Prey Review Summary

Encourages creativity and freedom: The game is noted for encouraging creative problem-solving and offering players the freedom to tackle challenges in their own way. This freedom extends to various aspects of gameplay, allowing for experimentation and versatility.

Engaging and well-written story: The story is frequently described as interesting, well-written, and engaging, with good plot twists and thoughtful storytelling. Players appreciate the creative and engaging narrative.

Immersive and top-notch atmosphere: The game's atmosphere is highly praised for being immersive, enjoyable, and top-notch. Players appreciate the detailed environments, excellent ambiance, and overall immersive experience.

Enjoyable and fun gameplay: The gameplay is frequently described as very fun, enjoyable, and engaging. Players love the game and find the exploration and level design particularly enjoyable.

Praised game mechanics and variety: Players consistently highlight the game's unique and well-implemented mechanics, offering a variety of gameplay options and strategies. The detailed and specific mechanics contribute to an engaging and enjoyable experience.

Combat and enemy issues: The combat system is widely criticized for being dull and lackluster, with mediocre gunplay and a lack of enemy variety. Enemies respawn too frequently, and some enemies are poorly designed, leading to a frustrating experience.

Bugs and technical issues: The game is plagued with various bugs, including game-breaking bugs, save file corruption, and performance issues. These technical problems significantly impact the gameplay experience.

Disappointing ending: The ending of the game is controversial and polarizing, with many players finding it unsatisfactory, lackluster, and even horrifying. The choices made throughout the game ultimately mean nothing, adding to the disappointment.

Repetitive and boring gameplay: The gameplay is often described as repetitive, weak, and exhausting. Players find it boring and forced, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

Poor guidance and direction: The game lacks clear direction and guidance, making it difficult for players to know what to do next. This includes poor mission guidance and quest progression issues.

Multiple approaches to objectives: The game offers open-ended gameplay with multiple ways to tackle challenges and complete objectives, enhancing replayability.

Upgrade and progression system: Players can upgrade their abilities and progress through the game, gaining new skills and enhancing their character.

Multiple endings: The game includes multiple endings based on player choices, adding to its replay value and narrative depth.

Action horror RPG elements: Combining action, horror, and RPG elements, the game offers a thrilling sci-fi story with evolving combat mechanics.

Exploration and discovery: The game emphasizes exploration, allowing players to discover new areas, loot resources, and solve problems through environmental interaction.

Smooth gameplay experience: Many players experience smooth and stable gameplay. The game runs well on various hardware configurations, including older and low-end PCs.

Long loading times: Several players complain about long loading times, even on high-performance hardware like SSDs. This issue is particularly noted during quick travel and between locations.

Excellent graphics performance: The game is praised for its excellent graphics, which perform well even on non-gaming laptops. Players appreciate the crisp and precise visuals, especially in 4K.

Average PC requirements: The game requires average PC specifications, making it accessible to a wide range of hardware configurations, including low-end PCs.

Optimization and mods: The game has optimization issues, but some players report that mods can improve performance and visuals. Performance tips are also provided to help enhance the gaming experience.

Recommended for immersive sim fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of immersive sims, particularly those who enjoy sci-fi settings, engaging narratives, and detailed environments. It is often compared to games like Bioshock, System Shock, and Dishonored.

General recommendations to play: Many reviewers recommend playing the game, often suggesting it is worth experiencing at least once. Some recommend buying it on discount or waiting for a sale.

Recommended for sci-fi fans: The game is recommended for fans of sci-fi, offering a rich and engaging experience within the genre.

Not for everyone: The game may not be suitable for those who dislike fear or horror elements, and some suggest it might not have high replayability.

Worth it for exploration and gameplay: The game is worth it for those who enjoy exploration and different approaches to gameplay, including sneaking and upgrading abilities.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00.

Game completion: 30.0h.

Session length: 4.5h.

The game starts slow and may take several attempts to get into, but it becomes significantly more engaging and fun once players push through the initial hours and gain more abilities and weapons.

Reported time to anchor: 3h.

Friction: slow start; difficulty spikes; repetitive combat scenarios; stretched-out pacing.

Unlock drivers: progression through the game; gaining new abilities and weapons; familiarization with gameplay loops.

Story-First Explorer: Explores thoroughly, engages with story elements, and enjoys the freedom of choice in combat and skill upgrades. Motivation: Immersion and exploration. Stance: buy.

Gameplay-Focused Adventurer: Enjoys a mix of exploration and combat, values replayability, and connects with game characters. Motivation: Engaging gameplay and replayability. Stance: sale.

Challenge-Seeking Achiever: Enjoys replaying on higher difficulties, seeks to complete achievements, and values immersion and satisfaction from gameplay. Motivation: Challenge and achievement completion. Stance: deep sale.

Performance varies significantly across hardware cohorts, with higher VRAM generally yielding better results. Lower VRAM systems report mixed experiences, while higher-end hardware tends to perform well.

Windows <8GB VRAM: mixed. Performance is generally good, but some users report optimization issues.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Users report good performance and visual quality, especially with mods.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Users report issues with starting the game and lack of controller support.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience with the game reveals significant issues with control mapping, stability, and controller support. These problems are critical as they directly impact the usability and enjoyment of the game. While there are some positive reviews, the majority of feedback points to a need for improvements in these areas to enhance the overall user experience.

Linux and Proton: There are no relevant reviews discussing Linux or Proton compatibility, performance, or issues.

Monetization: The reviews for this game highlight several key points. There is a significant concern about the introduction of microtransactions, which has negatively impacted the perception of the game. Additionally, the cost and impact of DLCs are mentioned, with some players feeling that the additional content may be overpriced or changes the gameplay experience. The extensive gameplay hours and the inclusion of multiplayer and Battle Pass features are also noted, which can be seen as both positive and negative depending on player preferences. Overall, while the game has its strengths, the monetization strategies have raised concerns among players.

External guides: The analysis of user feedback for 'Wiki Tax' reveals significant reliance on external data sources, particularly for understanding quest outcomes and complex game mechanics. Users frequently need to consult guides to progress in the game, highlighting issues with in-game explanations and mechanics. Additionally, there are notable complaints about bugs and navigation issues, such as 3D motion sickness and alt-tab crashes. These insights suggest that while the game offers a unique and engaging story, it suffers from a lack of clear in-game guidance and some technical problems.

Modification links shared: Players are sharing links to modifications and performance tips, indicating a community effort to enhance or optimize the gaming experience.

Proxy review posting: Some players are posting reviews on behalf of their friends who have played the game extensively but are unable to post reviews in their own region.

Appreciation for birthday gift: There is gratitude expressed towards the game studio for a birthday gift, showing a positive interaction between the studio and its players.

Sympathy for laid-off staff: Players are expressing sympathy for the studio's staff who lost their jobs, reflecting concern for the well-being of the developers.