I never played an immersive sim before this; just games with very deliberate paths of progression, like resident evil, zelda, BGS games, etc. Prey uncrusted my gamer brain in ways that left me giggling, such as when I spent 20 minutes wondering how was supposed to unlock a door- before it dawned on me that I could simply smash open the window, reach through and tap the unlock button on the security console just beyond it. I didn't need to trek halfway across the station to solve a slide-puzzle in the bathroom in order to get a key- just logical world interaction that I wasn't used to from games I'd played before. I wouldn't call Prey something as pretentious as "The Thinker's Shooter" but it does routinely reward creativity and critical thinking when it comes to problem solving. If you need to maneuver around a Super Heavy box, there are more solutions than just having the 'Lift Super Heavy Things' ability.
As of 3/7/23, This version has major performance issues. While some aspects of the game do look improved (namely lighting on character models), but there are also many questionable artistic *and* gameplay changes, and it overall runs dramatically worse that makes it not worth it regardless. The game itself is great, and if you're raring to play it, I suggest getting the original for a better experience.
