I will be the first to admit, I was morose at the idea of totally rebooting what was a cult favorite of mine. The first Prey may not have sold well, and it may not have been the game people expected or wanted, but I found something I adored in it. I love the alien designs, the story and the cast of characters, particularly the lead Tommy. With all that said, Prey 2017 may be one of the best surprises in recent memory. While it does not make me think of the OG Prey in any way, hey that would be a legit strain OG Prey, it takes you to another world. Anywho, what this new Prey manages to do is something that the Sci-Fi geek in me, had a mild freak out when I finally experienced the huge space station the game takes place on.
See I adore classic Sci-Fi like 2001 A Space Odyssey, and the first Alien of course. I really enjoyed the design choices in the world you inhabit. It felt very much like the world you may have seen in 2001 A Space Odyssey. It also echoed a bit of Alien with many other touches to classic 80's science fiction. This is something that really gives the game both it's own identity, but also gives it a bit of familiarity, and a bit of wish fulfillment for Sci-Geeks.
I will admit that upon first glance the enemies are the game's weakest design element. I think in a search for an original monster or creature, they went a bit off the map. This reminds me of the issue with the enemies in Resident Evil 7. However, unlike Resident Evil 7, there is a greater enemy variety on display. The enemies are also fun to dispatch, but also pose a pretty substantial threat if you're not careful. While they are not scary. the combat encounters are tense and had me on the edge of my seat several times.
Ammo is something that is scarce in the environment, which is where Prey's resource system comes into play. You scavage for resources and then find recycling machines, here you transform that junk into material you can use to craft ammo, weapons and more. It may seem simple, and it is easy to use, but surprisingly rewarding. While there are no iron sights, the weapons aim and function well, it has a Half-Life feel to the combat and general approach to game design. Though I would say that the combat packs a heftier punch, than the Half-Life games. I also love the Gloo Gun, and say it rivals the grav gun, in fun factor and usefulness.
Your main goal is to explore the space station and uncover what went wrong, the story is presented in a very interesting manner, it mixes Bioshock and Half-Life's approach to storytelling, with Dishonored's choice system mixed in. The story is chock full of suspense, some surprisingly witty moments and also some genuinely creepy moments, and some that may even be scary to some. While the creatures are not scary looking, disgusting or creepy, they are ominous in their presence as they are rather tough, and can kill you rather easily if you're not ready. This adds tension to every encounter, and some enemies even camouflage themselves as normal objects. These enemies like to swarm you, and if you encounter them and a big creeping tentacle mutant, it could be game over, unless you bust out the shotty and go to town.
Exploring the space station will require your wits not just to survive, but to progress aswell. Some areas are simple, others will have you looking for items to unlock doors and progress the story, or give you some loot. You can upgrade Morgan Yu the playable character, and to do so you need neuro mods, these are found by doing side quests or exploring the environments thoroughly. Some of these upgrades are as simple as giving you more health, others grant access to cool abilities, but at what cost?
I like that not only is your choice tough just due to having scarce amounts of mods to upgrade with, but it's even harder to choose when you see the outcome of some mods. The story is not mind blowing, but I was very impressed with the dialogue and characters, they felt very real and brought a great sense of realism to the game. The endings are also well worth seeing.
The zero-G sequences will also stand out as some of the most breathtaking this year. There is a lot to love in the new Prey. But it will mostly come down to how much you love this kind of Sci-Fi, and these kinds of games. While it is in first person, and there is plenty of action, this is not your standard FPS. You will be solving puzzles, climbing and doing some jumping puzzles which make a welcome return to the gaming scene. Prey does have one issue and that is it's long load times, while it is understandable given the size and scope of the game's environments, 30 second load times are unexpected in this day and age.
Still, this game kept me glued to the seat wanting more, and it is well worth playing through multiple times to see all it haves to offer. With a game world that is truly an artistic wonder, tense and rewarding combat, along with some inventive puzzles, Prey will fill the void for gamers seeking the next Half-Life or Bioshock.
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