Prey

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1672 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,319 out of 1672
  2. Mixed: 193 out of 1672
  3. Negative: 160 out of 1672
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  1. TitaniumDragon
    Jan 19, 2018
    10
    Prey is a game very much in the vein of System Shock and Bioshock. You play as Morgan Yu – or so everyone in the game tells you. You have amnesia, it seems, and a mysterious man named January has helped you escape while aliens run amok on Talos I, the space station you’re on. But this isn’t altruism – January wants something from Morgan. You see, everything has gone sideways; the aliensPrey is a game very much in the vein of System Shock and Bioshock. You play as Morgan Yu – or so everyone in the game tells you. You have amnesia, it seems, and a mysterious man named January has helped you escape while aliens run amok on Talos I, the space station you’re on. But this isn’t altruism – January wants something from Morgan. You see, everything has gone sideways; the aliens that were being experimented on have escaped from containment and are doing horrible things to the humans on board the space station. If even one of the aliens from the ship make it to earth, it is game over. There’s really only one solution – blow everything up, and make sure nothing gets off the ship.

    Are such extreme measures justified?

    Can January be trusted?

    And given that the world has very advanced simulations, and chips that can be implanted into your brain to give you new skills (and removed to take away your memories), can *anything* you see really be trusted?

    Throughout the game, this is tested repeatedly, as you are beseeched by survivors to rescue them, have mind-controlled humans thrown at you in suicidal attacks by aliens, and your big brother – Alex Yu – asks you to listen to him and trust him, despite the horrible experiments which have been done on Talos I. And if you pay close attention to various aspects of the environment and game design, you might get even more suspicious, doubly so when you start reading about just what some of the experiments were. The many hints dropped throughout the game about the true nature of what was going on worked really well, and kept me nice and paranoid all the way through to the end.

    Prey, like many games, has a morality system, but unlike many games, the game actually hides it; rather than the morality system being anything obvious, any sort of meter, it is dictated by your actions over the course of the game. You are constantly exposed to contradictory directives – you yourself, in a memory gambit, left behind multiple conflicting goals for yourself, and you have to choose which of them are right. Worse, when dealing with people who were involved in various experiments – or who are prisoners who were sentenced to death for terrible crimes – should you save them, or is it right to leave them to die, or even kill them yourself? Is January’s callous action – that blowing the whole place up is the only way to be sure – a sign of his sociopathy, or is he encouraging you to do the right thing?

    The core gameplay itself consists of exploring the space station while using a variety of weapons to combat both the aliens and a few robots corrupted by their control. Morgan starts out with the classic wrench, but over the course of the game finds a small but versatile armory – a pistol, a shotgun, a long-ranged beam weapon which can cause aliens to explode when they’re fried with it enough, a zappy stun gun that is great for stunning things and damaging electronics, a gun that shoots a powerful industrial adhesive which can be used for both messing with enemies as well as shutting down environmental threats and scaling walls, and a handful of creative grenades that, rather than simply exploiding, do things like recycle all nearby material into base components or send out an EMP shock wave or attract enemies. There is even a nerf gun in the game which seems useless at first but which can be used to push buttons from a distance or blow up mines.

    This is a game about using what you have to your advantage, and most situations can be approached in a variety of ways. You can sneak past enemies, or sneak up on them and attack them, or use the station’s turrets to supplement your firepower. You can acquire alien psionic abilities, but at the potential cost of your humanity, and automated defense systems which are designed to protect against aliens will also start protecting against *you*. You can spend the materials you manage to scrounge up on making more ammo, or on improving your weapons, or on crafting neuromods to enhance your base talents. And even navigating the environment often allows multiple routes – hacking your way through doors, finding keycards or key codes, finding a secret route into the room through the crawlspaces, using the typhon mimic ability to turn into a coffee cup and roll in through a gap, break a hole in the glass window and shoot your nerf gun in across the room to punch a button to open the door on the other side…

    Many, many parts of the game can thus be approached in a wide variety of ways, giving the player a broad spectrum of potential axes of approach. Better still, trying to do the same thing over and over again is likely to result in you running short on a necessary resource – simply running around shooting everything will rapidly deplete your ammo, forcing you to either use a different weapon, or rely on other abilities to see your way through.

    Recommended if you like Bioshock.    … Expand
  2. skohl
    Aug 1, 2019
    10
    Arkane Studios has defined themselves as the successor of the "immersive sim" genre (basically old Looking Glass Studios games plus the original Deus Ex). In fact Arkane's Dishonored series, and now Prey, are the ONLY modern games that try to create that kind of experience - aside from Ubisoft Montreal's Deus Ex prequels. That means I can play them using a controller, which is a big dealArkane Studios has defined themselves as the successor of the "immersive sim" genre (basically old Looking Glass Studios games plus the original Deus Ex). In fact Arkane's Dishonored series, and now Prey, are the ONLY modern games that try to create that kind of experience - aside from Ubisoft Montreal's Deus Ex prequels. That means I can play them using a controller, which is a big deal for me personally due to ergonomic issues.
    I also don't want to describe the game's premise and setting too much. In the event that you're reading reviews without learning much about the game so far, I think the experience would be even better if you go in knowing as little as possible.
    But if you don't know what this niche genre is all about, it's basically a FPS with RPG elements and a heavy focus on exploration and player freedom. For example if there's a locked door, you can almost always bypass it in two or more of the following ways: 1) find the keycard, 2) find the code, 3) hack it, 4) find an alternate entrance, and more.
    Stealth is very important because enemies can kill you fast, and guns need to be upgraded before they feel nearly as effective as guns in a typical shooter (and even then, it's not the same - it's not a shooter). A lot of the game is optional, and the story is told mostly through bits of lore from notes, emails, and audio logs. It has skill trees and inventory tetris.
    There's a lot of freedom in how you play. If you go straight through the main story, it could be pretty short. For reference, I play these games by exploring meticulously, collecting all the items, and killing all the enemies, and my current playtime is 30 hours with an estimated 15 or so remaining (and this is not including the DLC).
    Criticisms of the game so far:
    -Hard mode as well as the optional 'Survival' mechanics are too easy for me
    -Because there's so much freedom, many items of loot are found in multiple places, which means players who explore 100% will find redundant equipment
    -The game crashed once
    In summary my opinion is it's a sweet-ass game, and there's basically nothing else like it.    … Expand
  3. Glic2003
    Sep 10, 2019
    10
    Prey is essentially what I wanted System Shock 3 to be: a sprawling, thought-provoking, non-linear game that rewards player curiosity and ingenuity. When I arrived at the ending, all I wanted to do was start over again at the beginning, eager to see how the opening levels could unfold differently if I made different choices. It is that rare game that gets better the more I play it.Prey is essentially what I wanted System Shock 3 to be: a sprawling, thought-provoking, non-linear game that rewards player curiosity and ingenuity. When I arrived at the ending, all I wanted to do was start over again at the beginning, eager to see how the opening levels could unfold differently if I made different choices. It is that rare game that gets better the more I play it. It's best played with a mouse and keyboard and installed on an SSD (to alleviate the loading times. Prey goes beyond what initially appears to be Dishonored-in-space and proves Arkane Studios is a developer in a league of their own, at the top of their game.… Expand
  4. kozzy420
    May 5, 2017
    10
    - Runs very well
    - Well written
    - Gameplay is awesome
    - Atmosphere is top notch
    - Not the best graphics
    - Reminds me most of System Shock, with a bit of Bioshock, Half Life and Dead Space
  5. somma2000
    May 11, 2017
    10
    I love this game.

    Unlike many other current gen games it really rewards exploration, collecting items, upgrading your skills. I love that it takes hours until the whole gameplay mechanics are "revealed" and you get the hang of it. But it is not tedious to learn all that. In fact that is the most fun part of it. To discover all the cool stuff and ideas the devs have put in it. The amount    I love this game.

    Unlike many other current gen games it really rewards exploration, collecting items, upgrading your skills. I love that it takes hours until the whole gameplay mechanics are "revealed" and you get the hang of it. But it is not tedious to learn all that. In fact that is the most fun part of it. To discover all the cool stuff and ideas the devs have put in it. The amount of innovation in this game is incredible. It's such a breath of fresh air compared to the usual "go to this quest-marker, kill some monsters, collect some items" games.

    I also like the graphics, setting, style and survival horror feeling.

    It's the best game I've played in a while and it exceeded my expectations.    … Expand
  6. Gixian
    May 16, 2017
    10
    Definitely the best game I have played in few last years. Not only it's has a good game play mix of System Shock 2 and Bioshock combined with a deep story, but the game is made with a extreme love for detail - the micro cosmos of Talos 1 is very elaborated, full of characters, items, weapon and ability interactions... It is just great.
    It's sad that some people have compatibility problems    Definitely the best game I have played in few last years. Not only it's has a good game play mix of System Shock 2 and Bioshock combined with a deep story, but the game is made with a extreme love for detail - the micro cosmos of Talos 1 is very elaborated, full of characters, items, weapon and ability interactions... It is just great.
    It's sad that some people have compatibility problems that makes the game unplayable. Luckily for me it's pretty stable, having only 1 in-game glitch and 2 crashes until finishing the game.    … Expand
  7. sherbz
    Jun 11, 2017
    10
    Brilliant game. Utterly captivating. Its a bit like the Truman show in video game format. The best thing about it is that there are so many ways to accomplish what you want to do. And some very unconventional ways to get to where you shouldnt be. Literally its a sandbox in space. Do what you want. Kill how you want. And play the story how you want. And it is all done in the mostBrilliant game. Utterly captivating. Its a bit like the Truman show in video game format. The best thing about it is that there are so many ways to accomplish what you want to do. And some very unconventional ways to get to where you shouldnt be. Literally its a sandbox in space. Do what you want. Kill how you want. And play the story how you want. And it is all done in the most natural way you can imagine. This is one of the few games where i have actually wanted to complete more side quests in order to decide whats best to do on the final choice (presumably - im already 26 hours in and not at the end, but fairly certain there is more than 1 ending). I think thats the mark of a good story. Im so captivated by the story i want to know more in order to make a more informed decision. If you like bioshock then just buy it already and enjoy. You will not be disappointed. My only gripe is some dodgy frame rate issues and operators are a bit too OP. But no game is perfect, and this deserves to have as high a score as possible because this is EXACTLY how games should be made.… Expand
  8. ReubenIsAGod
    Jan 15, 2022
    10
    I've been just BURNING through games recently! Went back and re-played this game for whatever reason! I loved it more this second play through! I want (need) Arkane to do more of this! Deathloop was pretty damn solid but GOD! Please Please Please more of this !
  9. Lumirel
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    One of the best games for me. If you like Deus Ex and Bioshock then this one is for you. Great story, nice graphics, awesome sound and fantastic gameplay.
  10. Jenne
    Jun 18, 2023
    10
    A great homage to System Shock and one of the most atmospheric and memorable - and best - games of the 2010s.
  11. four12am
    Mar 19, 2021
    10
    Great game! Reminds a lot of Bioshock 1, which is another all time favorite of mine.
  12. cleverboy
    Jan 2, 2020
    10
    Great systemic, emergent gameplay. I love the take on the horror space station setting; the characters are multi-dimensional and interesting; the plot is entertainingly twisted; the enemies are challenging but fair. I'd love to sink another 40 hours into it again if I had the time.
  13. Bloodyrus
    May 21, 2017
    10
    Эта игра определенно, одна изт лучших за последние несколько лет. Умная, заставляющая думать, а не стрелять, да еще и с ползаньем на заднице. 10/10 о боже
  14. Razor66
    May 5, 2017
    10
    Great game. Not only runs smooth like butter even on average rigs, but the gameplay is very rich and refreshing. A nice mix of shootem, puzzle solving a la Zelda, nice story, powers to unlock, weapons to upgrade, stuff to rycicle in order to craft other stuff... Lot of exploration, and so many nice touches.
    One of the best game of this year.
  15. I3AH9I
    Jun 11, 2022
    10
    Great immersive atmospheric game.
    Combat is a bit meh but that motivates you to look for more stealthy ways instead of just running and gunning.
  16. EnryFX
    May 6, 2017
    10
    The FPS of the year. Heiress of half life series, with some elements of dishonored and bioshock... Intriguing story, lot of exploration and optional side quests, cool level design
  17. Raimoraimo
    Sep 6, 2017
    10
    A very strong contender for game of the year, possibly even game of the decade, at least as far as character- and story-driven high budget games go. I.e. one of the best games ever. Pretty damn good writing (amazingly lifelike and OTOH nerdy humorous character stories too) and near flawless, even innovative mechanics, and zero bugs. 10 points. (Well, possibly 10-, because of slightly tooA very strong contender for game of the year, possibly even game of the decade, at least as far as character- and story-driven high budget games go. I.e. one of the best games ever. Pretty damn good writing (amazingly lifelike and OTOH nerdy humorous character stories too) and near flawless, even innovative mechanics, and zero bugs. 10 points. (Well, possibly 10-, because of slightly too many loading screens during certain times in the plot...)

    The ending(s) is definitely controversial, but I liked it. Maybe slightly rushed in the very end/ would have been cool to have some more extrapolation but this left room for some pretty cool online speculations, at least. Also, playing on hard I did nearly run out of ammo on certain weapons which necessitated some gamestyle changes, but only because i was MANUFACTURING tons of skill points. How cool is that! :)

    The hacking minigame is not the best or wouldn't even be necessary but it really didn't bother me after a while.

    Do check it out if you like great scifi!    … Expand
  18. jacob4
    Oct 21, 2017
    10
    A mind bending, breath taking, scientific blast! Filled with moral choices, awesome powers, and frightening enemies. Prey emerges you into a world of isolation on an epic quest of exploration throughout a massive station infested with mystery, tragedy, and terror. This game also provides many mind bending and physic manipulating puzzles and challenges through zero gravity or hazardousA mind bending, breath taking, scientific blast! Filled with moral choices, awesome powers, and frightening enemies. Prey emerges you into a world of isolation on an epic quest of exploration throughout a massive station infested with mystery, tragedy, and terror. This game also provides many mind bending and physic manipulating puzzles and challenges through zero gravity or hazardous environments. Prey is like a video game version of Alien meets Life. A great game to play if you're a huge Bethesda fan or want to know what BioShock would be like in space!… Expand
  19. Enile
    Jun 2, 2017
    10
    Good old memories.

    Half-Life+Bio Shock+Dead Space+etc=Prey

    Don't miss it if you love that kind of games, and genre.

    60$ for AAA shooter? Yes. It's worth it. The level design, quality, sound, music, combat, and OMG that thrill and survival horror...

    Go. Buy it!
  20. Havharo
    Jun 24, 2017
    10
    At first, I've thought the game is mediocre, but I've given it a second chance and started to like it a lot. It feels polished, gameplay is solid. There are different build available for your character (hence multiple playthroughs). The area where the game takes place is very original and looks well designed. I've been playing video games for more than 20 years now, I recommend this game.
  21. ShawnD
    Nov 28, 2017
    10
    I compare Prey to Bioshock, but a lot of people are saying it's basically System Shock 2. Your melee weapon is a wrench, the two conventional guns are a pistol and a shotgun, the gimick gun is the gloo gun. There are also a lot of psychic abilities, but I can't comment on those because I've never invested the points to learn them. I have 44 hours logged on Steam and I've never used psiI compare Prey to Bioshock, but a lot of people are saying it's basically System Shock 2. Your melee weapon is a wrench, the two conventional guns are a pistol and a shotgun, the gimick gun is the gloo gun. There are also a lot of psychic abilities, but I can't comment on those because I've never invested the points to learn them. I have 44 hours logged on Steam and I've never used psi powers. That's how much replay value the game has.

    Story:
    I don't want to give away any of the story, but I think the start of the game is amazing. I was expecting the game to start like Half-Life, but even the start of the game is a twist. The plot reminds me of Total Recall because I am playing as someone who doesn't remember anything due to deliberate actions causing memory loss, but my character is central to what is going on. It's not entirely clear if I'm the good guy or the bad guy.

    Difficulty:
    The difficulty in this game is very well done. The "easy" setting really is easy. You'll end up carrying hundreds of food items, dozens of med kits, and dozens of suit repair kits. The easy setting is great for learning how the game works. The "normal" setting is at least 10x more difficult than easy. It's very common to go from full life to dead in 5 seconds when playing on normal difficulty, but it's possible to load the game and get through that section without taking any damage. The game's difficulty is down to strategy and planning rather than frustrating BS like enemies that take a million bullets and can't be avoided. The other cool thing about the difficulty is that normal difficulty is very different from easy difficulty in terms of mechanics. On easy, I don't think the weavers would inflict fear. On normal, they do inflict fear. Normal difficulty seems to have more enemies that respawn faster, so I have a lot more spare parts on normal difficulty than I did on easy difficulty (enemies often drop spare parts). Having enemies that are 10x stronger on normal difficulty also means that I can't initially dump a bunch of points into things like hacking or lifting heavy objects. Putting all of my points into combat effectiveness means I can't just hack my way through the entire game and force heavy doors open.

    Loading/Saving:
    The game's loading and saving is perfect.Quick save is instant, and loading takes maybe 10 seconds. If you screw something up, you can always hit F9 and try it again using a different strategy. I mention this because loading is a problem I've encountered in a few games. Doom 2016 doesn't have manual saving, so dying could cause me to lose a ton of progress, and that's the only reason I give Doom an 8 instead of a 10. Alien: Isolation was just as bad. I understand that saving less often makes the game more tense and scary, but it also makes me hate the game a lot more. Prey can seem unfairly difficult at times, but at least I can load the game and try again. The game also keeps a history of saves, so I can go back further if the last save was in a bad spot or if I missed something.    … Expand
  22. Kujoman
    May 5, 2017
    10
    I'm thoroughly impressed with the game so far, I think the graphics and the level design are incredible and the atmosphere is fantastic. The gunplay is a bit stiff at first but you get adjusted as you go on. The story is interesting so far and the side quests are often rewarding.

    For an honest rating I'd give it a 9/10. I give it full marks because Bethesda haters are gonna inevitably    I'm thoroughly impressed with the game so far, I think the graphics and the level design are incredible and the atmosphere is fantastic. The gunplay is a bit stiff at first but you get adjusted as you go on. The story is interesting so far and the side quests are often rewarding.

    For an honest rating I'd give it a 9/10. I give it full marks because Bethesda haters are gonna inevitably spam with negative reviews. To those uninformed, they only published the game, Arkane studios developed it.    … Expand
  23. bxgdvn
    Dec 18, 2020
    10
    Game one in a million. Sadly the very same people who are whining about micro transactions, generic and unimaginative games never bought this game. While demonizing Bethesda for making awful F86 they showed Bethesda’s executives, responsible for F86 and Prey, that no one’s buying fine crafted single player games like Prey. So it’s not the greedy corporations to blame — it’s you, The Gamer.Game one in a million. Sadly the very same people who are whining about micro transactions, generic and unimaginative games never bought this game. While demonizing Bethesda for making awful F86 they showed Bethesda’s executives, responsible for F86 and Prey, that no one’s buying fine crafted single player games like Prey. So it’s not the greedy corporations to blame — it’s you, The Gamer.
  24. Nopter
    Jun 12, 2020
    10
    The literally best game what i ever played! Its was my best experience from Arcane studio.I waiting sequel so much!
  25. Rockyboro
    May 10, 2017
    10
    Wau finaly some system shock vibe ! Game got that space feeling like it was in System shock 20 y ago. Overall its great its not 10 more like 8-9 but ill give 10 to nullify those idiotic 0 reviews like "change name and would be 10 but its 0 cauze its PREY".
  26. nasiresco
    Sep 28, 2017
    10
    This game is truly amazing. Im approx 75% through. I started playing 2 weeks ago and for once, this game makes you want to do all of the side missions before progressing forward. Updating attributes really impacts the gameplay and makes you want to explore the story more. I am truly immersed in this game and I am simply blown away. The last time I felt like this was when I beat Metal GearThis game is truly amazing. Im approx 75% through. I started playing 2 weeks ago and for once, this game makes you want to do all of the side missions before progressing forward. Updating attributes really impacts the gameplay and makes you want to explore the story more. I am truly immersed in this game and I am simply blown away. The last time I felt like this was when I beat Metal Gear Solid on the PsOne and I was like 15 when i beat that game. I am 36 now and have 3 kids under 3. I find myself playing this game from 10pm-1am and half of the weekends Im off work. I am just in awe of this game. Next Dishonored 2. Bethesda Simply outdid themselves on this one. I play with a GTX 960 and have the game on very high settings. Its soo silky smooth and beautiful. The game is just fun and its challenging. I am playing on Hard and I am really liking it. Enjoy!!! I highly recommend this game to anyone that loved Doom 2016 and Dishonored and Half Life.… Expand
  27. Jodle
    May 21, 2017
    10
    This game is amazing. This game is amazing. This game is amazing. This game is amazing. This game is amazing. This game is amazing. This game is amazing.
  28. Val-835
    May 18, 2017
    10
    A masterpiece. A game that will be remembered for a long time. In the same class as Bioshock and Half-Life 2. Bethesda did the right thing to give Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith the freedom and time necessary to weave their magic. And they did. Too bad these guys are both in their 50's. I hope they stick around for a while longer. The gaming industry needs people like them badly.
    Do    A masterpiece. A game that will be remembered for a long time. In the same class as Bioshock and Half-Life 2. Bethesda did the right thing to give Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith the freedom and time necessary to weave their magic. And they did. Too bad these guys are both in their 50's. I hope they stick around for a while longer. The gaming industry needs people like them badly.
    Do yourself a favor and play this game. In this day an age when, with few exceptions, most games are an online mediocre affair, games like this are a rarity. And game developing studios like Arkane Studios are a rarity.
    I'm not going too much into the details. It would spoil the fun. But all the elements that are essential are there. Game level design, atmosphere, immersion, attention to detail, etc, they are all there in droves.
    At the end of the day, this game reminds us of a simple fact. If you want something great, hire people who love doing what they are doing and stop being obsessed by the bottom line. Greatness it's elusive anyway. Has always been. So stop worrying about it.
    Hats off to Bethesda. And Arkane Studios.    … Expand
  29. FTWOblivion
    May 15, 2017
    10
    Amazing,. Fantastic....beautiful....scary...creepy....badass...

    Etc...
    Etc....
    Etc....
    Etc....
    Etc.....

    Etc....................... Buy it ****

    My goty
  30. RockMach
    May 5, 2017
    10
    HL2+SS2+Bioshock+Doom3+Dishonored=Prey(2017).
    Prey (2017) is when you start to be afraid to go to a cup of coffee.
    Definitely the best FPS of 2017.
    GOTY.
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Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Best PC Game of 2017
11
#11 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
10
#10 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 38
  3. Negative: 1 out of 38
  1. Quarter to Three
    Nov 15, 2017
    60
    Many of its elements never quite come together, so there’s no payoff. The clumsy human stories, the botched difficulty curve, the dangling gameplay threads, the pointless decisions, the cool 3D printer scavenging economy, the coral, the hunters, the various survivors who need saving. If I never had fewer than a dozen mana potions, what did it matter whether I did the quest to put mana healing into the water supply?
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 5, 2017
    100
    Prey offers one of the best gaming environments in the history and builds on it its sophisticated, exciting, and unusually entertaining gameplay. A weaker story and sometimes too high difficulty does not change the fact that Arkane studios has once again produced something special. [Issue#275]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 30, 2017
    80
    A great game of action and exploration, with rich, interlocking mechanics. May be a little bit derivative, but a tonne of fun nonetheless. [Issue#263, p.56]
    Read full review
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