Pa, I’ve got the black lung!
Some games make a name with flashy graphics, an amazing storyline or a host of subtle mechanics that breathe life into the world. Quarries of Scred is not such a game. It’s a game predicated on simple, beautifully executed ideas and an immediate feedback loop that can get you hooked on game after game, even when death and restarting is an inevitability. Looking like something that would have been a hit on the Apple IIe or Spectrum, Quarries nonetheless has more than enough going for it to keep any player with an interest in retro-gaming involved for hours.
Players take the role of Bob, a bad miner who is forced to mine as punishment for his bad mining deeds. His job is to dig down through levels of dirt and rock to collect jewels that can be brought back to the surface to cash in for credits. When not supported by dirt, the rocks that litter the levels slide and fall, and as we all know, getting hit by a rock spells certain death. As does bumping into any kind of creature or being subsumed by the fungus that can spread throughout mines. Basic gameplay is both simple and unforgiving, with the arrow keys providing movement and permadeath ensures that you try your hardest to succeed.
Credits gained by cashing in gems can be used to purchase landmines and lasers, two things you probably shouldn’t give to a bad man being punished but also vital for clearing blockages and reaching the lower levels of the mines. The supposed ultimate goal is to collect enough credit to buy a teleporter and escape the dark pit - again something that you probably wouldn’t want to sell a prisoner - but really, the real ultimate goal is getting a high score. This is where the immediate feedback loop really comes into play. Completing the game is difficult but definitely achievable for most players, and after you’ve done it once you’ll want to do it again, only this time hoard more credits. To do that you’ll need to take more risks, which means you may find yourself making mistakes and getting crushed to death by rocks or eaten by bats. Then you’ll have to start again to see if you can keep that high credit score and complete the game. Before you know it, you’re hooked. It’s a vicious cycle.
The levels are randomly generated using a seed system that ensures that no two games will be alike. The system also seems to be incredibly fair; when you die, and you will die over and over again, it will be your fault, and not a quirk of an unfairly designed level. Instead of this, the level can sometimes be disappointing - not that any level is terrible - but that you may die on a great level and have to live with the fact that you’ll never see it again. Quarries of Scred definitely isn’t a game for everyone, but if you want a game that rewards perseverance and endurance and you don’t mind a game looking like it warped in from the 80s then you’ll find a lot to like. DANIEL WILKS