Quark is a cancelled action adventure game that was in development by Quantic Dream for the Dreamcast around 2000-2001.
In this game, player would take the role of Waki and his sister Una, two supernatural beings who can travel from one universe to another, called Travelers. Una, a so-called orphan, lives in a half-modern, half-Victorian London, and Waki in Quark’s fantasy world. Both having to prevent Sir John B. Konrad, a former Traveler, and his army of Krolls, creatures from another dimension, from condemning the different universes to the Void, and thus allowing Konrad to become the sole god of all the universes. To do this, Waki and Una are helped by various animals with specific powers, allowing them to solve puzzles and fight enemies. Communicating only through their dreams, Waki’s actions will have an impact on the universe in which Una evolves, and vice versa.
The title was revealed in August 2000, in issue #11 of Dreamcast Monthly. Here is what we could read:
The two heroes will be helped in their voyage by a collection of animals with specific talents. You can control each one of these animals to execute specific actions. The really intriguing facet of the game is that neither the brother nor the sister know of each others true existence – only through drams about each others events – so the player will take on the role of both characters, interact and take on their role when appropriate. If you find you’re in a fix with one character you can change form which may change events of the other. Each will have their own set of tasks, which the animals will undertake. Una for instance has a bird, dog, and a monkey, while Waki has strange alien animals that are indigenous to Quark, all with their special powers. (…) The animals you work with have many powers and come in different forms, many of which give the game a really open look. Spells producing special effects and creatures of massive complexity give this game a broad technology focus for the developers to devise original and stunning events. Mixing fantasy with a fairytale world, along with RPG elements, makes for an exciting mix and complete freedom within the huge 3D worlds will be on offer. Other strong selling points for the game are its non-linear scenarios and the action, which means the player can move, fight and have endless moves, with real-time combat being one of the central ingredients.
Issue #69 from September 2000 of NextGen Magazine, for its part, added:
(…) The gameplay itself is best described as Zelda-esque. While puzzle-solving, action, and combat are standard, the most interesting new twist is how players must explore both worlds via both characters in order to solve puzzles. “The whole game is about cross-overs,” says David Cage. “The two worlds are linked. Some sets or characters look similar in both worlds.” For example, players may discover two similar-looking spots or characters in each of the different worlds. When you solve a puzzle in one world, you may be given the vital clue you needed to solve the similar puzzle in the other.
Players might also be surprised to discover some Banjo-Kazooie-style action sequences, as the characters are able to take control of a menagerie of animals that accompany them on their adventures. “These animals are not just tools or vehicles that can be used and left,” explains Cage. “They are living beings with their own skills and personalities. For us, finding the best controls for each one is the hardest part since they must be intuitive and as common as possible. We don’t want the player to learn different controls for six animals, but you can’t move Una’s bird in the same way as Waki’s giant rabbit.”
Unfortunately, after those presentations, Quark totally vanished without a trace, and was cancelled alongside numerous other projects from Quantic Dream, such as (b)Last and Omikron 2. In March 2023, Sega Dreamcast Info briefly revealed on Twitter/X that Quark was supposed to simply be a tech demo, according to their own researchs. Nearly a year later, in January 2024, they revealed that a making-of with lots of testimonials from Quantic Dream’s developers is on its way.
Article by Daniel Nicaise
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