This is one of the most underrated games of all time.
And also one of my favorite games.
This is THE game I wish I could play for the first time again and again and again.



When talking about this game I like to start with the soundtrack, it alone is deserving of a YouTube essay.

It is used not only to set the stage, but also as tool to confuse, motivate and enlighten you. The very first song you hear in the intro from your alarm clock is a hint, a hint that something is off.

The very second big music piece is called "Everything is going to be okay", the intro song playing during your helicopter ride to the testing facility, hearing this piece by Mick Gordon lets you not only know but also FEEL that everything is in-fact going to be okay. After all, you are on your way to just a basic test, one that you've done many times already, according to your calendar and mails in your apartment.



All of this is a lie of course, which firstly brings me back to the soundtrack, namely to the credits song and reason why this game is so great. The "Mind game" this game is having with you, but not only your character inside the game universe, but also you, the player behind the screen.
The test you are participating in feels not standard at all, it feels purpose made, the whole procedure does, while also playing like a test made for children. This is where the mind games and horror begin.
The coffee mug from the doctor that tests you comes to life and kills him, triggering lock-down protocols and flooding your test chamber with gas which knocks you out.
And you wake up, just like you woke up 10 minutes ago, same day, same time, same song on the radio, same automated voice lines play, but something is off, the mails on your computer are off, they tell you to GET OUT! ESCAPE! How can this be?! Everything is like it was... Yesterday?!

So you leave your apartment but the nice mechanic that was there just yesterday is dead, and by the looks of it, dead for years by now. You take her wrench and are now armed for what ever killed that lady and the doctor, something is out there that can mimic as ANY object in the game world.

However, there is no apparent way to leave, the elevator you left yesterday with, is fake, the doors are fake, the wall panels are fake, so you try the most logical way to escape, via your balcony right? After all it's just glass...

... Your whole world shatters as you shatter the glass, you were in no apartment, never was the glass was just a display, the birds flying across were just animated and the sounds that come from them were from an elaborate sound system right outside of your "room" with cameras recording every move you make.

Every window, every aquarium every view to the outside world is just fake.
You immediately after that find out that YOU are the test by no other than... Yourself... You have recorded yourself talking to, well, yourself to inform yourself of what the world really is in case of an emergency.



Once you leave your floor and fight trough furniture and dishes that come to life and taunt you, you make your first glimpse at a phantom a fast and powerful creature made out of pure darkness and the helicopter you just flew with... Turns out was also fake.
Leaving the lobby lets you see where you really are!
In space, on a station orbiting the moon.

Welcome to your very own alien infested space station, you are for all you know and can believe alone, talking to recordings or yourself, from how knows how long ago.




The game is the perfect immersive-sim, you can go everywhere at any time, but you firstly need to know where most of the ways even are. This sound cryptic, I know, but you just don't know what is even possible, where ways are and even WHAT most of those are. You will most likely follow the path the developers intended for you, the same path almost 100% of all players went along, a red line so to speak, but it is VERY rewarding to look behind the curtain and look for hidden power ups and alternative ways, even on your first play trough, trust me, you won't find everything.

It is the immersive-sim master class. I dare to even call it close to perfection.
This game also comes with an Add-On, namely Mooncrash: https://store.steampowered.com/app/865670/Prey__Mooncrash/ Not only is it a great addition to the universe but also a damn near perfect rogue-lite on top of the already great base game. I can't really say much about it simply due it's genre, but I do recommend it!



Game good, try it spoiler free.
It's very cheap when on sale or from resellers.
But you wouldn't regret a full price purchase.
DLC is more for rogue-like fans instead of immersive-sims fans.