If you just finished Peacock's Crystal Lake and want more doomed counselors, dark woods, and Friday the 13th atmosphere, there's a game for that. Vice points to Supermassive Games' The Quarry as the natural next stop, and the pitch is simple: you get the summer camp slasher, but you decide who makes it out alive.
Here's why the recommendation makes sense, and how to get the most out of it.
Why The Quarry Fits After Crystal Lake
Per Vice, Crystal Lake has renewed interest in Pamela Voorhees, the Jason mythology, and camp-set slashers in general. If that's the mood you're chasing, The Quarry delivers the same core ingredients:
- A summer camp setting. The game is set at Hackett's Quarry, a camp where things go badly wrong.
- Doomed counselors. You're following camp counselors who find themselves in a bloody nightmare.
- Romantic drama. Vice highlights the relationship tangles among the cast, a staple of the genre.
- Being hunted in the woods. The sense of being stalked after dark is front and center.
In other words, it checks the same boxes that make a Friday the 13th story work.
The Big Difference: You Control Who Lives
Watching a slasher means watching people make bad decisions. Playing one means those decisions are yours. Vice describes The Quarry as a game where your choices determine who survives and who never leaves camp.
That changes how familiar tropes land. The urge to yell "don't go in there" at the screen turns into a real call you have to make, with real consequences for the characters you've grown attached to. If you liked Crystal Lake partly for the dread of wondering who's next, this version puts that dread in your hands.
Think of It as a Playable Slasher Movie
The easiest way to approach The Quarry is as an interactive horror story rather than a traditional action game. Your job isn't to out-shoot a monster; it's to guide a group of counselors through a bad night and live with the outcome. That's a good fit if you enjoy slasher films for their characters, tension, and "who's going to die" guessing game more than for combat mechanics.
Tips for Your First Night at Camp
The source piece focuses on the pitch rather than a strategy guide, so treat these as general approaches rather than confirmed game mechanics:
- Decide your goal early. Do you want everyone to survive, or do you want the messiest, most slasher-authentic ending? Both are valid ways to play.
- Get attached to the cast. Since choices decide who survives, the game works best when you care about the counselors.
- Expect consequences. Per Vice, your decisions matter, so don't assume a rough moment is a fluke you can undo.
- Play it like a movie night. The camp-horror mood lands best with the lights low and some time set aside.
Who Should Skip It
If what you loved about Crystal Lake was specifically the Voorhees lore, note that The Quarry is its own story. It shares the setting and the slasher spirit, not the characters. Go in expecting a new camp and a new cast, not a continuation.
The Takeaway
If Crystal Lake left you wanting more summer camp terror, start The Quarry and treat every choice like it could be someone's last. That's the whole appeal: the same doomed-counselor dread, with you holding the controller.
