Survival horror Horror shooters and action horror Sci-fi and space horror

Prey

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Survive a moon-orbiting space station where the aliens can look like anything.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, Epic, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (91% of 54,912 reviews); Metacritic 82 (PC)
Length: About 16 hours for the story, about 27 with side content
Players: 1
Made by: Arkane Studios
Released: 2017

On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.

No. 26 of the jumpscare horror games · No. 21 of the horror games about human experiments · No. 12 of the alien horror games · No. 15 of the office horror games · No. 11 of the moon horror games · No. 4 of the space station horror games

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What frightens Talos I has been overrun by the Typhon, shadowy aliens that hunt the last survivors. The small spider-like Mimics disguise themselves as ordinary objects, a mug, a chair, a medkit, and leap out at you, so every room becomes suspect; larger Typhon move like living shadows. You begin with only a wrench, in dark, wrecked corridors where you rarely know what is waiting.
Content: violence, blood, gore, jumpscares, dead bodies, strong language, alcohol.

Prey is a first-person sci-fi horror game from Arkane Studios. As Morgan Yu you wake aboard the Talos I space station in 2032 to find it overrun by the Typhon, shapeshifting aliens, and survive with scavenged weapons, crafted tools and alien powers while you uncover what was done to you.

About Prey

Prey was made by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It came out on 4 May 2017 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on PC it is sold on Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. It is a reimagining of the name, not a sequel to the 2006 game.

You play Morgan Yu, who wakes aboard Talos I, a private space station orbiting the Moon in 2032, built with the lavish look of 1960s corporate luxury. You were the key subject of an experiment meant to change humanity, and something has gone badly wrong: the station is overrun by the Typhon, a hostile alien species, and you are one of the last people alive.

It plays as a first-person immersive sim. Talos I is a set of connected, non-linear areas you can explore in many orders, with locked doors, vents, terminals and side routes. You start with a wrench, then find guns such as a pistol and shotgun and the GLOO Cannon, which fires a foam that freezes enemies and can be used to build footholds on walls. You recycle junk into materials, craft items from blueprints you find, and install Neuromods to learn human skills or alien powers. A Psychoscope lets you scan for Typhon nearby.

The horror is in not trusting the room. Mimics, small spider-like Typhon, hide as everyday objects and leap out when you come close, and the larger Typhon move like living shadows. Early on you are weak, ammunition is short and the station is dark and wrecked.

Prey suits players who liked System Shock 2 or Dead Space and want more freedom in how they survive. It is closer to an action game than to hide-and-run horror, but its first hours in particular are tense and frightening.

A first play of the story takes about 16 hours, or about 27 if you take in the side content. Critics gave it 82 on Metacritic for PC, and Steam players rate it Very Positive. A paid expansion, Mooncrash, adds a roguelike mode set on a moon base where enemies and items change each run, and there is a free trial on PlayStation.

How to play Prey

Buy Prey on Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store, the PlayStation Store or the Xbox store, and start a new game.
Explore Talos I in first person, searching offices and storerooms for weapons, ammunition, medkits and materials.
Recycle junk into materials and craft ammunition, medkits and tools from the blueprints you find.
Spend Neuromods on skills, human skills or alien powers, to open new routes and new ways to fight.
Fight the Typhon with the wrench, guns and GLOO Cannon, or avoid them, and follow the clues you left for yourself.

Screenshots

First-person view with the red GLOO Cannon as black, tendrilled Mimics leap through a corridor walled with hardened foam, a coffee mug on a console

A large dark red, many-limbed Typhon lunges past a floodlight as the player aims a shotgun in a caged storage area

First-person view firing a pistol as black, shadowy Typhon burst through a wood-panelled lounge in a shower of yellow sparks

A floating, shadowy Typhon with dangling tendrils in a tiled pool hall as the player holds a shotgun

A figure in an orange and grey suit floats in space beside the outer hull of the TranStar station, the Moon below

The art deco lobby of Talos I with gold lion statues, a staircase to the Executive Suites, a cafeteria sign and debris on the floor

A woman in an orange and grey suit in a sunlit atrium with gold winged statues and crew at a bar, Earth beyond a TranStar sign

Tips

Treat any spare object in a room as a possible Mimic; hitting a suspicious mug or chair costs little.
Freeze enemies with the GLOO Cannon before hitting them with the wrench to save ammunition.
Pick up junk as you go; recycling turns it into the materials you need for ammunition and medkits.
Explore side rooms and vents; Talos I is built with interconnected routes that hide supplies and secrets.

Questions

Is Prey a horror game?

It is a sci-fi immersive sim with strong horror: aliens that hide as everyday objects, a dark, wrecked station, and scarce supplies early on. Steam players tag it horror and survival horror.

Is Prey (2017) a sequel to the 2006 Prey?

No. Arkane Studios reimagined the name from the ground up with a new story set on the Talos I space station.

Can you fight in Prey?

Yes. You start with a wrench and find guns, the GLOO Cannon and alien powers, though early on you are weak and short of ammunition.

What platforms is Prey on?

PC through Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

How long is Prey?

About 16 hours if you follow the main story, and about 27 hours if you also do the side content.

Can I try Prey before buying it?

Yes. The PlayStation Store offers a free Prey Trial, and Steam had a demo with roughly the first hour of the game.