Prey: the whole lot we all know – launch date, setting, story and extra

With improvement being headed up by Arkane Studios – these geniuses behind Dishonored – Prey is an immersive sim set aboard a retrofuturistic area station orbiting Earth’s moon. Players management Morgan Yu, whose gender the participant can choose, who awakes to seek out they solely have a horde of menacing aliens for firm. Menacing aliens who can flip themselves into cups of tea and workplace chairs.

Prey launch date

Prey will launch on May fifth 2017, a Friday, with not one of the regional delays that may plague huge releases.

There shall be a Prey demo, however not on PC. *shrug*

Prey launch

If, after the Dishonored 2 debacle, you are anxious in regards to the launch efficiency of Arkane’s newest, they’d prefer to reassure you. Co-creative director Rafael Colantonio says in an interview that Prey shall be “actually flawless after we ship” on PC, because of classes realized from their final title, plus extra QA time and a distinct, better-understood engine.

Prey setting

Prey is ready in 2032, in an alternate timeline the place John Kennedy was by no means assassinated and went on to take a position closely within the area program. 69 years on and certainly one of Kennedy’s area stations continues to be in orbit round Earth’s moon. It’s a vessel that’s been renovated numerous instances, resulting in a conflict of types and designs from completely different eras all bolted on prime of each other. It’s aboard this area station that protagonist Morgan Yu finds himself.

A video posted on Bethesda’s YouTube channel provides better perception into the occasions main as much as the sport, and divulges the origin of the area station – Talos I – in addition to the 2 functions it serves: containment and analysis. You can watch it under.

The recreation’s reveal trailer additionally hints at a setting on Earth itself, with a Groundhog Day-style first-person sequence taking part in out in a skyscraper, though this most likely exists only for the sake of context.

Prey story

Here’s the premise: within the yr 2032, you mysteriously awaken on Talos I, a high-tech area station, and it is rapidly clear that each one will not be properly. The station is abandoned however for plenty of extraordinarily hostile aliens known as Typhons, which possess the flexibility to cover in plain sight, taking up the looks of on a regular basis objects like potted vegetation and displays. Think Garry’s Mod Prop Hunt, however scary. The solely intention is to outlive, however we’re assuming making it again to Earth may also place pretty excessive on Yu’s checklist of priorities.

We additionally be taught within the reveal trailer that Morgan Yu is or has been the topic of experimentation, not by the aliens on board the Talos I, however by his fellow man. The precise nature of those experiments in unknown. Players may also decide the gender of Yu firstly of the sport. Both variations are absolutely voiced, but it surely’s not identified whether or not gender will play a task within the narrative of the sport but.

In an interview with Game Informer, Arkane shared extra about Prey’s story. It will apparently be fairly darkish – no shock there, based mostly on preliminary impressions – and whether or not or not it is going to have a central antagonist will rely in your standpoint.

Prey gameplay

Surviving and evolving are central to the gameplay of Prey. Players are confronted with the duty of keeping off their alien adversaries aboard a non-military area station, which can contain utilizing crude objects discovered across the surroundings and any gentle arms they arrive throughout.

We additionally know that Prey will contain mastering a few of the alien skills, like having the ability to embody inanimate objects across the area station. In a Gamescom demo this means was proven coming into its personal because the participant embodied a mug with the intention to slip by way of a tiny hole, earlier than resuming their human kind on the opposite facet.

As with Corvo’s powers in Dishonored, you’ll be capable of customise Yu’s skills to raised fit your type of play. To do that you’ll have to seek out Neuromods, small units which permit Yu to be taught Typhon skills. One small caveat although: these units contain injecting your self within the eye, which we’re guessing shall be pretty harrowing in first-person.

Also like Dishonored, the participant will be capable of strategy gameplay nevertheless they need. Don’t fancy the subsequent room? There’s most likely an alternate route, though you would possibly miss out on some helpful sources.

Prey will characteristic plenty of spacewalks, the place the participant will be capable of discover the outside of Talos I in a spacesuit, utilizing thrusters to maneuver about and having to watch their oxygen provides always.

It’ll additionally incorporate plenty of gameplay components that target survival, with weapon degradation and a “trauma system” confirmed for the sport – assume leg-breaks from huge falls and extreme burns from, properly… sizzling issues.

There may also be human survivors on the station, however they are going to be uncommon. Once you encounter them, they are often killed by aliens (or by you…) and the sport will maintain going, so their position is not important to your progress (as in, say, Half-Life).

Prey crafting

As if Prey’s RPG, stealth and survival components weren’t sufficient to slake your gameplay thirst, there’s additionally a crafting part that you just’ll need to wrap your head round – although with Arkane in cost it’ll absolutely be seamlessly built-in and simple to know.

Not a lot has been revealed about it outdoors of the prolonged gameplay trailer, which exhibits the participant gathering sources through their Recycler Charge, and utilizing them with blueprints at a Fabricator. The machine begins modelling the item (very similar to a 3D printer) and spits it out for the participant to make use of. In the trailer the one craftable object is a propulsion system for zero gravity areas… you already know, like area.

Prey neuromods and skills

Seeing because the Talos I is a analysis facility, we assume there received’t be a lot in the way in which of standard firearms mendacity across the ship, aside from gentle arms like pistols and shotguns. We additionally know that Morgan will be capable of harness a few of the alien skills, which we anticipate to make up a big chunk of his or her arsenal. Other weapons will possible be sourced from the know-how already current within the facility à la Half-Life.

Mimic Matter

The most talked about characteristic within the recreation, Mimic Matter permits the participant to show into and management objects across the area station like chairs and plates. While on this kind the participant can transfer round, awkwardly rolling or twisting, with the intention to navigate the surroundings or presumably deceive enemies.

You may also use Mimic Matter for stealth, turning your self right into a small object, rolling by your goal unseen after which resuming your human kind. If you chain the flexibility with Superthermal – through the use of it on your self – you possibly can ship the item you’re controlling excessive into the air, giving the participant further routes to raised platforms and ledges.

Lift Field

This means creates a pressure subject that lifts all objects on the bottom up into the air. Really, the title says all of it. Hop on prime of a crate to and use it to achieve a brand new space or zap a horde of Typhon up within the air for a xeno skeet shoot.

Kinetic Blast

A grenade-type means. When you activate Kinetic Blast, it paints a yellow goal ring on the ground. And if you fireplace, it strikes the centre of that ring and pushes outwards, flinging the whole lot inside its radius violently backwards. Unsurprisingly, it causes a bit of injury too.

Mindjack

This means comes from the Telepath Typhon sort, and as such it enables you to management people. And you don’t want us to let you know why that’s enjoyable and helpful.

Superthermal

This means locations a floor-based entice that when triggered, fires a beam of plasma that offers large injury to the whole lot caught in it.

Psychoshock

If you see an alien about to leap right into a chair or cup, activate Psychoshock, which disables alien powers for a brief period, leaving the inky black critters weak to your shotgun blasts.

Remote Manipulation

Where Leverage is for choosing up and throwing heavy issues at unsuspecting aliens, Remote Manipulation is about calmly and precisely shifting gadgets about from afar, presumably to entry new areas.

Leverage

This useful means enables you to decide up big objects and hurl them at nice velocities. It takes a while to choose the item up within the first place, but it surely’s a great tool for clearing a path or killing an enemy.

Prey weapons

And what about particular firearms? Here’s what’s been confirmed thus far:

GLOO Cannon

Every good sci fi recreation has that one severely cool gun everyone needs to get their arms on, for Prey that gun should absolutely be the GLOO Cannon, which fires immediately setting glue. While that’s nice for arts and crafters, it will also be used to cease enemies of their tracks, letting you then swap out to a pistol and shatter the glue sculptures earlier than they’re in a position to escape. The GLOO Cannon can be a device for environmental exploration, letting you create ramps up partitions or cowl steam vents and fires so to move by unhurt.

Recycler Charge

Grenades are enjoyable and all, however they’re additionally moderately messy. Not the Recycler Charge although, which may be thrown right into a tat-filled space, earlier than consuming all of the chairs, submitting cupboards and scraps of paper in sight and turning them into materials you need to use in crafting. Prey’s Recycler Charge can both be used to do away with obstacles that could be blocking your path or as a weapon that successfully gobbles up any enemy in its vary.

Disruptor Stun Gun

Now, you’re most likely questioning why on Earth you’d want a stun gun to take out aliens. Turns out, some aliens can possess people – the Disruptor Stun Gun is your morally authorised manner technique of disabling possessed individuals. It’s additionally efficient frying droids.

Prey enemy sorts

Here are the aliens that’ll be haunting your each step by way of the Talos I…

Cystoids

These are the little cute infants of the Typhon household. Except these little infants solely seem in packs, and explode upon reaching their goal.

Mimics

We’ve heard and seen loads of these guys: they’re small, they seem like spiders, they usually can disguise themselves as flooring lamps.

Phantoms

Phantoms are fellow crew members who’ve been consumed by Typhon vitality, and as such they’ll do issues like hurl lightning on the participant, management fireplace and breathe clouds of poisonous gasoline. They’re additionally the commonest enemy sort in Prey, so good luck with that.

Poltergeists

As the title suggests, this fiendish enemy can flip itself invisible. And to make issues worse they’re territorial too, which suggests they hang-out single places.

Telepaths

Telepaths function Prey’s mini-bosses: they’ve a military of possessed people at their disposal, and may mete out large injury with psychic vitality blasts.

Nightmare

There would possibly solely be one Nightmare within the recreation, but it surely’s an enemy you don’t need to encounter. This behemoth of black tendrils will virtually definitely kill you given half an opportunity, and spends your entire recreation looking you out. Because it’s a Typhon, it’s can observe you down extra efficiently the extra neuromods you utilize. So strive not pump too many superpowers into your eyeballs.

Prey trailers

Oh my goodness, there are loads of these. First off, the official gameplay trailer, which is available in two flavours – female and male – each posted under.

To see a few of the skills and weapons in motion, like Mimic Matter and the GLOO Cannon, watch the under Gamescom gameplay teaser.

There’s an prolonged gameplay trailer with commentary from Arkane. This is a juicy one, exhibiting off new weapons, skills and enemies.

Here’s a vid with a number of voiceover that offers off loads of Black Mesa vibes. Although you’d greatest be cautious of absorbing too lots of these with out sporting the right protecting clothes.

Kettles, turrets, bananas – nothing is secure from being mimicked in Prey.

Meet half the Typhon household, from Mimics to Phantoms to Telepaths, in two minutes flat.

Here’s a spoiler-ific run by way of the primary 35 minutes of the sport.

Next is a extra considerate take a look at the identification disaster Yu will face as, er, you take up ever rising quantities of alien DNA. Not to say the turrets that’ll begin to establish you because the enemy.

Dishonored 2 has spawned all types of gifs themed across the intelligent mixture of skills, and it appears like Prey shall be no completely different.

This trailer is a fast blast by way of all of the neuromods and their origins in Prey lore.

And lastly, here is a tour of the “superb sandbox” that constitutes Prey’s play space, Talos I.

Is Prey a sequel?

Apparently not, regardless of the setting and gameplay traits it shares with the 2006 unique. “Prey is not a sequel, it’s not a remake, it has no tie with the original,” mentioned Prey’s artistic director Raphael Colantonio at Bethesda’s pre-E3 present, “you have to look at it like a reimagining of the IP.”

Here’s our take a look at how Prey 2 became the Prey we know now.

Original Prey setting

Not all of Arkane’s concepts for a Prey reboot got here to fruition. Thankfully although, we now have a few prolonged design paperwork that have been leaked way back to glean additional potential particulars from.

This leaked design doc suggests three doable settings, all sooner or later. The first is a unclean, mechanical world at a time interval one month earlier than the occasions of System Shock, suggesting Prey can be a literal canon System Shock recreation. 

The second transient appears at a retrofuturistic world based mostly on 1950s New York City, with futuristic components layered over conventional structure, and characters wearing sharp fits. Films like Dark City and Brazil are talked about as influences. 

The third possibility presents a modern, lived-in future that evokes a few of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s structure, in addition to the cleaner, futuristic worlds of Minority Report and the latest Total Recall movie. 

The last design discusses a forested/jungle island, very similar to Crysis three’s overgrown metropolis setting.

Original Prey gameplay

A second leaked doc covers what the group initially had in thoughts for the sequel’s gameplay.

With System Shock clearly in thoughts, the sport is way more of an immersive sim with character constructing, environmental interplay, and a definite give attention to problem, versus the pretty run-and-gun nature of the unique Prey.

Survival is highlighted as a key component, with the participant required to eat and sleep properly ought to they not want to get sick. In an ‘adapt to survive’ thought, the participant might also be capable of alter their DNA to incorporate alien skills equivalent to chameleon-like invisibility and sticking to partitions (presumably to permit wall-walking like within the unique recreation).

Weapons are instructed to comprise of melee, ranged, and psionic, with fight purposely troublesome to assist increase stress. Choice and consequence appear to be emphasised with the intention to make the sport extremely replayable.