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PREY - Review

How fitting for a game about issues of identity to have borrowed the name belonging to a completely unrelated game. There's barely even a passing wink to 3D Realm's daft shooter. Ah well.

What Prey is instead is a modern successor to System Shock but with heaps of novel ideas layered atop a familiar centre. It's also not too dissimilar from Arkane's Dishonored, albeit without the stealth focus. Whilst I think I prefer Dishonored overall (I'm a big stealth fan) I think Prey has a chance at being considered the best immersive sim around. What Prey has over them all is coherence. The game is a network of related systems, all interactive, fleshing out a single location.

Talos IV in this case, a corporate owned space station orbiting the moon in an alternate reality where the Kennedy space program took off due to first contact with a strange alien species. The station is the real star of the show. It is a completely intricate location where every staff member is  accounted for and every area has a logical contribution to the station's purpose. What a treat it is to not only be set loose on an intricate, dense location but one that fits together so completely. Whilst it never manages to be outright striking like the iconic Rapture, it still looks distinct; the decor offering a stylish retro themed alternative to the usual dull, gun metal grey corridors. And the score is a refreshingly stylish affair with the twang of an electric guitar cutting through the air instead of the bassy drone that seems the default for so much science fiction.

You play as Morgan Yu (who can be male or female depending on player choice), youngest child of the family owned Transtar corporation who run the station. Along with your eldest brother you're left stranded on the station, to deal with an alien menace. Worse, you've no memory of the last few months. Neuromods, the station's latest invention, allows anyone to acquire any recorded skill in seconds but it comes with a hefty price. Removing them resets the user's memory to just before they were installed. As a result you're left to pick up the pieces. Various characters will claim to be acting in your best interests but its up to you to pay attention if you want to decipher what's really going on and who to trust. There's a pleasant Philip. K. Dick vibe to it all, this oppressive paranoia dripping over everything. Even though it dulls over the game's many hours, it makes for an intriguing start. Beyond this beginning, what occurs is largely up to you and the game will react accordingly to every action you take. No matter what you do, you can reach a conclusion. Save the other survivors, leave them or even kill them if you somehow decide that's a good idea. Chase down secrets, discover what was really going on aboard the station and in your own past. Talos IV is so open to exploration, with dozens of connecting routes through every area. It's the density of details that impressed me the most. Looking for a specific crew member? Check the ship's roster which gives a location (in real time) for every single employee. Found a locked room? Hit a touch screen with foam darts through a vent in the roof to unlock the door.

Those examples are just scratching the surface and the further into the game you go, the more systems are made available, allowing you to exert more control within the established rules of the game world. I won't spoil the later secrets because discovery is so much of what makes Prey a joy to play. Even if I tried however there's almost no way I could spoil someone's experience with the game. There are so many approaches and options you will almost certainly have a distinctly different experience from me. Importantly, the game gives you plenty of reasons to try out these options. Part of that is narrative, with a moral element likely to factor into how you choose to approach a situation, chasing a particular outcome in the story. Other times its through design, with the game's admittedly steep difficulty pushing you towards finding alternative solutions or seeking new tools.

Enemies themselves are perhaps the least interesting area of the game. The much talked about mimics are, whilst somewhat tedious to actually fight, a neat idea. Able to imitate any object within the game world, you have to pay attention at all times to avoid ambushes. The novelty does wear off of course but by the time it does, the game offers you a device to identify them more easily, one of many instances where the game stays a step ahead of itself. The game's other foes feel relatively bog standard though. Phantoms are the main type and whilst they can have various properties that require unique counters, they're largely predictable. A few late game enemy types have their own twists, forcing you well outside your comfort zone but there's a long stretch of the game before they show up. All the enemies work well and they have that rare quality of feeling distinctly alien but few of them have much personality or leave a lasting impression.

What they all do pretty well is make you use the full extent of your arsenal. The devices you amass over its many hours are composed largely of "tools" with unique functions rather than dozens of guns. The GLOO gun for instance shoots a hardening foam which can be used to encase enemies, slowing them down, block doors or can even be used to create platforms to climb on. Then there's the abilities you unlock throughout, opening up an even greater array of approaches. Which does include, yes, the ability to turn into a coffee cup. Which has more uses than you might imagine.

The point is, the more you play the more creative you can be. A challenge you found daunting in the early hours or an obstacle that seemed impassable can be returned to, conquered with what you've acquired. It's the satisfaction of being given problems you can figure out your own solutions to that makes Prey feel so special. It puts its immersive sim competition like the new Deus Ex games to shame, with a depth and level of freedom that honestly felt a little dizzying at the start. I'm so used to endless waypoints, checkpoints and hand holding that absolute freedom can be overwhelming. It's also perfectly possible to overlook important information, fail to discover a helpful item or weapon. Nothing that will stop you being able to progress but can certainly make exploration all the more difficult.

It is exciting though and remains so as you see the effects of your choices throughout the game. Being one, interwoven location rather than broken up into distinct levels like Dishonored means your actions ripple through Talos IV much more organically. Events, both story-driven and player driven, develop nicely and lead to those “oh yeah...” moments as you bump into a result some hours down the line.

The story itself isn't the game's best feature. Your conflict with your brother is handled smartly, with their relationship fleshed out in the details rather than exposition but it does fail to deliver emotional punch, a real missed opportunity. A shame cause the game's characters are all pretty well written, with distinct, believable personalities from dozens of NPCs (with an admirable number of LGBT characters, including Female-Morgan). They even come with some great little sub-quests, offering some of the game's most emotionally satisfying moments. Prey uses e-mails and audio logs like a dozen games before it but sprinkles them carefully. Not to mention most only offer hints of important details, instead of a character having a monologue about their ideologies. You have to pay attention, read between the lines and that means I engaged with the information offered instead of passively absorbing exposition. With a deft hand and constant trickle of details the story and world managed to hold my attention.

All of which sadly leads to a predictable though fairly enjoyable climax (of the two major variations of conclusion, one is much more satisfying to play through than the other) but one followed by an utterly limp, rushed ending. Nothing that spoils the rest of the game but certainly a disappointment after all the world building and care given to make your choices up to that point feel meaningful. There is an after credits sequence that offers an audacious twist to events but it doesn't do much to salvage the ending.

Nonetheless, for almost its entire run time I found Prey an absolute delight. There's much that's derivative in it, System Shock remains the most obvious influence but Prey has more style and a far better interface than that game ever did. Mainly though, these are ideas we seldom see or see done this well, so what's borrowed never really felt like a negative. What's more is for every familiar trope, there's a unique idea at work. Each could serve as the premise of a game all unto themselves. Instead they're here together, in this incredibly detailed sandbox. A flawed one admittedly but Prey still manages to be one of the most coherent and inventive games in years.

#prey#Arkane Studios#system shock#looking glass#videogames#review#pc games#science fiction#Deus Ex#Morgan Yu#LGBT
sammgreer

Westerado - A Review Of Sorts

Westerado Double Barreled. This wee gem from Adult Swim Games has been out for a while now and I'm just kicking myself from not having tried it sooner. It's a 2d western with an open world, where you're set loose to track down the person who murdered your family. The twist is that any NPC can potentially be the killer and you'll have to gather clues to ascertain their appearance and whereabouts. You can draw your gun at anytime and can kill any NPC. Calling it Where's Waldo with a six shooter seems a little crass but it's apt.

However, instead of going over its every facet, let me instead tell you my story as I went through the game. That'll do a better job of letting you know what kind of experience it's offering. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

It begins as I've said, with the murder of my family. The ranch has been burned and my mother lies dead. My brother is breathing his last but tells me the man who did this wears a wide brimmed hat. Not much to go on but I promise I'll avenge him. He hands me his gun and asks a final kindness, to end his suffering. Even as I cock the gun he assures me it's okay and he's grateful. I pull the trigger and finish what the murderer started. My search begins.

Soon enough I'm wondering into the nearest town but before I can start asking questions, somebody is pleading for my help. I accept and from there, find myself helping all sorts in my search. I defend a ranch from bandits, harnessing my skill with the gun. I find missing family and help clear the railway tracks. Each grateful stranger offers me what they know. I'm building an image of the fella, though I've no idea where to find him. In my searching I meet Miss Tressabell, who's lonely and searching for someone to support her. We promise to meet again.

Eventually I fall into helping the local ranchers, who seem to be threatened by the same fate as my family. For my part they let me know that the man I seek might've been in service to the Oil Baron, a man they've quarrel with as well, who's trying to steal their land. So together we all go to attack the Baron's mansion, to take him down before he can kill them for their ranches.

The attack starts well but the deeper we go into the building, the worse it gets. This Baron has countless men in his employ, too much for these ranchers. They flee. I try to fight a moment longer but soon enough I too must retreat. A failure but worse awaits us on our return. Those we left behind have been killed, their ranch burned down. Rancher Richards lies bleeding, his family laying dead around him. He asks me to end his suffering and just like my brother, thanks me as I cock the revolver. I wish he wouldn't.

Again I vow revenge and return alone to the Oil Baron. This time they can't stop me and I gun the Baron down in his office. I'm no closer to my family's killer but one debt is settled.

I come back to town and look for the sheriff's aid, which he'll offer when he thinks I'm ready. Which'll be when I've taken out a few of the local outlaws, dead or alive. This is when I meet Miss Tressabell again and we connect. She asks me to “make hats” with her and afterwards, compliments my “needlework”. We talk of buying a house together, if I can find half the money. I want to. There ought to be a life after my search is done.

So I take to the bounties, tracking every outlaw I can find from forests to deserts and deep below the earth. It isn't long before my reputation grows. Now the outlaws of the land fear my approach.  They flee at the sight of me, outright refusing to put up a fight. From them I get my final clues and I know the man I'm looking for. A large fella, in black and white with a big hat and bandana. Unmistakeable. I take these bounties alive to the sheriff and soon enough, I've made enough money for a home.

A nice little cottage by the river, all on its lonesome. Tressabell is happy, till she realises I mean to leave and continue my search. She protests but knows it's futile. In the end she settles for making me promise I'll return. I do and I mean it.

My little brother comes in on the next train to my surprise, my only other family. He's horrified for not having been there and we go to the old home together. A black shell, with the two graves for mother and eldest brother. Little brother swears he too will search and off he goes. I doubt he'll succeed but I won't stop him.

I continue my search alone. I cross the desert several times, confronting every outlaw gang I can find but they only cower, able to give me no more clues.

On the other side of the desert, on a dusty train platform I stand beaten and unsure where to continue. It's then of course, that I see him. Standing on the platform beside me, without a care in the world. White and black clothes, with a wide brimmed hat. Just as my brother described it.

I approach ready to kill. When I greet him he complains only about the heat, like any regular soul. I draw my gun and he acts confused but when I cock the hammer he gives up the performance. He knows who I am and why I'm here. But before I can pull the trigger he shoots and flees on horseback. I pursue without hesitation.

I find him alone on a windy hilltop, as the sun threatens to set over the horizon. He taunts me one last time and then it begins. Many bullets are fired, most miss. We're both so quick. In the end, it's me who lands the shot. Right in his gut.

He lies in the dirt gasping his last, blood pooling beneath him. Just like my brother. I approach, vowing to make it quick. He tries to talk as I raise the gun but I'm certain I'll shoot. I cock the pistol and he can't believe I'm so determined. It makes me pause and then he talks some more. About why he did it. About how I owe him my life. Claims I'm the woman I am because of what he did, that without his killing I'd be nothing but a bored farmhand. Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't but it buys him time. Time enough to bleed out and die before I can pull the trigger. Alone, the last bullet still in the chamber I lower my gun as the stars emerge above. My revenge is complete and a whole other life awaits ahead. As the credits roll, I think...aren't videogames pretty darn great?

#westerado#western#videogames#adult swim#steam#pc games#story#fiction#short#review#impressions