the course of the game, deciding the fates of characters and the moves certain sides will take. These also alter the included live action episodes.

Live Action

The live action component of Quantum Break serves as more than just the story. The decisions that players make throughout the game will mold the show. Who lives, who dies, what characters end up doing, all occur as a direct result to your decisions.

The show itself isn’t mandatory watching for the game, however. At the end of each act, the episode will begin to stream directly to your Xbox One or PC where you can skip it if you so choose. For those who aren’t too confident in their internet, the option to download the episodes is available, although it will take up 75 GB of your precious hard drive.

Replayability

Although Quantum Break is a narrative heavy game, there is room for replayability. As mentioned before, you can make choices that will change later parts in the game as well as the live action segments of Quantum Break. This means that going back and doing things differently will yield entirely different results. At any time, you can choose a specific part of the game to replay and you can even change the difficulty.

It should be noted, though, that replaying a level does not mean you can bring in powers you earned from later in the game. Every section has a specific list of powers and abilities that it allows, no matter how far you’ve progressed in the adventure. So, if you’re looking to replay an early level with all of the badassery offered by the endgame, you might want to look elsewhere.

How Long Is it?

Like with most games, the length of Quantum Break depends on how it is that you want to play. There is plenty of optional content, such as the live-action episodes and collectibles, as well as the ability to replay levels. Because of that, the length will vary from player to player.

If you want to just blow through the game, skipping both cutscenes and the show, you’re looking at around 8 hours of game time. If you do want to watch everything provided, which we recommend, the experience tops out at about 12 hours for a single playthrough. Those of you looking to get everything out of Quantum Break, meaning you’ll replay for all different paths, can get from 16 to 20 hours out of the game.

For more on Quantum Break, including our review, check out our wiki!