Video Game Review: Prey

Release Year: 2017
Reading Year: WI2023
Developer/Publisher: Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Time to Beat: 22 Hours

Thoughts: Prey is exactly the kind of game I hate. It’s a game with too many systems and too little guidance. It is too easy to feel stupid or lost in a game meant to “fit any play-style.” Prey is also difficult. Especially in the early game. You are meant to feel powerless and carefully plan your enemy engagements – which usually amounts to finding any way to not engage. However, you aren’t told this. Instead you will be stonewalled by a Voltaic Phantom or die one too many times to a household object. In either case, it can feel unforgiving, unfair, and directionless. If you end up finishing, you may feel that you didn’t play “correctly” and still don’t understand why people love this game so much.

Prey is exactly the kind of game I love. There is a level of craft unmatched in a modern era of conservative development and severe crunch. Every whiteboard, email, and sticky note is bespoke and has its place in the lore and history of the world. It is so clear the people who made this game are skilled and were given the artistic license to make a work of art. As a player, you are rewarded in-kind for every inch you choose to explore. I never tired of the feeling of revealing even the smallest new clue. The writing, overarching story, and voice-acting bring to life the remaining humanity of Talos I. The stakes feel high and consequences crushing. With side-quests that will last in our memories and smash our hearts, Prey is simply masterful.

If you have looked up anything about Prey, then you know eggshells does not begin to describe the care people have when speaking about this game. It is essentially unanimous that knowing as little as possible is the best approach to Prey. But, I think it’s possible for me to write about my adoration without spoiling, so here we go. [Read On]