Prey, Arkane Austin’s masterpiece, still deserves your attention

A brutal year of layoffs in the gaming industry has led to the unceremonious closure of studios that many thought were the definition of successful. There’s a lot of ink worth spilling at any studio, but one closure that stood out to me was Arkane Austin, which Microsoft said on Tuesday it would be closing its doors. (The French side of the business, Arkane Lyon, will continue.)

Arkane Austin was behind one of the best games of the past decade: Prey. Prey is a testament to the human imagination and one of the best immersive sims ever created.

Set in an alternate history, Prey puts players in the role of Morgan Yu, a researcher newly recruited to work on the Talos I space station. Morgan begins a series of medical tests and procedures when a Typhon – one of the alien antagonists, made of black goo and malice – one attacks. of the supervising medical staff. Morgan wakes up again, back in their own apartment, but quickly realizes that this is a simulation. In a phenomenal sequence, Morgan then smashes their apartment window and steps into Talos I to find the station deserted and full of dead bodies.

While this classic horror setup is stylish, its true genius is… Prey emerges once Morgan acquires a few tools to get around the station. Like a Metroidvania, there are plenty of locked doors and blocked paths, and only by acquiring new upgrades and returning can Morgan find all the secrets of Talos. Morgan’s progress leads to the arrival of stronger Typhons, but even the base Mimic – which can disguise itself as anything it wants – poses a threat.

My favorite tool is the Gloo Cannon, a huge gun that shoots quick-drying foam blobs. Gloo can be used to stop a fire, create some stairs for sneaky platforming, or trap enemies by drowning them in Gloo. It’s a non-lethal weapon, but who cares? Sometimes utility is much more exciting than ultra-violence. Prey is a fantastic immersive sim because the player has so many options, including using Neuromods to increase their skills. Morgan can even use Typhon DNA to become more powerful, at the risk of triggering the station’s automated defenses.

Prey offers many choices for Morgan, many of which seem unimportant at first, until the ending weaves it all together. Even choices outside the main story can pay off. For example, the Nightmare is a persistent Typhon beast that hunts Morgan. The name is a good indication of its behavior, and the first time one appeared in my game, I fled and locked myself in a small office, my heart against my ribs. If you choose to inject yourself with tons of Typhon DNA, the Nightmare will become even more aggressive and persistent. Multiple playthroughs, even though they take place on the same station, feel different and memorable due to variables like the Nightmare’s presence.

Image: Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks

I do not think so PreyThe game’s gameplay, as great as it is, would be just as memorable without the time and care put into crafting the environments. I often stopped to read whiteboards and puzzle over the clues left behind. One room is completely filled with Post-It notes stuck to everything and each one reads, “NO MIMIC.” There’s only one coffee mug without a note, and guess what? It was definitely a Mimic. In another meeting room, I found a snowman built by bored engineers from Gloo. These little details are found throughout the game, and it made me feel truly sorry for all the space station staffers who had been unceremoniously murdered. They felt very real and very human.

Prey is still worth playing and can be accessed via Game Pass. But if you prefer an alternative that doesn’t require you to pay for Microsoft’s subscription service, Prey retails for $2.99 via Humble Bundle – the lowest price I’ve ever listed the game for.

Arkane Austin deserved better for making games like Prey, and it’s a shame to see these developers scattered. We can offer them some kind of tribute, even if it feels hollow and ineffective, to enjoy the works they were previously able to produce. business requirements came calling.