However, about a third of the way through Prey, you unlock the ability to spend your neuromods to acquire Typhon powers. For these two hours, I found the combat to be dull and that the upgrades, which bestow typical strength and health buffs, were bland. Until you start upgrading your stats by modding your body with neuromods-Prey’s equivalent of level currency-your best bet is to stick to the shadows, collecting supplies and audio recorders, lest you want to get torn to shreds. Morgan is not a super-powered human (yet) but instead a scientist that these bullet-sponge monsters can kill in a few hits. In spite of how interesting the set-up and enemies are, the early hours of gameplay are sluggish. The enemies become more unnerving as Prey goes on, introducing shadowalkers capable of setting you on fire and massive, floating Typhon that can shut down your equipment and make heads literally explode. See a health pack conspicuously on the floor in the middle of a boardroom? Better smack it with a wrench first to make sure it’s not a beast in hiding. Even the weakest enemies, mimics, are frightening because they have the ability to camouflage themselves as ordinary objects in the environment. The Typhon are a terrifying foe to go up against. They have full names they fight, they bicker, they have office romances-they even play Dungeons and Dragons! What could otherwise be a generic horror setting feels real thanks to clever writing and solid voice-acting, and it helps drive home what’s at stake for Yu and company. Crew members, both living and dead, are well-realized with personalities that make them more than just fodder.

Talos-1 is a massive place: not just structurally, but also emotionally and politically. Is he or she sympathetic toward coworkers? Would Yu risk life and limb for them? What about humanity? And how does our scientist interact with brother Alex Yu, the man in charge of these experiments? Prey lets us decide the answers to these questions just as much as it lets us determine how Yu confronts the Typhon monsters running around Talos-1. The best parts of Prey often stem from how Yu interacts with other people. Prey is concerned with who Morgan Yu is, and the game lets you choose nearly every facet of their person, including gender, skills, and even morality. Suddenly you find yourself in the position of having to keep these aliens from getting off the station-at any cost. After a trippy introduction, Prey thrusts you headfirst into its world, where merciless monsters called Typhon roam the research-focused Talos-1 space station, tearing the inhabitants to pieces. There’s a sense of fuzziness there, an inexplicable unease that something is not right. Prey begins slowly, in appropriately sedated fashion, as scientist Morgan Yu awakens in an upper-class apartment.

Prey 2017 characters