The Prey IP is getting a reboot and this time Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks offer us a unique chance to fight aliens in space. But not as a bounty hunter, as it was planned for Prey 2.

Where and when?

Prey is set to release on May 5th. The game will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game will offer additional enhancements for PS4 Pro users, but details weren’t shared until the publication of this article.

Demo version?

There is a demo version available, but only console players can download it. Arkane Studios was focused on making the PC version the best possible release, so only the owners of PlayStation 4 or Xbox One can test this build. It offers roughly one hour of gameplay, but the demo is not time-sensitive and instead stops players’ progress when reaching a certain point in the plot. Steam users can instead use a two-hour trial after the release and decide if they want to keep the game or get a refund.

The story

The United States President John F. Kennedy is alive here and although there was an assassination attempt, he’s still leading the country. With the history being alternated, our reach for the cosmos is speeding up. And it is when the aliens known as the Typhon attack and the nations of Earth put away their differences. The Talos I space station is created and the research on extraterrestrials begins.

A few decades later everything has changed. The station is now under the reign of a private TranStar Corporation, and the already achieved breakthroughs allow to partially understand the abilities of the Typhon, and use it for the greater good. We play as Morgan Yu, a worker aboard Talos I, who happens to be in the wrong place and the wrong time. Ultimately, it will be up to us if the alien powers will be used and what will happen to the station.

Gameplay

Players will be able to choose the gender of Morgan Yu, as well as some attributes. There are also some choices during the story (both narrative-wise and while exploring) and at least two major endings are offered with some minor variables to each. The game is highly influenced by System Shock 2 and BioShock series, but you’ll surely see many aspects of Dishonored being implemented here – Prey is created by part of the team that created the city of Dunwall and the story of Corvo Attano.

The main idea for Prey’s gameplay is to give the players the choice of approach. Each situation can be handled differently – no matter if it comes to a fight, an environmental puzzle or the character’s development itself. It’s up to the player if Yu uses more human technology or becomes “improved” via alien technology and abilities. There are a lot of RPG elements here, including crafting of weapons and tools, loot gathering and relations with NPC.

At its core it’s a sci-fi shooter, but there’s much to decide about your playstyle – you could have finished Dishonored without killing anyone, while here you can decide to play without “super powers.” But at the end of the day who wouldn’t like to transform into a banana?

Preorders

You might be surprised, but there’s no special edition – Deluxe Edition, Day 1 Edition etc. – for the launch of Prey. There’s also no Collector’s Edition for the game, if you have hoped for any form of collectible goodies. But there’s at least something! Everyone, who preorders Prey, will receive the Cosmonaut Shotgun Pack. It includes the following elements:

  • Yu family’s heirloom Margrave shotgun
  • Fabrication plan to create Shotgun Ammo
  • Starter kit for building tools and weapons
  • Three TranStar Neuromods that grant you additional skill points to develop your character
  • Two Medkits that surely will come in handy when you get hurt while traveling through Talos I station
  • One Recycler Shielding Chipset – “a unique upgrade to help you preserve your limited resources”

Unfortunately, there’s no mention if those items are redeemed for a single playthrough (like in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) or are awarded each time a new game is started (the case of Dragon Age: Inquisition).

System requirements (recommended on Steam)

  • OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit versions)
  • Processor: Intel i7-2600K, AMD FX-8350
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GTX 970 4GB, AMD R9 290 4GB
  • Storage: 20 GB available space