Prey Review

Ten years ago, 3D Realms--the creators of the popular Duke Nukem franchise--announced an ambitious shooter entitled Prey, a game that followed the storyline of a Cherokee man who gets abducted by aliens. At the time, it stunned the gaming community with its ingenious Portal technology, boasting doorways that opened out of thin air and transported you to different parts of the map. Almost a decade later, Prey is finally upon us, and time has done wonders for it.

You play as Tommy, a Native American ex-military brat whose sole wish is to escape the Native reserve he and his girlfriend Jen live on. As he tries to convince her to leave the reserve with him--despite the wishes of his grandfather, who wants him to embrace his Native heritage--the three of them are abducted by aliens and must escape the alien sphere that is wreaking havoc on the earth. The action unfolds around you in real time without any cut scenes, all the while following Tommy's perspective. His struggle is always kept pertinent by his comments on the situations surrounding him during play. Great voice work is also used all around, including an appearance by famed conspiracy nut Art Bell, as himself.

Prey's most unique features are its manipulation of gravity, and, of course, the Portal system. The game toys with gravity in a couple different ways. Some rooms have switches that you can shoot, directing gravity towards whichever wall the switch is on, and others have catwalks that allow you to walk up walls, hang upside-down and disorient you in ways you wouldn't imagine. And, just when you think you've gotten the hang of things, the game throws plenty of obstacles your way, forcing you to combine Portal travelling, wall-walking and gravity flipping in order to make your way through the alien ship. These features also make for some intense multiplayer action, though the limited types of play--death match and team death match--make the multiplayer feel somewhat like an afterthought.

Both of these features fit nicely with the level design and general ambiance of the alien ship. The game makes effective use of the Doom 3 engine to create eerily organic environments and some impressive graphical feats, combined with expansive outdoor settings which you traverse in a shuttle, reminiscent of the old Descent games. Oddly enough, the gravity flipping very rarely feels contrived or out of place. However, the hallmark Portal system is used somewhat ineffectively. Since the game has a linear level design, the Portals are really nothing more than flashy doors'not to say they're unimpressive, but you get the feeling that they could have been a lot more interesting.

The organic design of the game's visuals also takes a hold of the weapons in Prey. Although they're used in the same way as any conventional shooter, almost every weapon in the game seems like it could have a mind of its own. Your grenades, for example, are actually these little insects that explode when you rip off one of their limbs. There's also a chain gun that's literally an alien arm, as well as a leech gun that drains energy from certain energy nodes that provide various types of ammunition. The real beauty behind these weapons, however, is that unlike most shooters, each weapon is only really effective against certain types of enemies, obliging you to think fast when there's more than one kind of enemy coming your way.

Being kept on your toes is good, since there's very little in the way of challenge in Prey. While the action never really lets up during the game, the enemy AI isn't all that sharp. Some of your enemies will take cover or try to grenade you on occasion, but in general they all exploit the Portal system to pop up anywhere and everywhere in large waves. Though it avoids the "monster closet" effect that Doom 3 had, it often feels like the enemies just aren't enough--either that or you were trained in the military for alien hunting.

It also doesn't help that death is sort of a non-event in the game. Early on, Tommy is taught by his grandfather to "spirit walk"--to leave his body and travel as a spirit. This, like gravity flipping, is mostly used as a puzzle-solving device. However, it also allows you to survive death, taking you to a spirit realm where you must shoot at red and blue wraiths to regain your health and spirit before you are transported right back to where you died. This is all done seamlessly, but it also takes away much of the challenge. Death becomes more of an annoyance than any real threat.

Despite these gripes, Prey is still an entertaining game with some unique innovations, an immersive if not borrowed storyline--stick around after the credits roll--and plenty of action to keep you going. While there are certain elements that feel unfulfilled--like the use of Portals, and the rather shallow use of Native American mysticism--Prey is a game I can easily recommend.

Peace,
Ram