The Quake franchise is finally making a long-overdue comeback. The series hasn't seen a full, mainline entry since Quake 4 in 2005, with the series' only appearance in the last decade being the multiplayer-only title Quake Champions. A reboot, remake or sequel entry for the iconic franchise has been long-rumored, with a remake finally making an appearance during QuakeCon 2021.
The remake of the original Quake was stealth launched for all major platforms during the event, much to the excitement of fans. The decision to remake the first Quake and not produce a title more in line with later entries is a pleasant surprise. The series is returning to its roots and re-examining what made the series so memorable and popular in the first place. Frankly, the original is still the best and most unique entry in the franchise.
The original Quake is a unique title even among its own franchise. The game is a dark, gothic shooter featuring a soundtrack of ominous ambient drones composed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, resulting in a Lovecraftian horror show combined with DOOM’s frantic shooting action. The game revolved around battling hideous beasts across different dimensions. Sequels to Quake would scrap this unique tone in favor of a storyline involving an evil alien race known as the Strogg that bears no relation to the plot or world of the original. The first game has never been properly replicated.
Quake II was an incredibly well-received title, but the new sci-fi setting and storyline were far less appealing than what came before. The Quake franchise may be best known for its third entry, Quake III Arena, a multiplayer-only title that helped to popularize online gaming in the late ’90s. While Arena is a phenomenal title truly deserving of the praise it receives, fans still lamented the loss of the original’s unforgettable tone and feel.
Quake 4 continued the storyline that began in Quake II involving the Strogg but has received mixed opinions from players since its release due to the game's many similarities to DOOM 3, with which it shared an engine. The series would re-appear only in spin-offs, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars in 2007 and Quake Champions in 2017. The former takes place once again in the Strogg storyline, while the latter has no story at all and concentrates completely on its gameplay.
Industry legend John Romero, the co-founder of id Software and designer of the original Quake, once noted that none of the game’s sequels truly felt like Quake. Romero stated that the Lovecraftian influence and dimension-hopping were the pillars that held the first Quake together, and many players seem to agree. The Quake sequels feel much more generic in contrast despite their more advanced gameplay and technology.
The original Quake’s influence can be felt in many FPS titles released since. Games such as Half-Life and Unreal share the title’s DNA, and the recently released Dusk attempts to replicate the game’s visual style and tone. Perhaps the best example of the massive influence of the game is QuakeCon itself - a convention originally devised purely as a way for fans to compete in the title that has ballooned into a colossal event for the FPS genre as a whole.
With Quake finally returning to the industry and the series' original Lovecraftian horror taking center stage, modern gamers will finally be able to experience this quintessential shooter. Quake is as timeless as its older siblings Wolfenstein and DOOM and a rite of passage for any fan of the FPS. Perhaps Bethesda will finally produce a true sequel that follows in the footsteps of this classic, one that Romero himself could finally recognize as Quake.