‘Quantum Break’ Trailer Shows Off Cast: Live-Action Show An Interesting Addition To Gameplay

Last week, the Inquisitr talked a little bit about Quantum Break’s gameplay, since a partial embargo was lifted on preview coverage. As Quantum Break Act 2 coverage starts to trickle out, the live-action show that Quantum Break was so hyped on during its initial 2013 reveal, and in the subsequent years since, has been seeing some extra coverage.

This is hardly the first time a game has blended some live-action elements into gameplay – the latest Need for Speed game from Electronic Arts blends live-action scenes interspersed throughout the gameplay. However, most games don’t take a break from the game itself to show a full live-action television show like Quantum Break does.

A new trailer released by Microsoft shows off some of what you might expect in the live-action show in Quantum Break. The trailer shows some of the major players in the show and sets up the drama that Remedy is hoping will come across by placing a large chunk of the narrative into a 22-minute show in-between gameplay.

The first example of this is right at the end of Act 1, leading into Act 2, in Quantum Break. The live-action show is meant to illustrate the bigger picture by showcasing both sides and their motivations instead of focusing solely on Jack Joyce’s story. The show is loaded with big name talent, from Shawn Ashmore, who plays Jack Joyce, to Game of Thrones favorite Aidan Gillen, who plays Littlefinger on the HBO phenomenon. Rounding out the cast are Lance Reddick playing Monarch frontman Martin Hatch, Patrick Heusinger as Liam Burke, and Marshall Allman as Charlie Wincott. If you’ve been following any YouTube videos since last week, you might be familiar with a few of the characters, but if you’re one to avoid spoilers, you might not be entirely familiar with all of the major players.

It’s interesting how the gameplay compliments the show, especially since your choices at particular spots in the game, which Quantum Break calls “Junctions,” directly affects how the show will play out, as well as how the characters might interact with you moving forward. The biggest question many have is how stopping gameplay to sit and watch a television show will impact your desire to play Quantum Break. It’s definitely intriguing how Quantum Break has sort of set up how things go, mainly because it tells the story your experiencing from an entirely different perspective. During the game, you follow Jack Joyce and only learn about the other characters through collectibles and interactions with other characters, such as Beth Wilder. However, in the live-action show, you see the inner workings and motivations of Paul Serene play out in front of you.

Remedy, thanks to their work with Max Payne and most recently Alan Wake, are known for their knack for storytelling, so it’s no surprise that they are pushing the boundaries of traditional game storytelling with Quantum Break. Games have become more and more cinematic in the last five or so years, with some developers even claiming limitations on hardware forcing a lower framerate as a “cinematic” choice, and Quantum Break seems to be the next evolution of that idea, bringing a true cinematic experience into the game itself. The live-action show definitely adds a new flavor to gaming storytelling, and Quantum Break feels like a wholly unique experience as a result.

However, that feeling of anxiety to get back to the actual game does creep in during that first episode. It’s a little jarring at first to go from playing Act 1 with all the action around you to simply sitting back and watching a show. But as you play it again to see the other side of the junction, you get used to it. Also, the show does a great job setting up the opening moments of Act 2, showing that every aspect of Quantum Break’s storytelling was designed from the ground up to compliment the others.

Quantum Break launches in a week, April 5, on Windows 10 and Xbox One. Interested in Quantum Break? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts.

[Images via Microsoft]