Probably one of my all-time favorites. Played it a few times, each a different style. The strongest part of the game is the level design, with so many secrets and a layout that makes sense for the setting, it all makes the station feel real. Of course, that's expected coming from Arkane, having cut their teeth with Dishonored and Dark Messiah. The reason I'm giving it 4 stars, though, is the way the game teaches you to play it. The title and atmosphere are meant to invoke horror, and you're guided through as though it's a stealth survival horror. It's not. I wouldn't even call it horror, just horror elements. It's primarily an action game. An action game where you can shoot lightning with your mind and blast even some of the most powerful enemies with a shotgun. And in fact, you're rewarded for doing so. It took me a few times to actually finish this game, but when I went aggressive and became a neuromod junkie, so many options opened up and the game was a hoot to play. Try it out if you can.

Writing: 4/5
Gameplay: 5/5
Art Design & Visuals: 4/5
Voices & Sounds: 5/5
Atmosphere & Immersion: 5/5

The opening level of Prey is one of my favorite gaming experiences I have ever had. For the first few hours I really thought this was going to be one of my favorite games ever. The world building, sound design, and environmental storytelling are all some of the best I have ever experienced. You are given an incredible amount of freedom to achieve your goals in whatever way you want. There is a stunning amount of variety and choice in how you move through the game.

I really think this could have been an absolute masterpiece if it weren't for the main story. The environmental storytelling in your surroundings, emails, and audio logs is perfect but the actual main story is an overlong slog of backtracking and stupid barriers to your progress that feel artificial. It's a shame because the game feels so polished and thoughtful in every area except for the actual main quest.

Outside of that though I loved pretty much everything about this game. It is obviously very much inspired by System Shock 2 and the BioShock games and I actually liked this more than any of those, even the first BioShock.

Gamers familiar with Arcane Studios formula will feel right at home playing prey. The play-your-way mechanics, skill based upgrades, weapon wheel, and overall aesthetic design that made the Dishonored series so great makes a nearly perfect transition to Prey, minus the implementation of a crafting system. I personally enjoy when developers add a crafting element into their games, however Arcane has not done a good job of balancing the crafting mechanics with the rest of the gameplay. The issue is that crafting is too critical to gameplay while being very unrewarding. It forces the player to spend too much time worrying about the minuscule amount of crafting materials found in the world just for the option to craft the small amount of supplies actually created by the crafting process. I understand that the developers were forcing players to manage their supplies, however this forces players into a fairly specific method of tacking objectives and enemies in a game that touts a play-your-way style of gameplay. Yes, the game can be tackled in a stealth-centric style while using the minimal amount of resources, however early in the game this is nearly impossible and it disregards players who do not prefer a head on style of gameplay over stealth. Arcane could rectify this by making crafting materials more abundant, especially for materials dropped by defeated enemies. This way players who prefer stealth can still make their way through the game using little resourcing a minimal crafting, while giving more combat focused players the chance to play the game the way they wish.

Outside of this, Prey is nearly flawless. Gameplay is fun and engaging, enemies are difficult but not too difficult, the story is good, and the environment is gorgeous. Prey also does a very good job of making the game as non-linear as possible. The main story certainly has a liner plot, however players can chose when they wish to tackle main objectives and are more or less free to roam the game world as they please assuming those areas are unlocked.
Brilliant atmosphere and immersion that rewards exploration.
Prey’s gameplay borrows heavily from other first person action/adventure games such as Bioshock, Dishonored, and Deus Ex, with its focus falling heavily on the adventure side rather than the action. This is lucky really, as the action in Prey is often lacking, and is definitely not one of the game’s stronger points. Its adventure side though, really shines.
Prey is divisive. Its numerous flaws, difficulty, pacing and odd design choices will render it unplayable for some. However, others, who love this kind of game and are able to look pass these flaws will absolutely adore it.