Gameplay
Prey vs. The Surge
First things first, Prey is played entirely in first-person, and it features guns, melee weapons, and special alien abilities that you can unlock later on in the game. This means that if you choose to do so, you can fight enemies head on, and essentially play the game like an FPS. There are different types of pistols, shotguns, and rifles that you can fire. Alternatively, you can also use your alien superpowers to be extra sneaky, and even transform into a tiny, alien-like lifeform to get around in certain areas. Think Dishonored, but with more guns at your disposal.
Unfortunately, from our experience with the game, we’ve found that the gunplay and melee combat in Prey can feel a little weightless. Without the ability to actually aim down sights, aiming your weapons can feel imprecise, making it difficult to land shots. Melee combat is pretty much the same, and it’s difficult to tell when an enemy is out of your range. The weird hit boxes often make it feel like you should be whacking an enemy on the head, but you end up hitting air instead.
Outside of combat, the exploration bits are actually quite satisfying. Because of the numerous abilities you can unlock, players can pursue different methods of accessing areas in Talos I. For instance, you could search a nearby area for a keycard to unlock a door, or you could just use your GLOO Cannon to shoot glue on the walls, climb up, and find an access point from up top.
The Surge is a third-person action RPG that draws a lot of combat inspirations from FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games. You’ll use the shoulder buttons to dodge and attack, and you have to manage your stamina meter as well. Defeating enemies rewards you with Tech Scrap, which are basically experience points that let you level up. However, if you die, you drop your Tech Scrap, and you’ll need to retrieve it by going to the place where you originally died. Die again, and all of that experience is gone for good.
The exploration bits are also very similar to Soulsborne titles. Massive levels are littered with dangerous enemies, item pickups, and satisfying shortcuts that loop you back to the nearest medbay (basically a bonfire, in Souls terms). While there’s no character customization available, The Surge gives you quite a bit of freedom in how you want to build your character. There are different pieces of armor you can attach to your exo-suit, weapon types, and implants that can turn you into either a tank, or an agile fighter.
