| “ | Jesus, Mary and Jazz-hands! | ” |
— Ryan, after he notices Laura's arm bite has healed
|
Ryan Erzahler is one of the nine main protagonists and a playable character in The Quarry. He is one of the nine counselors at Hackett's Quarry summer camp, working as the camp's sailing instructor. He was voiced and motion captured by Justice Smith.
Main Outfit[]
Ryan is a young African-American man of a light brown complexion, with deep brown eyes, full lips, and short black hair styled into a fade haircut. Compared to the other counselors, he is noticeably slender, having thin arms, legs, and a slimmer waist.
Ryan wears a black graphic tee with a print of a stylized, wolfish face and the words "Cult Damage" and "No Future Club". Underneath, he wears a white, long-sleeved undershirt that extends just below his hips. He wears near-black denim skinny jeans with worn holes at the knees, tucked into dark-red converse shoes with a small platform. Ryan can always be seen with earbuds that hang between the shirt when not in use.
80s Outfit[]
Ryan's 80s outfit reflects the punk era. He wears a tight black T-shirt under an unbuttoned plaid red and brown vest with two front pockets, which is actually a shirt with the sleeves ripped off. His pants are now black corduroys, while his shoes have been replaced with black penny loafers along with white socks. The earbuds, rather than being between shirts, are now underneath Ryan's clothing. He is also starting to wear a black watch on his left hand.
50s Outfit[]
Compared to the other costumes, in his 50s outfit, Ryan wears light-colored clothing. It consists of a white half-unbuttoned shirt with rolled up sleeves and one front pocket, a subtle white undershirt, light gray pants tied with a stylish black belt and black shoes. While Ryan's earbuds are still hanging from his chest, they are now much harder to see as they blend in with the shirt.
Appearance Evolution[]
Following Nick's transformation into a werewolf, Ryan finds himself covered in his blood, though in the rain and after falling into the pool in the quarry, the blood washes off. In the finale, Ryan is able to smear his face with blood to protect himself from Silas.
While confronting the Hackett family at their mansion, Ryan gets mortally stabbed in the side by Bobby. Reunited with Laura, he can agree to be bitten by her to heal the wound. The bite on his arm also heals.
Personality[]
| “ | Most won't 'get' whatever's coming through his headphones, but Ryan lives for connection, even if he does lean into the whole brooding, handsome loner thing. Beneath the reclusive persona is the heart of a hero, determined to prove himself to those he cares about. | ” |
— The Quarry website
|
Ryan is described in-game as inquisitive, stoic and charming.
Ryan is a loner and stoic. This is seen when Jacob tries to engage conversation with him while he was listening to a podcast and didn't even bother to remove his headphones. He has an interest in horror stories, to the point of telling them to the children at the camp and scarring them away. He is responsible and the owner of the Hackett's Quarry, Chris Hackett, fully trusts him. He is also charming despite his loner vibe and was voted the most attractive counselor by Bunk 7, and both Dylan and Kaitlyn have a crush on him. However, he seems to have a problem sharing his deepest thoughts and is teased by Laura for that.
The official website describes Ryan as an awkward but sensitive guy with his everlasting moody music taste and weird paranormal podcasts. He loves to tell spooky stories and bring his charming personality to light, especially with Dylan. He has the heart of a hero and wants to prove himself to those he cares about.
The Quarry[]
Prior to the Quarry[]
Ryan had been a long-time regular at Hackett's Quarry prior to The Quarry. When he first arrived, he had been going through what he reluctantly described to Laura as "personal shit". Talking to Chris helped to sort it out, which led to the two developing a relationship where Ryan would become close with Chris and his children Caleb and Kaylee, as evident from a photograph seen in the pool house. In turn, Chris Hackett considered Ryan his favorite counselor and even as something of a member of his family. Ryan's comfort with the Hacketts reached enough of a point to where he considered Hackett's Quarry a second home.
This trust between them continued to present day, when Ryan was going through issues at home. He aspired to go to animation school, but due to an absentee mother, he was left raising his sister Sarah by himself and was worried about leaving her home alone or with their grandparents. Just prior to the start of the game, Ryan consulted Chris for his advice on what to do.
Possible Deaths[]
| Chapter | Mechanism of Kill | Caused By | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Face bashed in with shotgun | Chris (Werewolf) | Ryan does not shoot Chris. |
| Blood Loss from Stab Wound | Bobby | Chapter 7 - Laura did not shoot Travis.
Chapter 9 - Ryan rejects Laura’s bite; Ryan shoots Chris. | |
| Shot to the Face | Travis | Chapter 7 - Laura shot Travis.
Chapter 9 - Ryan fails to shoot Travis. | |
| Stabbed in the neck | Bobby | Chapter 7 - Laura shot Travis.
Chapter 9 - Ryan did not stab Bobby; Ryan shoots Travis. | |
| 10 | Fatal Car Crash | Silas (Werewolf) | Laura fails QTEs to fend off Silas and keep the car steady. |
| Jaw ripped out and stomach mauled | Ryan did not get the blood vial OR gives it to Laura; Laura does not shoot Silas. |
Possible Infection[]
| Chapter | Type | Caused By | Conditions | Transformation | Cure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Wrist Bite | Laura | Willingly accept Laura's offer to bite Ryan and don't pull away. | Cannot transform into a werewolf. | Ryan shoots Chris OR Ryan shoots Laura. |
Relationships[]
Dylan Lenivy[]
Ryan and Dylan have a complex relationship. Due to Dylan having a crush on Ryan, he often tries to flirt with him, though most of these attempts tend to fly over Ryan's head, or Ryan turns it into a joke. During Truth or Dare, if the player chooses Dare, Ryan can kiss either Dylan or Kaitlyn. If Ryan chooses Kaitlyn over Dylan a line of text will show onscreen saying Dylan seems disappointed by his decision, but this message won't show for Kaitlyn if Dylan is chosen instead, implying Dylan's feelings may be stronger than Kaitlyn's. On the walk to the radio hut Ryan asks Dylan if he's interested in pursuing radios and Dylan tells Ryan he's actually interested in Quantum Physics. He explains to Ryan how he felt uncomfortable when he first arrived at camp, causing him to put on the façade Ryan calls "Blasé Dylan" and as the conversation concludes, Ryan tells Dylan its nice to meet "Dylan Dylan", or the real Dylan. Ryan later confesses to Laura when asked by her whom he likes more that he's unsure, though it could be inferred by other lines that this is Ryan's attempt to keep his private life private. Ryan will become disappointed or irritated when Dylan makes bad choices, such as snooping in Chris’ office or agreeing to the campfire, despite being told to stay inside the lodge.
Kaitlyn Ka[]
In Chapter 1, it is implied in dialogue that Kaitlyn finds Ryan attractive, as she calls him the "sexy, brooding loner" sailing instructor, and reveals that she and the other female campers voted Ryan as the hottest at camp. During the game of Truth or Dare, Ryan has the option to kiss Kaitlyn if he picks dare. Later on, Laura asks if he is close to Kaitlyn, which he responds that he knows that Kaitlyn "has the hots for him" if he chose Kaitlyn in Truth or Dare. However, Ryan is unsure of how he feels himself. When confronting Laura about the veracity of her story, if Ryan asks Kaitlyn "what would I do", she denounces Ryan for his diffidence, expecting him to act like a commanding officer. Regardless, Ryan and Kaitlyn act as the co-leaders of the group, often being the ones coming up with ideas and leading the pack.
Laura Kearney[]
When the two first met, they were hostile to each other, with Ryan being hostile due to her murdering Kaylee, hunting Chris Hackett and being infected, and Laura due to Ryan showing hostility first and aiming a gun at her. The two eventually calm down and when Laura decides to venture to the Hackett House to find Chris, Ryan volunteers to go with her, which Laura can jokingly ask if he is flirting with her, which Ryan rebuffs. The two ultimately develop a friendship during their visit to the house.
Laura also asks Ryan about his relationships with Kaitlyn and Dylan, which Ryan openly talks about it. Later, after Ryan is stabbed by Bobby, she shows concern for his wellbeing, and fears that he will die soon. However, as an attempt to save his life, she offers to infect him with her werewolf bite due to her being infected. If Ryan rejects, she gets angry with him being selfish, how he is okay with his friends being infected, but not him. Despite this, when Ryan dies of blood loss, she shows sadness over his sudden and peaceful death. If Ryan agrees, he is thankful for it. Later, if Laura is stabbed to death by Travis, Ryan shows grief and despair over her death. He can avenge her death by killing Travis soon after.
If Ryan and Laura survive until their confrontation with Silas and Ryan has the blood vial, he offers it to her, stating that after everything she went through, she deserves to live. She can choose to either accept it gratefully, or gently refuse it. If Laura does not kill Silas, but she used the blood vial, Ryan can sacrifice himself by blocking her from Silas. Otherwise, if Ryan used the blood vial, he shows sadness over Laura's death by Silas.
Chris Hackett[]
Ryan and Chris have a close bond with each other, as Ryan has come to Hackett's Quarry for many years, and Chris has said that Ryan is his favorite counselor. In Chapter 1, Ryan asks Chris for advice about his school and family. When Chris leaves, he relies on Ryan to be the leader of the group and tells him to keep everyone inside. Later on, when Laura asks for the location of Chris so she can kill him, Ryan is reluctant or refuses to help her since he believes Chris to be a good man. He can express heartbreak if he discovers that Chris was hiding his werewolf problems from him.
Killed Victims[]
| Chapter | Victim | Mechanism of kill | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Jacob (Accidental) | Shotgun blast | Ryan shoots at the bushes during second opportunity. |
| 8 | Nick (Werewolf, Indirect) | Shot with a silver bullet | Ryan does not stop Laura from shooting the unidentified werewolf in the cage. |
| Jacob (Indirect, Accidental) | Throat Mauled | Jacob is uninfected; Ryan stops Laura from shooting the caged werewolf; Ryan opens Jacob's cage, then the werewolf's cage. | |
| 9 | Jacob is uninfected;
Chapter 8 - Ryan stops Laura from shooting the caged werewolf; Ryan refuses to help Jacob out of the cages, gives up partway through, or opens the werewolf's cage first. Chapter 9 - Laura cuts the power, opening all the cages. | ||
| Bobby (Indirect) | Ryan stabs Bobby, leaving him too weak to defend himself or his parents from werewolf Chris. | ||
| Constance (Indirect) | Mauled | ||
| Jedediah (Indirect) | Face Smashed | ||
| Chris (Werewolf) | Shot with a silver bullet | Ryan shoots Chris. | |
| Laura (Werewolf) | Ryan shoots Laura. | ||
| Travis | Shotgun blast to the face | Chapter 7 - Laura shoots Travis while escaping.
Chapter 9 - Ryan shoots Chris; Ryan shoots Travis. |
Trivia[]
- Ryan is the most playable protagonist, being controllable in every chapter except Chapter 10.
- Erzähler is German for "narrator."
- Ryan is known to tell ghost stories to the younger attendees at Hackett’s Quarry, which inadvertently causes parents to be concerned. It also concerns Chris, since Ryan had been unknowingly telling true stories of Eliza and Silas, and the Hacketts do not want their legend to become known to the public since it would damage the reputation of the family.
- There are many clear signs pointing to Ryan's interest in multiple genders, and his bisexuality was confirmed by the writer behind his character. Additionally, Justice Smith stated in a livestream that he interprets Ryan’s remark to Laura about potentially liking neither Kaitlyn nor Dylan to mean that Ryan is asexual.[2]
- Ryan is the sailing instructor at Hackett's Quarry summer camp, according to Kaitlyn.
- Ryan and Dylan can share the first same-gender kiss in Supermassive Games history. Although it is worth mentioning that it was not lingered on, nor shown in a close up, as it was for the opposite-gender kisses in the game.
- Ryan listens to the "Bizarre Yet Bonafide" podcast which was made by Supermassive Games in preparation for The Quarry.
- Ryan plans to attend animation school, but is worried about leaving his sister, Sarah, alone at home with their grandparents to live at the school's on campus accommodation.
- On the Shooting Stars! leaderboard, Ryan ranks in sixth place with a score of nine shots. This makes him the second most capable (of the counselors) to wield a gun, with Kaitlyn being the first.
- According to Kaitlyn, Ryan was voted the hottest of the counselors by the girls in bunk seven on the second day of camp.
- Ryan is one of two characters (the other being Kaitlyn) who, if a sole survivor, will win the player an achievement, specifically the Last Man Standing achievement.
- It is shown in official art that Abi has sketches of Ryan in her sketchbook. There's a note on the page reminding herself to ask him for his playlist.
- Early concept art shows that the scene with Ryan escaping Bobby behind the wall was originally intended to be more dangerous, as he would've had to navigate through spikes jutting out of the wall.
- In version 1.0 of the game, there was a scene depicting Ryan reacting in horror to Chris being a werewolf that was later removed by the 1.1 update. However, it can still be heard via a glitch.
- Similarly, there was cut dialogue with Ryan and Chris where they had a follow-up on their discussion in his office. In it, Chris encouraged Ryan to pursue his goal of going to animation school, saying he's "got this".
Deaths[]
- Ryan and Laura are the only protagonists who can be killed by Travis.
- Ryan, Laura, Kaitlyn, and Dylan are the only protagonists who can be killed by Silas.
- Ryan and Laura are the only protagonists who can be killed in a car crash.
- Ryan is the only protagonist who can have his jaw ripped off.
- This death is somewhat similar to Jessica's possible death in Until Dawn.
- Ryan is the only protagonist who can have his face bashed in with a shotgun.
- This death somewhat resembles one of Matt's possible deaths in Until Dawn.
- Ryan and Laura are the only protagonists who can die from being stabbed.
- Ryan, Jacob, Emma, and Nick are the only protagonists who can be shot with a shotgun.
- Ryan is the only protagonist who can be killed by Bobby.
- Ryan, Laura, and Kaitlyn are the only protagonists who cannot be killed until Chapter 9.
Quotes[]
- Ryan: "Always happy to please!"
- — Ryan after kissing either Dylan or Kaitlyn during the Truth or Dare game
- Dylan: "It's weird, actually, that there used to be... kids with their radio and portable CD player and everything and... You know, nowadays, everything we need is on the phone, but Mr. Hackette takes it on the first day of camp so that we're not "distracted by technology"."
- Ryan: "Technology... It giveth and it taketh."
- — Ryan and Dylan discussing the pros and cons of technological advancement
- Bobby: "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME IN MY OWN HOUSE, FUCKER!"
- Ryan: "You're a fucker!"
- — Ryan snapping back at Bobby
- Jacob: "Uhh, you were telling me how you totally have a thing for Ryan."
- Kaitlyn: "Wait, are we talking about Ryan, the sailing instructor with a sexy, brooding loner thing that totally doesn't do anything for me at all?"
- — Kaitlyn and Jacob
- Jacob: "Uhhh. "Sexy", huh?"
- Kaitlyn: "Hottest at camp by far."
- Jacob: "Okay sure."
- Kaitlyn: "Look, it was all settled by the girls in bunk seven, like second day of camp. It goes: Ryan, me of course, then Dylan, Emma, Abi-"
- Jacob: "Oh-kay."
- Kaitlyn: "Nick and then Mr H... and..."
- Jacob: "Okay. You almost finished, please?"
- Kaitlyn: "Yep, that's it. That's everyone."
- — Kaitlyn and Jacob
- Jacob: "Okay, well at least 'I' went for it this summer."
- Kaitlyn: "Uhhh, what's that supposed to mean?"
- Jacob: "Uhhh, Ryan?"
- Kaitlyn: "Ah, what about him? He's... a guy. At this camp. Who just happens to have this whole hot sexy loner thing that totally doesn't do anything for me at all."
- — Kaitlyn and Jacob
- Kaitlyn: "Hey, has anyone seen Ryan?"
- Dylan: "Oh yeah. He's probably off being all brooding and mysterious and alluring somewhere..."
- — Dylan about Ryan when Kaitlyn asks about his whereabouts
- Dylan: "Wouldn't really matter anyway. Looks like we finally know Ryan's type... confident and heroic. With an eye-patch."
- Kaitlyn: "So, pirates?"
- Dylan: "Maybe she shivers his timbers."
- — Dylan and Kaitlyn talking about Ryan's type.
- Laura: "So, what's your deal then?"
- Ryan: "What do you mean?"
- Laura: "The whole mysterious brooding loner thing... it doesn't quite fit with the 'I love my camp leader' vibe..."
- — Laura and Ryan
- Laura: "Do you always do that?"
- Ryan: "Do what?"
- Laura: "Uh, start to engage in a conversation then just immediately recoil into your shell?"
- Ryan: "Maybe I don't want to talk to you anymore."
- Laura: "Oh wow. Charming."
- — Laura and Ryan
- Dylan: "You think Ryan's okay?"
- Kaitlyn: "He knows what he's doing. Probably safer than we are out here... come on."
- — Dylan expresses concern over Ryan to Kaitlyn at the scrapyard.
Gallery
| Counselors | |
|---|---|
| Supporting | |
