Prey’s title isn’t the only thing about it that feels familiar. As we stated in our first impressions[1] of the demo, the gameplay is reminiscent of the likes System Shock and Deus Ex. Throw in a slew of scares kudos to the Typhon — an alien race that’s out to assimilate all human life— and it had us thinking of sci-fi horror classic Dead Space. That's not a bad thing though - Prey draws inspiration from a lot of sources, and it's better for it.
The game’s premise is a result of a universe where John F Kennedy wasn’t assassinated, and the US put more effort into its space program. It takes place in 2032, aboard the Talos I - a sprawling space station orbiting the moon - as you take on the role of a scientist named Morgan Yu.
You quickly realise you’ve been reliving the same day over and over again, as the result of an experiment gone wrong. Worse still, the Typhon have overrun the station, and it’s up to you to stop them, as well as discover your past.
Prey Demo Opening Hour Impressions: System Shock Meets Deus Ex[2]
Along the way, you’ll discover neuromods. These restructure the human brain, allowing for superhuman abilities. The early mods you get are fairly simple - they'll increase your health, or your hacking skills. But as you progress, you’ll find over the top options such as being able to cobble together allies from corpses, create decoys of yourself while shifting behind your target, or taking the form of physical objects around you to get to hard to reach areas, or to hide from foes.
The sheer number of powers and abilities at our disposal in the game...