Be a prey ... or pray?
Prey. Those who do not know English perfectly could translate this word, by assonance, with "pray" and not, as it should, with "Prey". In fact, both words could perfectly summarize what happens in this title, created by the Human Head. Tommy would have, of reasons to pray ... and he would have many, given what he will have to face during the game; this, despite his rejection of any form of tradition of his people, the Cherockee Indians. One evening, Tommy is in the bar of his woman, Jen, along with Enisi, his grandfather. These, unlike him, are deeply attached to Cherokee traditions, beliefs and customs. It seems an evening the same as many others, in which to make normal speeches, such as going to live elsewhere with your girlfriend, however tied to your land, or listening to the warnings of your grandfather about how wrong it can be to lose affection for your own traditions. The daily routine, however, is abruptly interrupted by horror: announced only by confused voices on the radio and by the external lights, here comes the classic alien invasion, which does not discount any of those present: they are all picked up with a tractor beam and taken aboard a huge spaceship: humans, in fact, have become prey for this alien species (and praying would be useless now). This is the beginning of the story, told through the game's graphics engine. In fact, the introduction still lasts: Tommy, once on the ship, is transported, through an automatic system, to a destination unknown to him. It will take little to understand, as it was easy to expect, that the intentions of the aliens are not the best: humans are used as real meat for slaughter. Yet in that horror, amidst screams and corpses scattered everywhere, a mysterious help arrives: someone inside the ship seems to be on his side. Thus begins Tommy's adventure, structured as a classic FPS (First Person Shooter) but who wants, if not revolutionize, at least bring a breath of fresh air to the genre. We don't think we are ruining anything, anticipating that it does it really well.
Here is an example of the horrors you will face in the course of the adventure
Newton knew a lot ...
As just mentioned, the title looks like a very normal FPS, perhaps a little too normal: the plot, although not really reduced to the bone, has no particularities whatsoever, while the game is structured entirely inside the alien ship. We will then find ourselves crossing those metal corridors that we have often traveled during our videogame "career". The novelty lies in the introduction of gravity: in many areas of the spaceship, in fact, this is simulated through plates: by walking on them we can travel entirely, climbing walls and reaching the ceiling. There is more: it is possible to act on switches that will modify the gravity pole in the room we are in. By interacting with this, for example, gravity could be reversed, catapulting us onto what, a few seconds earlier, was a ceiling or wall. The use of such expedients affects both the design, since everything can be found to pass from the scenic outline to the element in the foreground, as well as the setting. This, which could initially seem a "more of the same", tracing trite and retired scenarios (think of doom 3, for example), is in this way always varied, fascinating and complex enough to never let the game fall into the trap of repetitiveness, which fps sometimes suffer from. To further improve the "played" part is the presence, especially in the advanced stages of the title, of spectacular sequences and with a well-made design: I don't want to anticipate anything so as not to spoil the surprise; I'll just say that they can remember sequences aboard vehicles seen in other games even if, more than the various Halo, I would think of the old Descent. The choice to introduce them not immediately is probably due to the attempt to break the game routine; which, however, did not seem necessary.
A view of the spirit world
Arrows to our bow
In reality there is another peculiarity in the gameplay: immediately after having taken the first steps in the game, we will have the opportunity to visit a spiritual place, linked to the traditions of our people (for reasons that I will not reveal to you, as this aspect is deeply linked to the plot of the game), where we will acquire some powers. This leads us to the fact that we will not be able to "die": when our energy reaches 0, we will in fact be transported to this world, where we will have to kill spirits with our spiritual bow. The more we break down in the short amount of time available, the more energy we will have returning to life. It must be said that the sequence is really short and therefore, even if you die often (the game is not difficult anyway), it will hardly become boring. Apart from that, we will have the possibility to use, during the game, the spiritual sight. This will allow us to get out of situations otherwise impossible to overcome: the character will go into a trance and his soul, controlled by us, will be able to roam freely away from the body, being able to access areas that are normally inaccessible. Unlike gravity, however, this feature has been exploited less effectively, given that the FPS structure of the title is certainly not altered by puzzles based on spiritual sight. As for the arsenal, this is not very extensive: just 6 weapons, all however well characterized; in addition it is worth mentioning the spiritual arc, with which we will be able to pierce the enemies in spiritual mode, consuming however a certain amount of mystical energy (which works like the mana of role-playing games). The longevity, unfortunately, is not very high: thanks to the low difficulty (even playing difficult) the adventure lasts about 10 hours. Nothing new under the sun regarding multiplayer: classic modes and little impact of the gravity element on the gameplay, which does not depart from the canons of the genre.
Here's what gravitational walkways look like
Technical Aspects
The graphics engine is based on that of Doom 3; the graphic variety is enough to never get bored, while the game is decidedly more lively, in colors, than the title of the Id and, on the whole, very nice to see. We move from dark environments to environments with a predominance of red and blue, with brief parentheses of natural landscapes, during Tommy's visits to the spirit world. The enemy models aren't great, especially when it comes to animations. On the other hand, certain game sequences are spectacular where, thanks to a very skilful use of effects and colors, the graphic engine gives its best, giving a visual aspect of the highest order. Good sound effects while the music, however never boring, does not shine for spectacularity. There are also some songs, audible in the first level from the juke box of the bar (and, during the game, in the rare juke boxes carried on the ship by the tractor beam).
Conclusion
Prey probably doesn't want to revolutionize the fps genre (and it certainly doesn't), but it still brings a breath of fresh air to it, thanks to the expedient of the ability to manipulate gravity. Definitely beautiful to look at, it gives an experience that any lover of the genre should try. Too bad for the low difficulty, one of the few real defects of the title, which also leads to a poor longevity. In any case, it is a great game, in preparation for the release of the sequel, recently announced.
