Prey 2 Gameplay demo. From Prey to Predator.
This year at Gamescom, Bethesda was able to show us a gameplay demo of Prey 2. The sequel to Human Heads 2006 FPS Prey. In Prey you took on the role of Domasi “Tommy” Tawodi, an ex US army Cherokee Native American, trying to save his family (and learn the ways of the spirits) from an alien abduction.
In the sequel, the roles have been flip reversed. You are no longer the prey, you are the predator. In the shoes of US Marshal Killian Samuals. The only(?) human on an alien planet, you take on the role of a bounty hunter, out to get his rewards – and maybe some answers.
The demo started off with Killian waking up from the wreckage of the abducted plane, aboard of the mother ship. Project Lead Chris Rhinehart, speaking throughout the demo, said Human Head wanted to bring back a classic alien “abduction story, with you against the world.” and at first glance, it looks as though they may have reached that goal. As Killian looks around, earth can be seen floating in the background, screams and explosions can be heard form the other abductees, with alien technology and grunts swarming the environment. It looks very out-of-this-worldy – literally – but also strangely beautiful, thanks to a modified id 4 engine.
But Killian doesn’t have time to take in the scenery, no sooner has he woken up do his captures open fire, luckily, his trusty US sidearm is able to make light work of the grunts. The player is able to utilise cover, clinging to it to blind fire, or pop out to line up the shot. We were told that the cover system is a lot more extensive once Killian takes on his role as a bounty hunter.
After a few enemies are taken care off, Killian is soon overwhelmed and knocked unconscious (again!). The game opens up an unknown, but assuming large, amount of years later. Gone is his earth made pea shooter, now Killian is kitted out with alien weapons, gadgets and gear. Standard issue for a bounty hunter. It's here we see the meat of what Prey 2 is going to be about.
Killian has been taken, via the mothership, to a planet called Exodus. As a tidal locked planet, it never spins, meaning one side is always coated in glorious sun, the other in total darkness. The demo takes place along the light and dark sides' 'equator' creating an area that is in perpetual dusk.
Here we see billboards and ads in bright colours, popping out of the dark and gloomy atmosphere of an city, swarming with agendas and backstabbing.
It's a great place to be a criminal, an even better place for a bounty hunter.
It's here that Killian starts his journey of self discovery, along with the player. The developers mentioned that they wanted the players and Killian to be singing from the same hymn sheet. With Killian's loss of memory, he doesn't know his past or how he got to where he is. He believes he is the only human on Exodus and so every experience and memory gained is new to both the player and Killian.
What the player will see when they take control, is very little in terms of onscreen clutter. There's no HUD, and no weapon drawn. Human Head explained that it would seem odd, having a vibrant, living world, with someone running around with a gun drawn all the time. Instead, players have to draw the gun manually, even without firing, this can stir up trouble depending on where you are – which in turn, gives the player a reputation amongst a city's residents, and it's police.
The player can receive information about the world, however, by using visors and menus. Killian is able to send out a ping, similar to a SONAR, and characters in the world are highlighted. Red for hostile, green for non-hostile and yellow for persons of interest. These are dynamic too. The player walks past some bullies giving someone a hard time. The player can interact, turning them hostile towards him, but may gain an ally in the process by saving the victim.
“he probably deserved that” says Chris, and walks on.
The game allows players to approach missions in any order they want, with little in the way of linear mission progression. Random side missions also occur, with the player choosing to intervene or ignore. One such side mission sees Killian send out a ping, and and a nearby bounty is highlighted in blue. The player chooses to intervene and take the bounty, trying to sneak up behind him – but fails. The bounty then runs and vaults over obstacles whilst firing at the bounty hunter. However, Killian will be equipped with over 20 gadgets to help him on his quest for bounties. One such gadget is the Boladaros, which Killian throws on to his bounty to ensnare and disable him. Here Killian is faced with a choice, kill or capture. In this instance, Killian isn't in a mood to be messed around with, and kills his bounty, recieving credits which can then be used to upgrade weapons, and gadgets, buy new ones or use as bribe money.
For main missions and bounties, Killian can use “Bounty Wire” a sort of Bounty wanted list accessible within a visor, to choose missions on the fly. In the demo, a player chooses a mission in which he must contact an informant called Krux. After finding the informant, he says he will offer Killian the location of the bounty for 2000 credits. Killain doesn't have the time nor money for negotiations, so instead, kills the informants body guard, which loosens his tongue.
Upon finding the target, the bounty specifications ask that the bounty be captured and not killed, so another chase sequence initiates. This one is significantly longer than the random side mission, with more obstacles and enemies in the way. The bounty himself also has short range teleportation, which means keeping up with him is essential – and that certain gadgets won't work on him. After a chase, the bounty gives up and offers Killian a bribe for his freedom. Here, the player has several choices. Take the bribe, and risk upsetting the client. Capture and transfer the bounty for his reward. Interrogate for more information (however, integrating may result in death), or Kill the bounty out right. Killian isn't in the mind set of annoying clients, so sends the bounty and receives his reward.
Prey 2 is looking sharp and slick. It looks incredibly different from the first with little (apparent) links to the first, however, Human Head told us Tommy plays a significant role in Prey 2, joining the two games together.
The gameplay demo for Prey 2 was my surprise hit of Gamescom and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of it soon. Prey 2 is heading our way in 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
