Why I Love Prey

via: flickr.com

The video game Prey (developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks) is the most underappreciated game I’ve ever played that’s been recently released.

I hadn’t played the original when I heard about this reboot, but the idea of this new one piqued my interest. Exploring a devastated and abandoned space station populated by these vicious aliens called the Typhon, some of which can turn themselves into furniture (and thus startle you into shitting your pants)?

Oh, yeah.

I pre-ordered the game as soon as I found out about it.

I called over a buddy of mine to play it with me. It’s a single-player experience, but we brought out a timer, sat on the floor in front of my TV, and every ten minutes, we’d pass off the controller. It’s more fun to play like this than it sounds. (We also played Alien: Isolation like this, to hilarious effect. There’s nothing more amusing than getting spotted by the Alien seconds before you have to pass off control of the game to your unlucky friend.)

Prey’s environment is so detailed; my friend and I spent hours wandering the Talos I space station exploring people’s cabins, reading their emails, and picking up their personal belongings (and then we’d throw their belongings at other objects just to make sure no Typhon were Mimicking them). It was super easy to get pleasantly sidetracked from the main story. Arkane Studios did an expert job of allowing us to really dive into the universe they created. It’s reminiscent of their work on Dishonored.

And like Dishonored, Prey encourages you to play your own way. Do you want to be a sneak master? Upgrade your stealth options and you can find yourself sprinting like a madman throughout the station with noiseless footsteps. Do you want to become a powerful shotgun-wielding maniac? Apply weapon kits to your shotgun in order to make it unstoppable. Do you want to copy the Typhon Mimics’ ability to turn into small items? Install that specific power and you can roll around the floors of Talos I as a very adventurous coffee mug.

Don’t get me started on the awesomeness of the GLOO Gun. The GLOO Gun was created, according to in-game history, as the ultimate caulking tool. You as the player get to use it in a more…eclectic manner. You can shoot GLOO at the Typhon in order to get them to temporarily freeze in place. Once immobilized by the GLOO, the Typhon can be smashed to bits with a handy dandy wrench. You can also use the GLOO Gun to create footholds to hard-to-reach places. These handmade bridges allow you to find delicious hidden secrets.

I’m not going to spoil the story here, because the cleverness of it shouldn’t be spoiled for anyone who is looking to play this game. Suffice it to say that it takes twists and turns that would make M. Night Shyamalan’s head spin.

I had an awesome time playing this game, made even more awesome by playing it with my friend. He was more of the wrench-swinging, shotgun-blasting type. I was more of the crouching, please-don’t-kill-me type. We got legitimately scared a couple of times, and we loved racing all over the station.

This game is great, it deserves more love, so go on and buy it and see exactly what I’m talking about!