Today marks six years since Quantum Break launched on Xbox One and Windows 10! In the adventure, players were tasked with preventing the end of time following a disastrous time machine experiment. To celebrate the milestone, we reached out on Twitter to ask Quantum Break fans their favourite moment from the 2016 title. Here is what they said...
Rowan: Back In Time
Rowan is a multi-talented artist and a writer who has been incredibly active in the Remedy community. Alongside creating music videos, patches, and laser-cut artwork, last year they also held a 12-hour Remedy-themed charity livestream raising money for The Trevor Project. You can follow their latest adventures on Twitter!
"Two parts come to mind. Act 5, Part 2, and Act 4, Parts 3 & 4. Both of these take place outside of the main 2016 timeline, which is part of the reason why I love these parts so much. I've played these sections of the game a completely uncountable amount of times, simply because I adore these moments.
Finding Beth in 2010, and taking the Countermeasure - two triumphant moments, shadowed by tragedy harboured by Beth... which eventually caused her death. Getting her back after so long, with her being completely exhausted and broken, only to have her taken away not an hour later. It's a painful moment that solidifies Paul as the villain, even though at one point Jack thought Paul to be one of his closest friends.
Saving Will, well... Will is my favourite character, and I couldn't have been more distraught over the illusion of his death back in Act 1. Not only do I LOVE the level design in this part, I also love blazing my way through Riverport University with all of Jack's fully upgraded abilities, wreaking a trail of destruction to save his brother. Despite how they didn't always get along, and how conflicting their personalities were, Jack went through hell and back to save Will.
Both of these moments had things that really made Quantum Break so tragic. And call me strange, but that's my favourite thing about its story. A tragedy that transcends time."
Ruby: Introducing The Strikers
Based in New Zealand, Ruby works at an international book publisher during the day and contributes to Doublejump in their spare time. Their love for Remedy experiences is clear to anyone who follows them on Twitter!
"One of my favourite moments from Quantum Break is when Jack first encounters the Strikers - Monarch operatives equipped with Chronon Harnesses that allow them to move through Stutters just as fast as Jack, while normal people are frozen. What I really love about this sequence is that up until then, combat has taken place in unfrozen time, where Jack has the advantage over the enemy because of his powers, with stutters usually being a means for Jack to escape a situation without having to engage. With the introduction of the Strikers, that safety is gone. And the Strikers are fast! The best part though is how, once their Chronon Harnesses are destroyed, they will stop in place just the same as any regular person caught in the stutter. You’ll hear their distorted yell, and they’ll freeze wherever they are — whether that’s on the ground, or in mid-air. I always felt that really extenuated the dreadful reality that when the End of Time comes, everything will be frozen exactly as it is, inescapable and everlasting. Plus you can push the Strikers around while they’re frozen, which is kind of hilarious."
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Tina: Act I, The Number One Killer Is Time
Long time Remedy fan, Tina comes from Stockholm, Sweden. While her social media pages may look sparse, her time on Twitter has been filled with supporting the community and being a beam of light within it.
"My favourite moment from Quantum Break is at the very beginning of the game - the moment when you see the time machine for the very first time at the university and help Paul start it up (act 1: the number one killer is time).
There is this really slow building of excitement that starts when you exit the taxi and enter the university area. Everything about this area is so beautifully crafted - from the music to the design of the university, particularly the physics building, where the time machine is. The atmosphere here is so good and really helps draw you into this world and become immersed, almost right away. (Remedy's games never really seem to need any time to draw you into their worlds.)
I loved every second of this first part of the game. The atmosphere is amazing and the music is great. I absolutely loved the design of the university area and the time machine. Everything just comes together so beautifully and made a strong and memorable impression on me. It is one of the coolest beginnings in any game that I’ve ever played. Whenever I read about Quantum Break, I think about this moment and how it made me feel, and then I just want to go back to that world and play it again."
Mahmoud: Act IV, The Secret History of Time Travel
As well as being the Senior Video Editor at Gamerimaaa, Mahmoud is a strong supporter of both Remedy and the community. He was one of our earliest followers, spotlights amazing fans in the fandom, and helps makes our online space a really lovely place to be.
"Oh man, my favorite Quantum Break moment is a *pretty* difficult one to pick... Almost impossible if I'm being honest, but if I had to pick one... It has to be Act IV... Yes I'm picking an entire act because act 4 is really special, specifically because of one character, Beth Wilder.
So basically, Act iv is Beth's story and that's why it's my favorite part of the game."
Matt Hall, Hidden Machine: Welcome To Riverport University
The Hidden Machine YouTube channel is packed with extensive reviews, analysis, and more. It focused heavily on Remedy's rich worlds and chances are if you've seen one of their videos on the Finnish developer, Matt Hall had a hand in it. Matt Hall is an absolute powerhouse bringing videos such as "Exploring the Remedy Connected Universe" and "Everything We Know About Alan Wake 2".
"I've played through Quantum Break several times now, along with the rest of the Remedy catalogue. On this most recent playthrough, the thing that really stood out to me the most was the opening moments of the game, right when you take control of Jack Joyce.
That opening section does so much to introduce you to so many of the important players in the story, whether you know it or not. It's a neat trick, something that rewards keen-eyed players and folks who revisit the game.
It's a really fun way to open the story, and it serves as a reminder that some of the seemingly insignificant details you can encounter early on in the game (and in other Remedy titles) can wind up being crucial to the story later on."
Erika Severud: Monarch Gala & 2010
A vocal and warm voice within the Remedy community, Erika's support and passion have helped shape the atmosphere of the fandom online. Following the launch of the game, they also helped moderate the Monarch-Solutions Tumblr page.
"Hmm, I think my favorite moment is when Jack gave Beth the chronon harness. It was super cute and showed that they were both growing closer/warming up to each other in general. I also remember reading Beth’s journal from 2010 for the first time and feeling really bad for her. Waiting for 11 years for someone must’ve been rough, and then there’s the “I wish I could thank him for that.”… Ouch.
Also, them interacting in 2010 was both heartwarming and heartwrenching at the same time because Beth had changed so much, and there was Jack, still as optimistic and stubborn as ever, and he gave Beth the hope she needed at that time."
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Rachel: Building The Time Machine
One of my absolute favourite parts of Quantum Break takes place during Act 2-2, "Ground Zero". Jack travels to his brother's old workshop in the industrial district of Riverport. The section has now been dubbed "Ground Zero" by Monarch Solutions, and things certainly get weird.
Time is broken there, with flashes of the past and future. As soon as Jack enters the workshop, he sees his brother not too far from him. Unexpectedly, as he says his name, Will turns around. Suddenly, he disappears, in his place, there are boxes and tables. Jack can walk throughout the scene as the time of day changes rapidly. Memories of Will appear, tinkering with chalkboards. As Jack describes what he saw, "glimpses of the first prototype time machine, the origin of time travel", the nearby walls come down as the prototype is worked on. The construction is accelerated, only slowing down to give brief shots of Will welding the frame. When the machine is complete, there's an initial shot of the first experiment which fills the screen with light.
We first saw this scene during the Gamescom 2015 demo, and playing it in-game was a very cool moment. It's still one of my favourite video game scenes.
