Developer: Arkane Studios Austin
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: XBO, PS4, PC
Release: May 5, 2017
Music: Mick Gordon
The press embargo just ended, so expect to see some new impressions and videos pop up. I'll be updating the OP to add the new articles and videos.
F.A.Q.
Q: What is this game?
A: It's called Prey, a new action/RPG game set in space station with aliens called Mimics running amok. Also, the main character may be a bit screwed up in the head.
Q: Is this a reboot? Or is it one of those soft-reboots that's still got some loose connections to the original?
A: It's a complete reboot, not connected in any way to the original games. It is completely stand alone.
Q: Is it anything like the first game?
A: Not really. New settings, characters, new storyline, and the overall structure of the game is vastly different. Focusing more on exploration and uncovering the mysteries of the game, as opposed to the mission based run and game nature of the original.
Q: What happened to Prey 2? I liked the trailers they put out.
A: It got cancelled back in 2014. You'll never play it.
Q: Who's making this game? And why does it look like Space Dishonored?
A: It is coming from Arkane Studios Austin, a new branch from the original Arkane Studios. The creative director on this game was the Co-Director for the original Dishonored, and they're carrying over a lot of talent and design issues
Q: What's up with the black spider monsters?
A: They're called Mimics, and they can take the form of any mundane object they come across. One moment you'll walk past a coffee cup on the ground, the next a Mimic will spring from it to attack you.
Q: So it is more like System Shock or Bioshock.
A: It's got a grid inventory, skill trees, crafting, and a metroidvania-esque structure, so definitely more the former than the latter.
Q: Anyone I may know that's doing work on the game?
A: Raphaël Colantonio is directing (Dishonored 1), Mick Gordon is doing the music, and Chris Avellone co-wrote the story.
Videos:
Opening Hour Gameplay
Neuromod Skill Tree
Gamespot Impressions
Alternate One Hour Playthrough
Interview with Ricardo Bare from I Eat Games
Hacking mini-game
Articles:
VG247 - Less surreal, more cyberpunk – but Prey's first hour will get inside your head
RPS - hands-on with Arkane's shapeshifting shooter
I simultaneously feel as though I know exactly what Prey is and that I'm still in the dark about its true nature. Keycodes and goobeasts vs a pile of ambitious do-it-yourself features and a world I can't trust. There's a lot going on here, many intriguing questions posed and its essential exploration+combat balance feels good in the hand, but I'm still waiting to see precisely which shape Prey ultimately takes.
IGN - FIRST HANDS-ON IMPRESSIONS: A SYSTEM SHOCK OF THE BEST KIND
In fact, Prey's first hour hints at the large, open Metroidvania-style spaces that will slowly become more accessible as you find passcodes, improve your hacking skill, and discover alternative routes to reach new places that you couldn't before. I collected several Neuromods in my hands-on time, which I spent on hacking upgrades and strength (though, sadly, I ran out of time in the demo before getting a chance to murder a Mimic with a tossed chair). The System Shock 2 comparisons – which I make in the most enthusiastic way possible, by the way – really feel apt once you start diving into the skill trees. And that's just the human skills. Prey lead designer Ricardo Bare said that the alien skills – yes, like being able to transform into a coffee mug – add even more emergent gameplay possibilities to Prey's campaign, which he estimates will last between 16-20 hours with plenty of replay value thanks to multiple endings and alternative playstyles and skill choices. ”This is very much an Arkane game," Bare said, ”so please feel free to experiment [and] try different powers out."
Game Revolution - Prey 2 Bends the Mind and Captivates the Soul
I'm very impressed with how Prey (2017) is turning out. While I can't deny that it sucks that we'll never get to play the intended follow up to the first game, this title is looking more than capable with standing out on its own. It's easily more developed and dense than the original Prey, which makes me really interested to play more. There's a lot unpack in this title, especially if the story goes further with its strange, mind-bendy plot, and I'm excited to see where it goes next after the opening hour. There's a lot of ambition in this title, and I'm pleased that it's more focused on doing its own thing, instead of retreading ground that so many other reboots have to do.
Glixel - 'Prey' is a Grand Space Experiment
The powers Yu develops are key to that improvisation, human and alien skills that are the result of a neuroscience experiment and can be unlocked and upgraded. Hacking, telekinesis, turning into a chair or, more usefully, a turret. It's lazy to compare it too closely to Bioshock but there's that same feeling that some areas of the world present questions that only a good dose of upgraded powers can answer. You can shrink into a small object, or cause a mess with Kinetic Blast. Combine one power with another and you could mark yourself out as either a total genius or an idiot – perfect fodder for YouTube.
And there's a nerf gun in the game...