This is a review that lambastes this game, and I offer no apologies for it. As a person who studied game design for some time, I want to say the devs made a huge mistake because they manipulate your play style with a morale system. Here's what I see as a false premise being sold: You're an assassin. If you use all the toys we give you, you will likely kill a lot of people. And if you do that, you'll get a depressing ending. Sounds fun, right? The alternative (the one they want you to take) is that you play as a near-ghost and you avoid killing as much as possible which nets you a good ending and happier reactions. So, what's wrong with playing as a ghost? First of all, nearly all your upgrades and weapons are useless. The devs insult your play style further by capping your crossbow's sleeping bolts to 10. I don't really understand the logic of this, but ok. Next, difficulty flies out the window. It doesn't matter if you play on easy or very hard (I'm playing very hard). In the end, it comes down to three things: 1. Observe enemy patterns to single them out. 2. Blink ("teleport") behind them to choke. 3. "Kidnap" the body out of sight. If you get caught, not a problem: run away and wait until they all calm down. Rinse and repeat until the whole level is just unconscious bodies. Take the Golden Cat level for example. I also managed to get to the two brothers you're supposed to "kill." I took out all the guards with choking. When I got to the brothers, I didn't do anything to them because I went the pacifist route. Was it fun? No. But I'm doing it! Why? Because I don't want to be punished for being an assassin, which is what I was supposed to be... I think up to this point so far, I've only killed a couple of assassins while leaving everyone else untouched. I can't say I feel challenged, unfortunately. Nor can I say that I think this is "fun." I'm unlikely to play any other Dishonored game after I beat this one because now I remember why I quit the 2 times.
I just beat this game on nightmare with about 45 hours in it. Being a completionist, I did almost everything I could, so now that I'm done, I'm just going to give some of my thoughts about it. What can I say? It's a psychological thriller that allows you to play in different ways thanks to its RPG/FPS mix of elements. The highlight of my experience with it is that it has one of the best narratives I've seen in games. Yes, there's some repetition, but it's good. And yes, you're confused. That's also good. This is necessary for you to decide on what actions to take and to understand what has happened better. These objectives and the confusion/repetition also make the world feel "full," helping with the lore and at the same time wanting to learn more about it. Lots of the objectives are optional, so you're definitely not forced to do anything you don't want to. I decided to do them all that I could, however. With that being said, it reminds me of Deus Ex. In fact, I'd say it's a combination of two other games' elements, too (and probably many more): Dead Space and Dishonored. Other afterthoughts: After playing it and learning all about the story of the game, I'd love to see what Prey's story would be like with a prequel or a sequel. Since I finished the game, I don't feel that I'd necessarily want to relive the story because I'm left with a down feeling of how this all could have gotten to such a tipping point and at what cost it in this fictional universe (depending on the ending you get, but all of it is gloomy in my opinion). Additionally, I find that some areas really evoke a feeling of loneliness and helplessness when you're overwhelmed by enemies. I'm not sure how one could stay sane if this were a real life situation. Just look at this game for its story and environment. They're beautiful.
This game isn't the best out there (i.e., you can call it a mini Fallout or a mini Oblivion/Skyrim), but it is good/fun. Despite the bugs,the occasional crashes (I think in 60 hours I got no more than 5 crashes), and a torturous difficulty level, there is lots to do and see. I think if there's anything I'd do differently, it'd be to focus on combat first and everything else second. Get the best weapons you can as soon as possible and the game becomes a lot less of a chore because I would certainly say that combat is the weakest point. Other than that, do all the quests you can to squeeze the most out of the game in one run. Personally I didn't join a faction until well over level 20 (about 30 hrs of play time for me). Read guides. It'll help you a lot. Definitely worth the four stars. It's basically a rough gem. If it were more refined, it'd be a 5.
DLC is totally worth supporting the devs because they've made an incredible game. In addition, similarly to what others have said, the items are very useful. I especially liked the OST. If anyone is curious, I looked up the lyrics. The song they used @ title was (youtube this) "Эмиль Горовец Голубые города" -- great stuff!
