Prey Review: A lonely journey through an alien-infested space station

It's an exciting feeling when you can fully immerse yourself into a games world, sympathize with its characters and experience a full range of emotions throughout the journey. Prey is just that kind of game. Originally an IP belonging to Human Head Studios, the series lives on through Bethesda and Arkane studios. Although it doesn't belong in the same universe as the 2006 released game of the same name, Prey delivers an experience like no other, as you take control of Morgan Yu, a scientist on a space station overrun with alien enemies known as the Typhon.

Prey draws similarity to the cult classic System Shock 2, where player freedom is abundant. You can tackle the game's story in any way you wish, through upgrades and power-ups or through sheer skill alone. This leads to a different gameplay experience with each subsequent playthrough. Morgan is able to level up not only human abilities, but has the option to install Typhon traits into himself; such as turning into inanimate objects, summoning your own Typhon to fight for you and using telekinetic powers.

The setting and atmosphere of Prey is what drew me in the most, with heart-pounding horror, a dense feeling of danger around every corner and the isolation of being almost alone in an abandoned space station. Especially in the later parts of the game when a giant Typhon known as the Nightmare hunts you. Almost alone is a good indication of how well written the few characters in Prey are. Alex Yu, Morgan's brother is the biggest highlight, as most of the time, overweight characters are used as a joke, or are comic relief, but it was refreshing to see how well-written and integral to the plot Alex Yu is.

Mick Gordon; known for his work in Doom, Wolfenstein and hopefully more of Bethesda's upcoming games, provides an excellent soundtrack composed of synth and atmospheric tracks. The music compliments Prey's setting and tone perfectly and is a testament to how diverse Mick Gordon's musical talents are when compared to his past work on Doom.

Prey is one of the best games I have ever played and it's a joy to know that atmospheric single player experiences like this are still possible in a market full of jaded publishers, who cater to the lowest common denominator. There is no tacked-on multiplayer mode, coop, DLC or microtransactions in Prey. If you're a fan of atmospheric horror, first-person shooters with skill/item management, Prey delivers an experience you won't find again. I leave you with my favorite track from Prey and hope you give the game a play in the future.