Arkane PREY - Arkane's immersive coffee cup transformation sim - now with Mooncrash roguelike mode DLC

[LESS T_T]

Beth.net update: https://bethesda.net/en/article/Jy7cHWTQESQSC28iaYqUQ/prey-new-gameplay-video-and-details

Prey – New Gameplay Video and Details

Powers. Tools. Weapons. Aliens. And a massive space station. In signature style, Arkane Studios’ sci-fi thriller blends simulation and narration, dropping you into a carefully crafted world, then setting you free to play as you want. Watch almost nine minutes of pure Prey gameplay, with some light narration from Creative Director Raphael Colantonio and Lead Designer Ricardo Bare.



With so much to see, the video is worth watching multiple times. But to help you uncover all the details in this extended gameplay walkthrough, we’ve compiled a list of seven key takeaways…

Neo-Deco Space Station
Welcome to Talos I, an enormous space station that you can explore as you like. (In fact, the team at Arkane often refers to Prey as an “open space station game.”)

The first thing you’ll likely notice: Talos I looks like no other space station – in movies or in games. The richly appointed interiors have elements of everything from art deco to modernism, with lavish details and warm touches. There’s a reason for this. The station was built over the course of generations, starting in the Kennedy era, and extending into the near future. For an overview of the development of Talos I, check out: Prey – The History of TranStar

Powered Up
Early in the gameplay demo, you find a Neuromod. This is how you upgrade your powers. (And yes, you use it by stabbing needles into your eye – ouch!) With multiple upgrade trees – some alien-based, others human – you have a wide range of customization options. Alien powers are learned from the aliens themselves. Some of the powers shown in this demo include:

• Mimic Matter. Take the form of a variety of objects in the game. Use it creatively to stealth around obstacles, trick hostile enemies or – as shown in the demo – gain access to areas otherwise blocked off.
• Superthermal. Blast your foes with superheated plasma that deals fire damage within a defined area.
• Kinetic Blast. Another area-of-effect power, Kinetic Blast deals physical-based damage. Also useful to propel aliens or items.
• Leverage. Pick up heavy objects to clear a path. Or weaponize the object by tossing it at a foe.

Creative players can also combine powers in nifty ways. One example from the demo: Mimicking a small object, then using Kinetic Blast to propel yourself to an elevated platform.

Just be warned: as you install more alien neuromods, you risk drawing the attention of the aliens, including the colossal Nightmare...

Meet the Typhon
Speaking of aliens, there’s a whole ecology on Talos I, with hostile aliens roaming throughout the station. Here’s a look at three of the Typon aliens that were shown in the demo:

• Mimic. Small, spider-like critters that can hide in plain sight by becoming almost anything in the world, including (but not limited to): garbage cans, guns, coffee cups, ashtrays, chairs. While Mimic’s are tough to spot, there’s a small tell: If you ever see more than one of the same item near another, proceed with caution.
• Phantom. These humanoid Typhon are fast-moving, aggressive and dangerous.
• Nightmare. The name says it all. When you see the Nightmare, flight is sometimes a better option than fight…

Aliens aren’t the only threat aboard Talos I, though. You’ll also encounter robotic assistants called Operators (shown in the demo), along with other hostile hazards.

Get GLOO
Early in the game you’ll find a GLOO Cannon, which is one of the key items in Prey. Use the GLOO Cannon as a weapon, trapping Typhon in the sticky substance, then bashing them to bits. (Warning: this won’t work on all the aliens…) Or you can use the GLOO Cannon for traversal, creating pathways to reach new areas or capping fire-spewing pipes so you can safely move past them.

Take the Shot
You have more than powers and GLOO Cannons at your disposal. Weapons are also available on Talos I, but you’ll have to scrounge to find them. The Shotgun comes in handy, though, as does the Silenced Pistol – both of which were shown in the demo. Weapons also degrade, making them even tougher to rely on.

Make Your Own
Of course, you can always make your own weapons. In fact, you can make almost anything in the game, provided you have a fabrication plan and the right resources. Don’t forget to use a Recycler Charge, an experimental grenade-like item that breaks items down into their component resources. (This can also be used as a weapon, or to clear a path through a cluttered area.)

In the demo, you find a fabrication plan for the Artax Propulsion System, which you build using the nearby Fabricator. You’ll need this to explore outside the station. (The propulsion system can also be used inside to help make bigger leaps from one platform to another.)

Head Outside
At the end of the demo, you step outside Talos I in your mission to find Dr. Lorenzo Calvino. The entire station is fully modeled, both inside and out. Not only will you head into space for some specific goals, but you can use the exterior to move from location to location – or simply to explore and find all kinds of secrets.

New details about Prey will be revealed in Game Informer’s upcoming exclusive cover story. Be sure to check out their game hub for features, videos and more at www.gameinformer.com/prey.

 

[Morgoth]

Can I jump a concealed alien as a coffee mug? Can we engage into rough trash can vs. mug fights?

 

[Beowulf]

I must say that it doesn't look so bad. Here's hope that they will allow for more than on solution to a problem (and I'm not counting - mimic the ashtray as an alternative).

Did you notice that the tooltip Mimic (Corpse) shows up even before he finishes hit swing animation?

 

[Siel]

I hope they didn't show everything in this demo, and it has more depth than Bioshock.

Spoiler

Although I'm a bit disappointed with the art direction, as well as the visuals, as it looks almost exactly like Dishonored, and kinda bad for CryEngine.

Looks like some of it was implemented:

 

[Siel]

looks like someone doesn't like the bioshock comparison

 

[Morgoth]

It only looks like Bioshock superficially. But it's really Shock 2 wrapped into retro-futurism and console UI.

Heck, I can even make out the sound ambience in the video ~3:30 to be a total Shock2 homage.

 

[LESS T_T]

For references:

Spoiler

Quite RPG-ish, eh.

 

[sullynathan]

This doesn't look like the Prey I'm playing.

 

[Excidium II]

Looks p. decent. Will play when it's cracked.

This doesn't look like the Prey I'm playing.

Because it isn't. They just used the name because bethesda owns it and it's cool.

 

[tormund]

Still a bit annoyed that they didn't continue with that game's premise. Native American magic, supernatural otherworld, ancient aliens, moon-sized biomechanical spaceships devouring all life... It's like something from one of Heavy Metal comics, and they could've gone p much anywhere with it.

 

[Ivan]

"bioshock in space"

 

[sullynathan]

Still a bit annoyed that they didn't continue with that game's premise. Native American magic, supernatural otherworld, ancient aliens, moon-sized biomechanical spaceships devouring all life... It's like something from one of Heavy Metal comics, and they could've gone p much anywhere with it.

yeah, but it doesn't look like the original pitch for the 2nd game was going to follow in the steps of the first either.

 

[Siel]

Three Of Prey’s Biggest Mysteries

Last night, we revealed that Arkane Studios’ Prey is the cover game for our January issue. As always, we have an in-depth feature in the magazine, featuring extensive, exclusive information on the sci-fi adventure. We also have a month of additional coverage planned, highlighting even more of the game. Still, there’s a lot that we don’t know about Prey, even after spending several days with the developers at their Austin studio. Sometimes, what they aren’t willing to talk about tells a story, too.

1. We Don’t Know How You Communicate

In Prey, you play as Morgan Yu. You’re a scientist on the space station Talos I, which has been overrun by a species of hostile aliens known as the Typhon. That setup lends itself to a lot of intrigue, but we ran into our first roadblock with what seemed like a simple question: It’s a first-person game, like Dishonored. Does Yu speak?

“In a way,” is the response. What? “It’s probably one of the rare questions that we won’t answer, just because it’s very linked to the intrigue of the game,” adds Raphael Colantonio, Arkane co-founder and creative director. We receive a similar response when we ask if you’d see Yu in the game, aside from a paper-doll style shot in one of the menu screens.

Does that mean that you’re communicating telepathically? When you begin the game, your body has already been manipulated by scientists at the corporation that runs the station, TranStar. “Figuring out who you are is actually really part of the surprise of the game,” Colantonio says. “The only thing that we can say is that you are part of an experiment somehow, and that’s pretty much all you know when things go wrong in the station. There’s no backstory. You’re a scientist.”

2. Is There A Groundhog Day Kind Of Thing Going On Here?

In the game’s E3 trailer, we see Yu repeating the same day over and over again, as part of some kind of weird routine. Was this a stylistic decision for the trailer, and not anything that’s actually represented in the game? Or could this be what Arkane is talking about when they mention an experiment?

“That’s the second question we can’t answer,” Colantonio says. Well then.

Lead designer Ricardo Bare adds that Yu has been on the station longer than you might think, however, which leads credence to the notion that what we saw in that early teaser is somehow a display of a time loop or some other kind of weird anomaly. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait.

3. You’re Not A Clone. But…

During one of our gameplay demos, we are guided on a mission by a mysterious figure named January, whose face is obscured on the communications system. Knowing that Yu has been on the station for quite some time, and also going off that earlier trailer, we think we are onto something. Aha! That character is a cloned version of Yu, and the name is a direct reference to when the clone was first baked.

“I can say no,” Bare says, when we present our super-smart hypothesis. “What I can tell you is that it’s not like the movie Moon, where I’m going to open a freezer somewhere and find a stack of Yus. You’re definitely onto something that there’s more than meets the eye.” Even if they’re not clones, that does leave open the possibility that you’re interacting with different versions of yourself from different points in time or alternate dimensions.

Though they’re not willing to further elaborate, one thing is clear: There’s some serious funny business on Talos I. How exactly that informs the game’s story – and its multiple endings – is one thing that we’re going to have to wait until spring to learn.

Be sure to come back all this month for more features and exclusive videos about Prey and Arkane Studios. And don’t worry – the rest of our coverage is all about giving answers.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/02/three-of-prey-s-biggest-mysteries.aspx

 

[Latelistener]

I hope they didn't show everything in this demo, and it has more depth than Bioshock.

Spoiler

Although I'm a bit disappointed with the art direction, as well as the visuals, as it looks almost exactly like Dishonored, and kinda bad for CryEngine.

Looks like some of it was implemented:

It's not much, but I do wonder though why these indicators aren't on screen. In the video it looks like the suit was regenerating after it was damaged, but the icon still did not appear.

Can we engage into rough trash can vs. mug fights?

I think this was asked before, and Raphael said no, but I'm not going to look for that interview.

 

[HoboForEternity]

first person platform gun. nice. hope it's not a gimmick like Thiaf Rope Arrows.

if they nail down ammo scarcity, this could be a solid follow up to the Shock series. really want to see inventory, ammo, and combat mechanics, skills?

gameplay video:

weapon degradation
status effect on player
grid based inventory
mimic ability used for "stealth," propelling oneself in a given direction, and bypassing locked rooms
enemies must be identified (reveal weakness?)
powers can be augmented (lift lv 1,2,3) no sign of weapon modding or upgrades just yet
sadly it doesn't look like there are any weapon proficiency stats


the game looks very sleek, sterile.

this amount of signs in AAA games is surprising

 

[anus_pounder]

Considering how interesting this seems, I'm surprised it's not a ubisoft game, but hey other companies get it right on occasion. for sure.

 

[Astral Rag]

Considering how interesting this seems, I'm surprised it's not a ubisoft game, but hey other companies get it right on occasion.

 

[Parsifarka]

Combat seems extremely dull, on a Bioshock level of shittiness with equally slow movement and environmental limitations. Turning into stuff is the only appealing thing I can see there.
I guess this is more a experimental project to try things they will add to their future games than a full commitment work for Arkane.
I want Human Head Prey 2.

 

[Siel]

I guess this is more a experimental project to try things they will add to their future games than a full commitment work for Arkane.

It's been in development for more than 3 years.

 

[Parsifarka]

It's been in development for more than 3 years.

Along their baby, Dishonored 2.

 

[Siel]

Here is the whole Gameinformer article for thoses interested:

Spoiler

 

[anus_pounder]

tl;dr but I've decided to d1p it, so it's probably pretty interesting to read.

 

[Morgoth]

So Morgan Yu his half-Chink, half-German.

:incloosive:

 

[vortex]

Is there clear image of nightmares and phantoms without the motion blur?

 

[Siel]

tl;dr but I've decided to d1p it, so it's probably pretty interesting to read.

Some quick summary:

- The main station lift doesn't work. You can travel inside the spation (between the walls) through a Zero G circuit called GUTS:

Main ennemie living in GUTS is called Cystoid. They are attracted by movement so if they sense you they'll come near you and explode. They live within nests.

- All known ennemies are Cystoid, Poltergeist (basically invisible and move objects), Telepath (they hijack their victim's mind and controll them), Mimic (cloning into objects), Weaver (Devour PSI energy and can turn corpses into Phantoms), Phantoms (foot soldier that move really fast and can duplicate), Nightmare (only one in the whole station and I assume you can't kill it. It was engineered by aliens to go after the player because he is only one to have their abilities).

- Some C&C: the more you absorb aliens power, the more they sense you, the more the Nightmare is aware of you and robots become hostile towards you).

- The station compares roughly to the size of Empire State Building

- Audio logs have a specific system: TranScribes (the station AI) automatically record the last few conservation that its user had. Lead designer says "Can we do this but not do the 'Everybody leaves an audio log by their dead body' kind of thing?".

- When corpses turn into Phantoms, they still have their name. So you can check its audio log to learn more about his past.

- Arkane says it's more RPG than Dishonored: You can upgrade skills & weapons, you have to scan enemies for weaknesses, aliens and robots have health bars, you can catch illness and ailments that you have to treat.