A fax exchange with suggestions of ideas for Quark Dreamcast between the American and French divisions of Quantic Dream
The Making-Of [A Look Back at the Origins and Genesis of Quark Dreamcast], intended to unravel the buried secrets of Quark Dreamcast, has already taken you through the history of its development, the genesis of its endearing characters, the origins of its fantastical universe, and the clarification of the gray areas surrounding this aborted game from French studio Quantic Dream. This time, let's take a closer look at the faxes, gameplay ideas, and quest suggestions for the world of Una exchanged between Quantic Dream's French headquarters and its Californian branch.
Quark was presented as a counterbalance to The Nomad Soul (Omikron), a more flexible project than its predecessor, which had been disrupted by intensive development. For two years, the Quantic Dream team worked to bring a captivating imaginary world to life before the decision was made to cancel it in order to focus exclusively on Farhenheit. However, mock-ups of Quark were sent to publishers without managing to convince them...
In Quark, the player discovers the existence of a group of individuals with the gift of traveling through other universes. Known as “Travelers”, they interacted with the worlds they visited, bringing wisdom and prosperity until one of them decided to use his power to become the supreme ruler of the galaxy. To achieve his goal, he massacred his compatriots. However, before dying, a couple managed to save their children by hiding their son, Waki, on the planet Quark, and their daughter, Una, on Earth. Unaware of each other's existence, they are the last line of defense against the evil embodied by Sir John B. Konrad, the villain of the story.
In 2006, several years after its cancellation, Quark was back in the news. The release of Nintendo's Wii, which reinvented the way video games were played, made it a console well suited for picking up the project where it had left off in 2001/2002. Unfortunately, this glimmer of hope was short-lived...
Even without playing it, Quark exudes incredible charm and has a soul of its own. Releasing it today on Next Gen would risk depriving it of its look, which is reminiscent of late 90s productions. Why not consider an independent release that would be better suited to preserving the essence of that era, when video games were undergoing radical change?
The decrypted faxs
The French and American studios of Quantic Dream jointly developed Quark Dreamcast/PC. The Paris team was responsible for creating the colorful landscapes of Waki, while the San Francisco team, under the supervision of Philip Campbell (who shared the archive for this page), designed the realistic world of Una's contemporary London. In order to connect the two worlds and ensure consistency, the studios communicated with each other by fax.
Before Quark was canceled, the British city where Una’s journey began was only starting to take shape. The developers created an early design covering about half the area, including the access point where the game transitioned from Una’s world to Waki’s. They also produced a Technical Demo featuring a short passage through Una’s London.
Cover page of faxes dated December 8 and 9, 1998
The following fax exchange does not necessarily reflect the final product if Quark's development had been successful. These suggestions for the storyline, the progression of the story, the construction of the puzzles and how to solve them, the characteristics of the characters, and the game mechanics of Una's world reveal Quantic Dream's intentions to perfect their Action/Adventure/RPG title in development. This is also a personal interpretation of Philip Campbell's writings.
This page lists only faxs that were not used in the main Quark article.
Introduction to the characters of Una's world
Una, the heroine (playable character): Beneath her innocent appearance, she acts with cynicism and insolence. Her brother Waki, separated from her since birth, has the same blue hair dye as her. Preferring not to appear feminine, Una wears a short unisex hairstyle and dresses in casual clothes. She cherishes above all else the scarf wrapped around her neck. Her small backpack allows her to carry the items she collects during her adventure, such as: a map of London, an eye jewel, a teddy bear, postcards, a kite, newspapers, a history book about the Opal Valley, etc.
Buster: This unruly child must be avoided at all costs; it is imperative to let him sleep without making any noise. Armed with a slingshot he will shoot steel balls at anything that moves, should he be awoken.
Skinny Lizzie: Sick, she needs medicine and food to recover quickly. To help her and feed her, Una will steal a chicken from the orphanage kitchen. Enraged by her misdeed, a mad cook will chase after her.
Ginger: Dressed in a onesie, he suffers from sleepwalking. If he catches Una when she tries to take his teddy while he sleeps he will sound the alarm in the building, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Crazy Claire: Don't judge a book by its cover. With her punk look and straitjacket, she will give Una valuable information for the rest of her adventure.
Buster, Lizzie, Ginger, Claire and Molly
Molly : She is Una's best friend. Molly will give her a brooch stolen by Jack, which will later be useful during a quest. She will offer good advice and provide essential information about the dangers that lie ahead. Fearing for Una's safety once she leaves the orphanage, she will provide her with a map of London to help her find her way around this dangerous city.
Una and Jack, the friendly rogue
Jack the little thief: Jack wears a bowler hat that is much too big for him. It partially obscures his vision and reaches down to his ears. A few strands of shaggy hair spill out from under his hat. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, revealing thick but nimble boyish hands. With his flared trousers, which are too short and held up by suspenders and a belt, his black boots, and his thick woolen vest covering his rumpled English shirt, he undoubtedly resembles the aristocrats of the Victorian era, with his insolent smile. Una catches him red-handed stealing from one of the orphanage's bathrooms, behind Ginger's room, when she tries to sneak in.
The Head Nurse: Her excess weight prevents her from moving easily, which is her weak point. She moves like a robot, bumping into children as if they were objects. Stupid, she constantly stares at the floor with a blank look. Her long nurse's dress hides her pointed feet. Equipped with a syringe and a rectal thermometer in the patch pocket of her nurse's uniform, flanked by yellow rubber gloves protecting her damaged hands and wearing her cap with a distorted red cross, she terrorizes the children.
The cook with a comical Italian or French accent: He is heavily built, wearing a stained chef's uniform and rubber gloves, and will chase Una around the boarding school kitchen. Armed with a cleaver in one hand and a knife in his apron pocket, he will try to prevent the heroine from completing Skinny's quest. His appearance is inspired by “The Butcher” from the video game Diablo 1.
The scary nurse
The mad chef and Peckham, the voice of wisdom
Peckham the old homeless man: Una will meet him while searching for the red double-decker bus. In exchange for money and favors, he will tell her about Jack the little thief, the carnival, JK-Krolls, and the camp by the canal. He walks with the aid of a cane topped with a skull. One of the eye sockets is adorned with a jewel. The second is missing its “jewel of the eye”. If Una wants to get clues from him, she will have to bring it back to him. A tattered hat protects Peckham from the sun and rain. A hand-sewn coat made of scraps of fabric (a patchwork) keeps him warm during the long London winter nights. An old pair of worn gloves, a shoulder bag, and work boots complete his outfit. His hooked nose and deep gaze reveal a man who has been physically and mentally ravaged by time.
The prostitutes: There are four or five of them, and they live in rooms at the end of a secret road which leads to a toy store. They sell their charms to Peckham, who is sometimes a tramp, sometimes a pimp. With hearts of gold, they will inform Una about the heinous crimes of Jack the Ripper, known in the present as JK-Krolls - these were murders committed during one of his time travels. Anecdotally, their integration into Una's world is the result of satirising the Spice Girls!
The Krolls: These are evil creatures from another dimension wearing top hats and torn capes. Sir John B. Konrad, alias JK-Krolls, the villain of the story, sends them to London to kill Una and wreak havoc in the city. They hunt their prey in the shadows. Dark fur covers their skin. Survivors of their massacres all attest to having been attacked by evil beings with abnormally long, bony fingers and pointed feet. With sobs in their voices, the survivors of their crimes confess to having been terrified by their glowing red eyes shining in the dark.
The Krolls, monsters to avoid
My friend Sean
Sean the Canary: Since their surprising nighttime encounter in Buster's room during a spectacular supermoon, Sean the sparrow (who thinks he's a canary) and Una have been inseparable. Properly trained by Una, he will lend her a hand by performing various tasks. He will fly to reach and retrieve objects in high places, detect gas and smoke leaks and, above all, he will attract enemies to himself to create a diversion thanks to the radiance of his song. While believing himself to be stronger than others, he also hates water. It's best not to mention his bad taste in humor...
Philipe Campbell and his colleagues let their imaginations run wild during the conceptual phase of Quark. In the characters section alone, there are countless references to video games, cinema, pop culture, classic literature, and historical events.
The director of the orphanage
Warden rules the orphanage with an iron fist, a future dictator in the making. Una, one of the residents, will confront him in a merciless battle. Beneath his human features lurks a giant insect, a repulsive praying mantis inspired by the aggressive alien from the movie Men in Black. She will learn this the hard way during her second stay at the shelter when a fire consumes Warden's humanoid disguise.
While Una rummages through the library in search of answers about her past and her parents, Warden apprehends her. Surprised, she struggles and screams at the top of her lungs. Her piercing cries trigger an unsuspected supernatural power buried deep within her, which sets the surrounding shelves ablaze and frees her from an unknown evil that was eating away at her from the inside. The battle against the orphanage's boss begins...
Dressed like a 19th-century English aristocrat, Boss Warden is a despicable “man” who never speaks. The crow's feet around his eyes and his graying hair betray his age. He resembles a skeletal waiter dressed in a white shirt, a tuxedo, and a cummerbund around his waist. He likely suffers from arachnodactyly (spider-fingers), as his fingers are long, thin, and curved.
The two appearances of the boss Warden
A close friend of Sir John B. Kon and part of the same social circle, JK placed him in charge of the orphanage after summoning him from another world.
How can you not imagine the scene in your head and believe you are fighting him?
The progression curve in Una's world
A hybrid between linear and open progression structures the content and difficulty of Quark. The player advances through the adventure neighborhood by neighborhood in Una's London and region by region in Waki's world. They follow a fixed sequence of stages with increasing challenge and complexity. The game will sometimes require them to retrace their steps to complete a series of new mandatory or side missions using their newly acquired animal powers. This will unlock even more locations to explore. The end of Quark will bring the brother and sister together in the same timeline to face JK, who is holed up in his mansion.
The schematic progression curve of Una's world (the third photo corresponds more to a map of London's zones)
Quark is a semi-open world game characterized by the idea that segments of the map must be unlocked as you progress.
Some iconic locations
Unlike Waki's colorful and whimsical imaginary world, Una's quest takes place in London during the Industrial Revolution. Players will explore the darker side of the British capital, with reminders of its horrific history present throughout. Remember, this city has survived mad monarchs, a world famous serial killer, the plague, and the Great Fire of London. This wealth of inspiration forms the basis for Quantic Dream's reimagining of the British capital in Una's world. Waki's sister will investigate locations such as: Whitechapel (in the game, the alleyway where the prostitutes' apartments are located) - Hyde Park (in the game, the fairground) - The Tower of London (in the game, the same name) - Tower Bridge (in the game, the same name) - St Stephen Walbrook (in the game, a church) and Hamleys (in the game, the toy store).
Tower Bridge (The exit point from London of QD, for example to go to the countryside)
The Canal Boat (A place frequented mainly by Gypsies with barges moored at the quay)
The carnival where Una will get her pet monkey (its freak show, giant wheel, and amusements)
As seen in the demo and regularly highlighted in the description of the areas on the faxes, Quark's London exudes a dark but friendly atmosphere. Una's world flirts between the oppression of a survival horror game and the innocent graphic style of a platformer!
Quark's introductory cutscene
Drafts of the orphanage layout
The scene begins with a cross-fade to an idyllic region of the Opal Valley. The camera follows Waki, a young child from the Quark tribe who is bored. However, he is happy, peacefully going about his business in a beautiful fantasy RPG-style village. Perhaps he is enjoying games appropriate for his age before an adult surprises him...
Suddenly, the way the scene is filmed changes. The camera moves away from the subject, then pans up to offer a panoramic view of the world of Quarks. It drifts upward without stopping, foreshadowing the worst. The image darkens, the shadows lengthen, then the brightness fades. It now arrives between jagged mountains and a stormy sky. Thunder rumbles in the background. The presence of Evil is felt...
The game title appears accompanied by ominous music and the rumbling of thunder. The screen goes black. The thunderclap stops, giving way to relative calm. Still in the darkness, faint cries can be heard, along with the sound of someone walking. Finally, the camera unfreezes, and color returns. The transition is perfect for introducing Waki's sister!
Change of backdrop and close-up on Una, a resident of a London orphanage who is sleeping peacefully in her bed. Suddenly, the young girl wakes up abruptly and sits up, frightened. Disoriented, she scans the angular dormitory in which she finds herself, trying to rationalize her disturbing dream. What if it were reality and not an artificial sleep experience?
This last sequence introduces, without giving too much away, the concept of two diametrically opposed worlds that overlap. Quark's story begins with Una wondering about her strange dream. Waki, on the other hand, seems to live in his own head, as if his dream world were the source of his existence.
The introductory cutscene
The foundations of Quark have been laid. Now it's time for the game and its puzzle-solving mechanics.
The escape from the orphanage
Una tricks her way out of the orphanage. However, she will return to discover the truth about her origins and confront Warden, the head of the boarding school. Victorious, she will rescue the abandoned children from this high-security prison.
Like a GDD
An overview of the orphanage sector
To flee this fortress, she will go to the attic at the top of a watchtower and glide down to the forest below using a kite she found earlier. Unfortunately, the winds are against her, and she ends up crashing harmlessly into an oak tree. Una decides to bypass the grove, a maze of roads and trees constantly monitored by Warden's personal army, and walk to the lake.
Arriving at the edge of the water, her gaze turns to an old brick bridge patrolled by guards. It's too risky to cross it to reach the other side without being spotted. Una turns back, forced to think of another solution. Searching the banks, she spots a wooden plank among the rocks and flowers. Perhaps she can use it as a raft to reach the other shore.
She will row her makeshift boat to a lawn at the other end of the lake. Once on dry land, Una will cross it until she reaches the guards' refuge, which is surrounded by a wall. Not far from there, an opening leading to the private gardens of the residence will allow her to infiltrate it. As she slowly approaches the central building, she will overhear a disturbing conversation between two guards. They talk without a shred of compassion about buying babies, discussing prices and dates. To get her bearings and head to her next destination, the girl will climb the pumping station, the tallest building in the area, to get a panoramic view of the surroundings. In the distance, lit by the moon, a deserted playground overlooks a small hill.
Una will go to the playground, a place that has been neglected for a long time (detailed explanation of the playground quest below). Due to lack of maintenance, rust is eating away at the facilities and the vegetation is dying. Once there, she will witness paranormal phenomena. The wandering souls of children buried in the nearby cemetery haunt the place. Friendly, they will provide her with information on the condition that she plays with them and beats them. She will even see her future through one of the ghosts.
The exit from the estate is located in the sad and gloomy children's cemetery. Una will have to solve one last puzzle before leaving this traumatic place and venturing into the streets of London. Scrutinizing the horizon, she will see two open graves, a crypt adorned with an angel that will later serve her in her quest, a pond, and a chapel overlooking the necropolis. Summoning her courage, she will advance toward the religious building. Once inside, she will ring a bell to attract the two guards watching over the area. Inventively, she will combine the kite she used earlier with her pet bird. The Canary, now resembling a ghost, will frighten the guard who will fall into one of the graves while the second will fall into the lake with the key to unlock the cemetery gate hanging from his person. Una will dive into the water to retrieve the key and then escape from the orphanage with it.
On the way to the British capital
The detailed quest for the children's playground (escape from the orphanage)
Una gazes curiously at the hill on which the playground was built, then explores it. Rusty slides, dilapidated merry-go-rounds, a sandbox ravaged by time, withered shrubs, and three also dilapidated swings adorn the children's playground. The words sinister, dreary, empty, and gloomy perfectly describe the appearance of this now abandoned place. Voices whisper snippets of nursery rhymes amid the dull sound of insects and wind. The swings sway, driven by the breeze. The merry-go-rounds spin on their own with no one on them. Creepy!
The playground explained
The girl spots a miniature version of the orphanage in the sandbox. From there, footprints trace a path to a tree. She follows them and stumbles upon it. She then realizes that destroying the sand structure with a shovel will trigger an event. She was right, as the tree turns into a ghost.
The trees are actually the spirits of children buried in the nearby cemetery. She will learn the reasons for their deaths, but also the meaning of her dreams, and thus her connection to Waki, by playing with them on each element of the playground. They will return to their plant forms once the task is complete. They will also confess to her that they are unable to terrorize the guards in the neighboring area because no one but her can see them. This valuable clue will prove useful for the rest of her journey, as explained in the previous chapter.
While the game may seem childish at first glance, it is anything but. Quark tackles adult themes such as the supernatural while maintaining a cute approach.
The quest of the Londoners bus
Jack the petty thief suggests that Una locate a decrepit red double-decker bus in the streets of “The Old Smoke” in order to satisfy her thirst for truth. Perhaps she will learn more about her past, present, and future...
The strategy for the bus quest
The iconic London bus blocks access to a dilapidated house that the teenager also wants to visit. It is located in an alley full of junk, with large dumpsters overflowing with rotten food. Rats seem to be enjoying the spicy leftovers from the nearby Chinese restaurant. A large advertisement painted on the brick wall at the end of the alley and the broken-down bus on the side of the road give the area a shabby appearance. From there, Una will later break into a toy store from its attic by activating its fire escape (New York style?). But first, it's time to find the London bus!
Una will first obtain a map of the area by examining the exterior of the vehicle, which is covered with old posters promoting the Cockney funfair. A metal plate seals the entrance to the bus, preventing her from investigating it on the inside. Determined to enter, she will push a box connected to a secret mechanism that will unbolt the metal plate blocking the bus's sliding door. Now visible, it is unfortunately double-locked. Cleverly, Una will turn one of the front wheels of the double-decker bus and then pull a lever to open it.
A primitive Steam Punk atmosphere emanates from inside the car. A patchwork of steel conceals an opening leading to the abandoned building mentioned earlier. Scattered gears and levers hint at a future puzzle to be solved. By sitting in the driver's seat and turning the steering wheel, Una will activate the device that unlocks the hidden door.
Before exploring the little house next door and collecting items such as a dog leash, an advertisement for a dog obstacle course, two postcards (the first showing a boat on a canal and the second showing the orphanage), a flyer for the funfair, and finally a missing person notice for the old tramp's lost eye jewel, a visit to the second floor of the classic red London double-decker bus is a must. Una will meet Peckham sitting in the back!
In exchange for money or services rendered (retrieving one of the lost jewels from his cane), the old man will recount what he witnessed concerning JK-Krolls. This cutscene, essential to understanding Quark's story, begins with the beggar's hand wiping the dull bus window as he recounts his memories. He will also inform Una of Jack's background and intentions. If she's not rolling in money, he'll explain how to replenish her finances!
A crucial meeting point on the red double-decker bus
Speculation to make money: Without further details on the faxes, perhaps by betting on dog races (can his dog participate?). Una will probably acquire Baron, a brave little dog, at that point by going to the pound.
The description of the locations in the London bus quest perfectly captures the gloomy atmosphere of Jack the Ripper's London.
The Quest of the Tower of London
During a botched robbery of the Crown Jewels, the Bobbies (London police officers) and the Beefeaters (the ceremonial guards of the Tower of London) captured Peckham. Locked up in this fortress built in 1066, he desperately waits for someone to come to his rescue.
The Tower of London, a cursed place
Jack will alert Una to the imprisonment of the old tramp. They will decide to break into the Tower of London to free him. Beware, guards, dogs, and crows will hinder their progress in this impregnable prison!
Once Peckham has been rescued, Una plans to go into the jewel room to steal the precious loot belonging to the British Crown. Her goal is to take at least one item by participating in a mini game of skill. She will later be faced with two choices: to accept her crime of high treason by keeping the item(s) or to repent by dropping them on the floor as she flees the scene with the help of Jack, her monkey, and her “weasel”.
This carefully considered decision will not impact the course of Quark's story, as Una will have demonstrated her bravery even if she returns empty-handed from the Tower of London. This heroic act will earn her the recognition of the Gypsies and safe passage to their camp on the banks of the Thames.
Advancing into the London fortress
The quest of the Tower of London takes place in parallel with the campaign quest (Una pursues JK, who has fled by train to his mansion in the countryside). It does not require a predefined order to complete at this point in the game. By completing it later, the teenager will be able to summon, in addition to the monkey, during her escape from the London castle, a domestic weasel that she previously captured on a farm.
Without further details: The pets will temporarily dress Una as a knight to fight the enemies of the Tower of London who have been warned of the looting of the crown jewels. This priceless treasure apparently possesses magical attributes that will affect the world of Waki. The child adopted by the Quark tribe acquires, at this very moment, a knight's armor, perhaps the one visible in one of Waki's watercolors on the home page: [Back to the Origins and Genesis of Quark Dreamcast]. Una's current quest seems closely linked to Waki's, with repercussions in both universes.
Whether virtually or in real life, a visit to the Tower of London is a must during a trip to the British capital!
The quest of the church (St Stephen Walbrook)
While exploring the orphanage's archives, Una had learned that the church had papers relating to her adoption. Now left to her own devices in England's largest city and far from the torment inflicted by Warden's subordinates, she felt the need to go to St Stephen Walbrook to complete her investigation into her biological parents.
Once there, the young girl is captivated by the beauty of the place of worship. The dome commands respect from the outside, while inside, its cupola inspires admiration. Among other things, a priest standing at the altar in the center of the choir invites the faithful to take communion. He will tell her to look for information about her birth in the crypt built under the church. Before descending into the catacombs, she will be able to confess her sins in one of the confessionals housed in the building.
When Una resurfaces after her successful Indiana Jones-style expedition, she will see the priest playing the organ melodiously at the back of the cathedral. She will approach him, and he will reveal his true face, that of a vile Kroll. From then on, he will play cacophonous or discordant music, in contrast to traditional Christian hymns. This surreal event will trigger the battle against the master of the house. Other Krolls will join him, arriving by boat from the underground river that runs through the underground vault.
How about a quick tour of the crypt beneath the church?
Unable to fight off successive waves of enemies, Una flees the hostilities by escaping through the crypt. She then realizes that the Kroll had usurped the identity of the real abbot after cowardly murdering him. His body lies in one of the confessionals that had previously been double-locked!
Farenheit PS2/Xbox also features a passage with a priest, a vaulted church, and an organ, this time without the crypt. Is this a reuse of the church quest from Una's world in the game that will follow Quark?
I would like to thank Philip Campbell, supported by his former colleagues at Quantic Dream, for his availability, his kindness, taking the time to answer my questions, and sharing the scans of his faxes. His testimony and his ideas for the world of Una provide a better understanding of the progression of the London adventure experienced by the blue-haired girl in Quark.
I would like to thank everyone involved in the Quark project (Mobygames from The Nomad Soul). If only its development had been successful...
Special thanks to :
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Romain Villez for his research on Quantic Dream and Quark
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Brainjamain for proof-reading, rewording and editing the French text
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Neil Riddaway for the English correction of the article
I would like to thank everyone involved in the Quark project (Mobygames from The Nomad Soul). If only its development had been successful...
