I played a small chunk of Prey when it was first released in 2017 - originally, I was under the impression this would be something more akin to the then recently released Doom (2016) and that it was part of the new wave of retro-inspired first-person-shooters that Bethesda was becoming known for. I also didn't know it was heavily inspired by System Shock (which I wasn't too familiar with at the time, so it may not have even mattered then). While I enjoyed what I was playing, the more methodical gameplay was a bit of a surprise, and I ended up not giving it the commitment that it deserves. I stopped playing after only a dozen hours or so, and didn't give it another try until earlier this year. Man, what a game. I know I'm not the only one who experienced what I just described back when it came out, and so I imagine there's a plethora of people with Prey being just another overlooked title in their lengthy Steam catalog. If this is you, I strongly urge you to re-install it and give it the time of day. I don't think I've been so enveloped in a game to where I consistently lose track of time during every play session - it just scratched an itch I didn't realize I had. The freedom it offers with nearly every situation you encounter, be it combat, interacting with NPCs, or even the order in which you explore Talos I, is something you just don't see in lots of games today (even titles that boast robust player agency as a key feature - looking at you Fallout 4). And it does so all in a meticulously designed environment that isn't as physically *big* as many other "open-world" games, but yet feels enormous in terms of its depth and the sheer number of nooks and crannies that somehow keep unveiling despite me painstakingly combing a particular area *multiple* times already! I'd love to see more games expand on the "Shock-style" formula, but there's no denying that Prey is a modern masterpiece, and arguably the most up-to-date "Shock-style" gameplay experience available.
