As I went into the Prey 2 Gamescom 2011 demo, it was a bit of an unknown entity for me. Like most, I’d seen the two tantalising trailers – the second and more spectacular of which gave us an indication that Prey 2 was going to be quite unlike the first title – and I’d seen the short clips from the E3 floor. The demo at Gamescom was an extended look at the gameplay.
The stories of the two games are intertwined; in Prey 1, protagonist Domasi “Tommy” Tawodi witnesses the crash of a plane while he battles against his alien abductors on a sphere floating above Earth. In Prey 2, players are in the role of U.S. Marshal Killian Samuels, who is on board that plane. Having survived the crash, he makes an attempt to fight back against the aliens, but is captured. Developers Human Head describe how they wished to retain the gameplay sensations from the first; alien abduction and battling against overwhelming odds.
We fast forward to meet Killian on Planet Exodus. Having no memory of the time between his abduction and his awakening on Exodus, all he knows is that he is now a bounty hunter with a number of high-tech tools at his disposal. Later, Killian will meet up with Tommy, and begin to piece together his memory.
The world could be described as a sci-fi “alien noire’, to use a term coined by developers. There is a distinct Blade Runner feel to the aesthetic – bright neon lights contrasted by dark shadows in a vast, mind boggling sci-fi metropolis that expands in all directions, horizontally and vertically. The place suffers from all of the social ills of any major city – poverty, substance abuse, exploitation, and crime are evident everywhere. Aside from the criminal underworld, there is also a mysterious governmental power known as the Regime. It is in this environment that Killian embraces his new life as an alien bounty hunter.
The game world is designed to be somewhat of a first-person open-world environment, and players will not be following a linear story or corridor driven gameplay. There are of course main plot quests and side-quests, and players can choose the order in which they approach these. One of the main tools players will be relying on is a scanner that can identify targets. The gameplay is a mixture of familiar FPS shooting and more complicated use of gadgets and some first-person platforming.
As players explore the world they will come across what the developers called ‘ambient bounties’. In the example we were shown, Killian wanders into a bar and uses his environment scanner to evaluate the patronage. One turns out the be a bounty target. The information on the target will show the reward, and whether it must be taken alive or dead. Players can then make a decision on how to approach the target, perhaps giving it a chance to surrender, or going for an instant kill-shot. When captured, targets can be interrogated for information, before being executed or sent off to the bounty issuer.
There is a karma system in effect, and openly murdering targets is likely to get noticed by the powers that be, who have Regime Eyes floating about the place, and the criminal underworld. This system will make it easier or more difficult to get jobs from particular sources.
In another example, Killian is after a high-level target that has information. He is lurking in his favourite club, surrounded by armed heavies. Killian has a number of options to reach the target, such as using the platform mechanics to climb the building and enter through the windows or roofs. By casing the layout of the place, players discover by using the scanner, one of the target’s lieutenants outside the club beating up an unfortunate. Hostages can be taken and used, and in the demonstration, the lieutenant, gun to head, walked the player in to the club.
At this point the target fled, initiating what is likely to be a staple of Prey 2 gameplay – a dramatic chase sequence. The target has the ability to teleport short distances so Killian will have to use his various tools to keep up and try and take the target down. Boleadoras are another useful tool for taking down targets, ensnaring their legs. Unfortunately, the target in this sequence was able to teleport out of the entwining.
Hover boots helps to reach high places, mitigate fall damage, or glide between platforms; Killian is no slouch at climbing obstacles, or simply blasting his way through them. During the chase various enemies try and slow player progress. Anti-gravity grenades can lift them from cover, and Killian can deploy shields to help fend of attacks from heavy emplaced weapons.
Finally, having made it through the entire chase and the various combat sequences along the way, the target runs out of places to teleport to and is captured. Players can now decide whether to interrogate for information, which runs the risk of death, sending the target to the bounty issuer, or killing him anyway. Each of these decisions will have karmic and story implications further down the line.
I was quite enthralled by the gameplay on display from Prey 2, and this title seems to have plenty of potential, and a good visual style. It is currently slated for ‘2012’ on the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Prey 2 demo impressions from Gamescom 2011 << Comments and views
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