Prey: Digital Deluxe Edition

It is my favorite game of all time. It does have some flaws (no weak spots on enemies, mute main character, long loading times), but the zero-G parts are just amazing, the weapon/equipment variety is spot-on and the crafting system works great without going overboard. The GOG version has improved loading times compared to the Steam version. Both versions directly share the settings and savegames without moving files, so comparisons were simple enough. Both versions of the game were installed on the same SSD. The transition from menu to bridge takes 7-9 s on GOG vs 12-14 s on Steam. The transition from bridge to arboretum takes 12-13 s on GOG, vs 19-20 s on Steam. The loading times were one of Prey's biggest issues, so shaving off something between 30% to 50% of the total loading times is good news indeed. And an utter shame that players were forced to play the crippled version with DRM and encryption for so long. Framerates however (on the bridge, no combat) are the same across versions. There is still the issue of the unskippable intro videos but that can be fixed by deleting/renaming them in Prey/GameSDK/Videos and Prey/Whiplash/GameSDK/Videos. The names are fairly obvious like ArkaneLogo, Bethesda_logo, LegalScreens, Ryzen_Bumper.

Prey is in the tradition of immersive sims like System Shock 2 or Deus Ex. I would also see the Dishonored-series in this line, others would maybe name the Thief-series (never played). Like in the Dishonored-series from the same develover Arkane the real star of the game (for me) is the level- and art-design. Art-design is unique. Not hyper-realistic but of its own kind, without comparison. The roomstation is lovingly designed and it is a pleasure to discover all areas in detail. The gameplay is fun with a lot of perks to choose from as your character develops and, like in all good immersive sims, supports totally different playstyles. I own the game on Steam and played it to times from start to finish to discover as much secrets as possible. I also bought the Mooncrash DLC there but havn't played it yet. Now I bought it here on GOG to support the developers and to have a DRM-free version.

It's a spiritual sequel to System Shock 2. Calling it "Prey" only hurt the game because some people were still angry that Prey 2 in development by Human Head was scrapped by Bethesda. It's a fantastic game if you like Immersive Sims.

Had this game on Steam, but the moment I realized it is available on GOG I rushed to buy it again to suppport the devs and GOG team for this precious release. The game is really awesome: the level design, gameplay and the atmosphere are really something that only Arcane can capture. The amount of things you can do and ways to achieve them are the the key to the freedom of this game. Main story although intriguing is a bit short which is sad, but they make up for it with rich worldbuilding.