The developers of Until Dawn and Man of Medan have brought another thrilling and phenomenal game to horror fans everywhere. The Quarry is a dramatic horror game where players hold the fate of their characters in their hands. Every decision made by gamers has a consequence, whether that's negative or positive.
While many have speculated about the meaning behind the game, where the "curse" came from, and who the enemy is, there is one mystery that rises above all else. In The Quarry, one of the main characters, Ryan, explains a podcast he was listening to. He tells the group that the podcast is called "Bizarre yet Bona fide" and tells a tale about an evil spirit that haunts the lands known as the Hag of Hackett's Quarry. Many speculate who this Hag may be, but as more information becomes available, it becomes obvious who this wicked spirit is.
Six years before the story beings, a carnival called Harum-Scarum made itself comfortable deep within the Hackett Woods. The show's main attraction was known as the Wolf Boy and considered a monstrous beast. The townspeople made their way to this show to see what secrets it held. Little did they know this boy was enduring nothing but pain, shame, and unfair treatment from the owner of this twisted carnival.
One day, the Hackett family decided they had enough of this evil witch's ways, as their daughter Kaylee felt horrible for the boy being held captive and exploited for money. Kaylee and her brother Caleb decided to free the boy by starting a fire as a distraction. In hindsight, this was the worst decision they could have made. The fire grew and grew until it could no longer be contained, killing everyone that attended and worked for the show, including its ringleader, Eliza. Ultimately, the Wolf Boy, was the only one who managed to escape.
The mysterious Fortune-Teller that players come back to at the end of each chapter is none other than The Wolf Boys' mother. The boy's name is Silas, and players hear whispers of his name throughout the game, seemingly leading players away from his location. Players don't realize that Eliza is attempting to force players to do her bidding, making choices that wipe the Hackett family from existence to save her son. While her exact motivation is never explicitly stated, it is speculated that she has a vendetta against the Hacketts for burning her alive and ruining her show.
The Werewolf infection began that fateful day; as Caleb freed Silas from his cage, he was bitten by him. This is how the wretched curse brought upon the Hacketts began, spreading throughout the family as Caleb could not be controlled. Still, Eliza blames the Hacketts and says they brought this curse upon themselves, unaware they were starting the fire in an attempt to free her son.
While players embark on their journey, they collect Tarot cards that Eliza reads at the end of each chapter. Each card represents different events players will face, such as falling off a zip-line or getting eaten alive by a ravenous Werewolf. Eliza is the Hag of Hackett's Quarry, and it is believed she uses players as a pawn in her sick chess game to keep the Hackett's from killing Silas to break the curse, an act that would cause all who have been turned to return to normal, never needing to fear the full moon again.
If players find the Hierophant Tarot card and bring it to Eliza, a secret chilling cutscene will play, forcing Eliza to relive the last moments of her life. Players see her witnessing the fire firsthand, smearing werewolf blood across her face to remain undetected, and screaming her son's name as she runs into the woods. When the scene is finished, Eliza begs the player to kill off the entire Hackett family, stating they will hunt her son down in cold blood with silver bullets unless stopped. She believes her son is harmless, and without the Hacketts hunting him every full moon, he can remain alive and well in the woods.
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Eliza attempts to guide players down the "right" path, leading them to specific areas with whispers and scaring them away from other places with screams and shrieks. She goes as far as stalking the players' every move, drawing them closer to her end goal. Gamers who follow her path will receive a bad ending in which most of the characters die eradicating the Hackett family to save Silas. The curse remains, and Eliza warns the player never to step foot in the Quarry again, or she will ensure they regret it for the rest of eternity.
When players successfully kill all the Hacketts, Eliza admits she carefully and meticulously orchestrated this ending. More so, she exclaims she knew she could rely on the player to do everything correctly to enact her revenge on the family she believes murdered her and destroyed her livelihood.
In the end, Eliza believes the Hacketts deserve everything that comes to them, even getting excited when the player chooses to kill one off. Few realize until the end that she is the Hag of Hackett's Quarry, haunting the grounds and manipulating players to do her dirty work. Even still, this aspect of The Quarry provides depth through this story a story of deception and a vengeful witch who seeks revenge for something she doesn't even understand.