By Ben Harris – After over a decade of development hell, the long-awaited Prey is finally close to completion. The once doomed game was originally a sequel to the popular 2006 PC game, also called Prey, before it faced struggles when the rights switched to Fallout 4 developers Bethesda with a new development team assigned. Instead, the former sequel is now a re-imagining of the original game where only the theme of the protagonist being hunted by aliens remains.
The hotly anticipated shooter has been developed by Arkane Studios, the minds behind the popular Dishonored series. It has incorporated certain gameplay elements, such as consequences for certain player actions, from Dishonored in the making of Prey which isn’t a bad thing at all. Fans of the stealth series will know that the game is in good hands. In a new generation of gaming however, it is under pressure to be just as enjoyable as the original was.
Release date
The UK release date for Prey is currently May 5th for PS4, Xbox One and PC, so players can spend their Spring shooting up aliens and saving Earth. This is the same as the worldwide release.
There is a pre order bonus available for the game, in the form of a DLC pack called the Exclusive Cosmonaut Shotgun Pack. This pack gifts players with a variety of helpful items, such as a shotgun and health kits.
Story
Following a recent trend of shooter games such as Call of Duty Infinite Warfare, Prey will feature a strong narrative story. The context for the game’s story is that it’s set in an alternate timeline where John F. Kennedy survived his 1963 assassination attempt and has funded the space program. This resulted in an Earth attack from an alien force of multiple species, having been disturbed by human activity in space. This alien force, named the Typhon, is defeated and confined in the Talos I space station.
Fast forward to the game’s present day setting and the Typhon have escaped their confinement during research carried out by Talos I where they begin to cause terror. The main protagonist, Morgan Yu, is on board at the time, because of course he is. It’s up to the player to obtain weapons and abilities from the Typhon to escape the space station while ensuring that they don’t reach Earth. The character of Morgan Yu has certain attributes which can be altered by the player, including gender, which will impact the narrative based on the choices made.
It’s important to note that Prey’s story will have multiple endings, which fall into two different narrative structures. Both of these structures are based on the player’s interaction with other humans and the space station. This is where the gameplay elements of in-game choice consequences and character creation will have a major impact.
Gameplay
Prey is primarily a first person shooter, playing similarly to games such as Bioshock, while it also has role-playing game and open world elements, two genres which are arguably just as popular as first person shooters. The RPG elements, as mentioned earlier, include the different narrative structures and the ability to alter character attributes. As for the open world elements, players are able to explore the Talos I space station as well as the outside of the station in zero gravity. At first, key items and abilities are required to progress through Talos I but later on players may find themselves needing to go back and forth between certain areas. It’s a concept similar to open world masterpieces such as GTA IV.
The most interesting gameplay feature is the Typhon aliens having a variety of different abilities which players can obtain by defeating them. For example, one alien has the ability to mimic everyday items from tables to chairs. Once this alien is killed, the player gains this ability which can result in some bizarre situations. I’m not sure what becoming a chair will do for you in an alien battle, but I suppose you don’t know until you try.
Graphics
Making its mainstream debut, the fifth version of the CryEngine shows off its upgraded power in Prey. The environments are detailed with dark, ominous lighting which will help to provide players with the thrilling experience they expect. There are a variety of different appearances with the Typhon aliens, each one intimidating and sure to give players an occasional fright. Overall, the graphical design definitely bears similarities with Bioshock but it is very appealing to the eyes.
Age Rating
The current age rating for the UK is PEGI 18.
First impressions
It may be easy to look at Prey and instantly think of Bioshock and Dishonored, but it has the potential to combine components from both those games into an award-winning formula. Its own gripping narrative and ability to take weapons and skills from the Typhon have the potential to make this one of the finest shooters of the year. There certainly is fan expectation for this game to reignite the franchise and make future sequels a possibility. The name of the game is Prey, but it’s hunting for greatness and I predict it will succeed in finding it upon its release.
