Prey is a sci-fi survival horror / immersive simulation game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released in 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Story
You play as Morgan Yu, a scientist aboard the space station Talos I in the year 2032. An experiment involving alien life goes horribly wrong, and the station is overrun by hostile creatures called Typhon.
The main enemy is the Mimic, a small alien that can disguise itself as almost any object — a cup, chair, trash can, or random item — making exploration tense because you never know what is safe.
Gameplay
Prey is heavily inspired by games like System Shock 2 and combines:
🔫 First-person combat
🧠 Puzzle-solving and exploration
🛠️ Crafting and resource management
🧬 Alien abilities and upgrades
🗺️ Open-ended level design
You can approach situations in many ways:
Hack computers and security systems
Use stealth to avoid enemies
Turn into objects using the Mimic Matter ability
Freeze enemies with the GLOO Cannon
Gain Typhon powers at the risk of changing the ending
Atmosphere
The game is known for:
A creepy abandoned-space-station feeling
Psychological horror rather than constant jump scares
Environmental storytelling
A feeling that every room has a secret
Talos I feels like a real place with offices, labs, crew quarters, and hidden areas that slowly reveal what happened.
Reception
Prey (2017) was praised for:
✅ Excellent world design
✅ Creative freedom
✅ Strong atmosphere
✅ Deep mechanics