It's rare to find a great video game that truly gets quick time events right, considering there are so many variations on this gameplay style. It's an easy solution to solve an issue in development, creating a cinematic moment that the player can still interact with while bringing resolution to a specific situation. However, just because, in theory, quick time events are brilliant tools, that doesn't mean that they are always executed correctly. Luckily, there are titles out there paving the way and showing how it's done.
When looking for a game that utilizes quick time events effectively, there are a few elements to look at. Some players have developed bad quick time event gaming habits and these games help prevent that. They serve the story perfectly, look brilliant when in motion, and are intuitive to utilize. They can be failed, but the enjoyment of the game isn't hampered by their appearance. In fact, for many gameplay systems, a quality quick time mechanic can elevate the experience further, adding an extra element that complements how the title can be interacted with.
Batman: The Telltale Series (2016)
Telltale has had a fantastic history of crafting gorgeous games that boast a unique art style and innovative storytelling. Many of its modern titles use quick-time events, but Batman: The Telltale Series is among its best because of how it uses the gameplay mechanic to utilize Batman's gadgets and combat style.
Similar to how the player has to make some hard decisions in Telltale's Walking Dead, they must keep making choices here. This applies to character moments but also to action scenarios. Quick time moments are accompanied by tactical interfaces, which allow the player to move Batman how they wish before pressing the right buttons to make the most of the setup. It's a unique method of play.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and indeed its sequel, and another title that ensures players get to make choices as they go along. However, in of the combat, Force Unleashed is set up more like a classic melee slasher, with the player getting to hack their way through opponents with their lightsaber, with some accompanying Force abilities. Quick time events play on both of those features.
It is among the most difficult Star Wars games because of its complex boss battles, but the quick time events that often finish the job are so satisfying to complete. LucasArts and Aspyr have sprinkled the mechanic throughout the title, with many of the most cinematic and memorable instances focusing on quick time events moving objects with the Force. That said, tere is a learning curve to getting the timings right.
Until Dawn (2015)
Created by Supermassive Games, the survival and horror genre can work beautifully when using quick time mechanics that ensure the player has to be on their guard at all times. Until Dawn is an interactive variation of the genre, with eight friends trapped together in a remote location. The majority of action sequences throughout the release do use quick time events.
Until Dawn has some brutal deaths and horrifying moments and the best way to survive is to perfectly time button presses. But there is more to it than that. In fact, the mechanics are incredibly intuitive, with players even having to keep their controllers still in order to hide quietly from the enemy. No matter the way in which its implemented, Until Dawn's quick time events are brilliant because of their narrative connection, adding tension throughout.
Yakuza 0 (2015)
The Yakuza series, as a whole, ensures that quick time events form the backbone of some of the action scenes, alongside additional components such as minigames. Yakuza 0, in particular, from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and SEGA, ensure that no quick time event is put in just for the sake of it. Each is entertaining to interact with and refreshing for the action-adventure genre.
Some of the best minigames in the Yakuza series are fun because of those game mechanics, which take players out of the title momentarily for some wacky and unexpected shenanigans. Karaoke and disco dancing are just a couple of examples, but no matter where the quick time events are utilized, they are much easier than the average release to control and time.
Marvel's Spider-Man (2018)
Insomniac and Sony did the unthinkable and crafted a Spider-Man title that actually rivaled past classics. The PlayStation 4 release was a superb superhero action adventure that didn't just have the traditional combat scenarios usually seen. Quick time events were all over the game, but only when it made sense for Spidey's powers.
As one of the best story-driven games on PS4 out there, the reason to use the gameplay mechanic was always obvious. Webbing up bad guys, pulling people out of the way of danger at the last minute, or catching falling objects are all examples of where quick time events genuinely worked in the Marvel outing. Their difficulty varied, but each boss battle had a fun moment that felt as if it was from a comic.
God Of War (2005)
God of War, as a franchise, has evolved so much since its early days. Quick time events are few and far between in the current Santa Monica Studio run of soft reboot titles, but in the original trilogy, quick time events were a major part of each interaction. Indeed, it was easy to get used to felling deities and monsters through a final brutal action, powered by fast button-mash moments.
There are, of course, a fair few harsh realities when replaying God of War, but those quick time events genuinely stand out. It gave the series a unique selling point to pivot around, with the hack-and-slash components of combat offset by the suddenly detailed quick time instances, which allowed Kratos to show his full range of powers.
WWE 2K (2013 - )
WWE games have always been a bit hit-and-miss, but 2K has been on quite the run in recent years. They took the mechanics of previous developers, Yukes, and tried to find a balance between an arcade brawler and a wrestling sim. Quick time events have intelligently factored into that equation, trying to bring realistic moments to those titles.
Some of the best wrestling video games of all time use inventive mechanics to capture what a genuine WWE match is like. Comebacks are one such area where the quick time event has been perfected, with a competitor leaping from the mat to deliver their offense. But even submissions have continued to evolve, ensuring the tools are there to develop a 5-star match.
South Park: Stick Of Truth (2014)
A South Park game had to be hilarious, meta, and able to tell a unique story. No one could have expected the Stick of Truth, which was equal parts utterly ridiculous and absolutely genius. Quick time events factored into many gameplay moments, with the title getting dominated by turn-based combat and QTEs within cutscenes and other sudden cinematic instances.
The adaptation of TV shows into video game formats has always been a risky business, but the great part of having quick time events in Stick of Truth is that it felt as if the player was placed within an episode of the show. Everything happens in real-time and an added layer of interactivity is brought in, which the title from Obsidian Entertainment couldn't do with its standard structure.
LEGO Titles (2005 - )
LEGO games have never stopped developing in new directions, with TT and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment ensuring that the intellectual properties they are adapting get the attention they deserve. Most releases from the toy line are puzzle-based with beat-em-up elements, but quick time events round out that basic structure.
Some of the hardest levels in LEGO games involve players having to get a quick time event spot on, as a boss battle reaches its climatic conclusion. But, what's important to note is that these games are brilliant for families to get involved. This basic mechanic is taught at a fundamental level for younger players, making the QTEs here so accessible.
Prince Of Persia (2008)
Prince of Persia, developed by Ubisoft Montreal, was a bit of a reboot for the famous franchise. The free running might be the same, but the continuity is not. Visually, this is a step in a new direction and that movie feeling is enhanced by the quick time moments that are clearly designed to take audiences even deeper into the action.
The saga has consistently been among the best time travel games of all time and that quality hasn't been abandoned here. Throughout the title, time even slows down so that the player can use the opportunity to fight back using quick time events, beautifully bringing together combat potential with the story-based powers of the protagonist. That's masterful mechanics at work.