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Few franchises out there are as fondly remembered as Bethesda's Quake series. The original entry was released over 25 years ago on June 22, 1996. It was a revolutionary step forward in gaming as it ushered in an era of first-person games that drew inspiration from it or were based on the same engine. In fact, modern games continue to pay homage to this first-person shooter (FPS) behemoth.
Given the largely dormant status of the franchise in the modern gaming scene, it is understandable that many gamers today have not played or even heard of it. In that regard, publisher Bethesda made the right choice by partnering with the remaster specialists at Nightdive Studios to give the venerable classic an uplift.
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Released last year for modern consoles and PCs, Quake Remaster brought the iconic game into the modern era. Admittedly, I too got my hands on this universally acclaimed classic just recently. So here are a few reasons why the game is still worth experiencing.
Quake still manages to impress
These games are hardly known for their plots but let me get to it regardless before delving into the more finer details of Quake. The game puts players into the boots of an unnamed space-marine in a battle against demonic forces as he tries to stop an evil being codenamed "Quake." The mysterious entity has managed to connect the experimental Slipgate portals to their own, allowing their minions to terrorize humanity. You must collect four runes across four episodes to end the onslaught.
This article covers the base game only. However, the two expansions are also included, as well as two new ones: Dimension of the Past and Dimension of the Machine, made by MachineGames of modern Wolfenstein fame.
The Experience - A blast to the past
Time for a little history lesson: Quake was originally developed by ID Software. Coming hot off the success of the groundbreaking DOOM (1993), the Texas-based studio took the next giant step forward to wow the industry further.
Enter Quake in 1996; one of the first 3D FPS games which blew everyone away both as a game and a technical achievement. The ID Tech-driven title was technically demanding for the time. Its popularity helped accelerate the use of propertiary game engine tech by third-party developers.
This was seen in the adoption of the engine for games such as Hexen 2. But it was the consecutive updates and versions made with the sequels that followed that pushed the industry forward. Franchises such as Team Fortress and Call of Duty have their roots in ID Tech 3, eventually branching off into their own custom engines. However, it was the original that set the ball in motion. In fact, the upcoming Wrath: Aeon of Ruin (currently available via Early Access on Steam) is a modern shooter running on the Quake engine.
The Atmosphere - Braving the waves of time
Quake is synonymous with its dark, gritty visuals. The cold grays of its sci-fi levels and browns of the fantasy-inspired environements combines with the lighting to create an oppressive atmosphere. Most of the game takes place across tight hallways and dimly-lit arenas, so when the player does encounter the handful of open areas showing off the sickly purple rolling clouds, it is almost relieving.
The varied enemies littering each level fit right in. From the grenade-tossing Ogres to the terrifying Shamblers, most of them are fun to deal with and are placed around intelligently to pose a challenge. The grunts and growls of each foe as you navigate the numerous environments of the game help enrich the experience.
Adding to the overall experience is the sound design, which goes a long way in accentuating the feeling of claustrophobia, with bouncing clinks of the grenades and crisp sounds of much-needed ammunition rounds. More about that later.
It is all instantly recognizable to anyone who played it three decades ago; not many games these days have an emphasis on creating that kind of a lasting impression. But what's even more impressive is that the atmosphere continues to be as effective as it likely would've been back then.
The Soundtrack - Brilliant and chilling
Composed by Trent Reznor of the rock band Nine Inch Nails (NIN), Quake's OST is like no other game out there. It is a near-silent barrage of industrial music that intertwines with the environmental and gameplay design to make the game come alive.
It doesn't shoulder its way to the forefront of the action because that's not what Quake is about. It's about laying down the pressure thick and heavy. The ambient soundtrack sits right in the background of the gameplay like a lithe predator. It similarly makes its presence known through subtlety, ensuring the player grasps the gravity of the hellish situation they're in.
It's the perfect moody compliment to an equally moody game. Quake wouldn't be Quake without the soundtrack, and that clearly emphasizes the importance of a good tracklist in a video game.
The Gameplay - Smooth as butter, fine as wine
When it comes to FPS mechanics, two things are the key: movement and gunplay. Quake nails both of them despite its age. It would be a crime not to mention the fast-pace of combat and movement in general, lending a tense and addictive dose to the gameplay. The marine handles perfectly, with strafing, jumping and shooting being fairly easy to get used to. The gunplay feels tight, with each shot and blast sounding crunchy.
The Double-Barrel shotgun packs a meaty punch, as it should. The Super Nailgun is gleefully fun to use as it shreds through mobs - as well as ammo. The level design, though, is easily the highlight, with meticulously crafted corridors and swerving platforms. Many of these are gated by traps and key-hunt/switch puzzles that spice up the relentless shooting alongside secrets to find and powerups to collect.
Atogether, it is a complete package that is captivating from start to finish. ID Software are the masters of the genre, and this remaster reflects that even 25 years later.
But the game is definitely not perfect, at least in my opinion. Despite over a dozen baddies, enemy variety does get stale eventually, and some enemies are downright frustrating (*cough* the bouncing Spawns *cough*). The small handful of main bosses are kind of lackluster too. However, that does not take away from the game's accomplishments in any way.
Because, most importantly, Quake's secret ingredient is not the combat, level design or enemy design; it is the simplicity of it all. It hands you a weapon, pits you in a dungeon full of enemies and hazards with some puzzles thrown into the mix - and that's it. Sure, the aforementioned elements combine together to elevate the experience, but it would be nothing without a strong and polished foundation to stand on. Quake does more with less, and that's a lesson modern games could pick up on.
Modding & Accessibility - E for everyone, almost
Even after players wrap up the game's four episodes and four expansions, there is — thanks to the dedicated fanbase — a plethora of user-created maps and challenges to browse and enjoy on sites such as ModDB and Quaddicted.
For those of you daring enough to check out the hardcore modding scene, popular picks like the medieval-themed Arcane Dimensions is a good start; or the Slayer's Testament mod, which turns the game into DOOM (2016), replete with glory-kills and Revenants. The modding scene for Quake has been thriving since the start; while it may not be on the level of DOOM these days, there's a lot of replayability here if you wish so.
But coming back to the vanilla experience, Nightdive Studios has done a great job of ensuring that the core Quake experience is left untouched while still introducing quality-of-life improvements. For starters, the updated higher-resolution visuals are crisp but retain the original esthetic. There are a host of graphical settings to tinker with in the Options, such as post-processing, higher resolutions, a field-of-view (FOV) slider, and so on.
While fans can choose one of three difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, Hard, and the tucked-away Nightmare setting), the studio has implemented extra features to let players play at their own pace. There's four-player co-op and crossplay support for every single episode and expansion, so players who find the experience daunting can go in with friends. Multiplayer also makes a comeback with support for up to eight players. There's a new Horde Mode that's been thrown in as well.
All of this is reason enough for anyone with a passing interest in video games, especially the shooter genre, to check it out. Quake is available for PC, PS4, XB1, Switch, PS5 and XSX|S. Owners of the original Quake on PC can upgrade to the enhanced version for free.
