Prey made me feel like a child again, playing through Bioshock for the first time and just totally forgetting that the real world even exists, which isn't such a bad thing considering just how much the world has gone to ♥♥♥♥ in early 2020.

Right off the bat Prey grabs your attention with a jar dropping opening (that I will not spoil here, for the sake of your entertainment) which puts most other video game introductions to shame. The story is immediately gripping and after the initial minutes of the game you are left wanting nothing more than to figure out just what the hell is going on.
The story sadly dies down a bit after this absolutely marvelous opening, although I would still consider it to be really good overall.

The real star in prey is the atmosphere, in the starting hours you will be feeling a constant sense of dread and fear of just what might be lurking around the corner. Prey is scary, not through jumpscares and loud noises (although these are also often used) but instead through evoking a feeling of unease and general uncertainty. I usually avoid games with horror elements but prey showed me just how wrong I was in this predisposition. Other games essentially made me scared of being scared (again mostly through jumpscares) which conditioned me to either not totally engage in the game or to sort of distance myself from the character I was controlling... all to avoid ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ my pants repeatedly. Prey's atmosphere however made me engage on an even deeper level with the narrative and built upon that foundation by making me actually care about the characters that inhabit the world. Prey is among the very few games that made me want to actually complete sidequests which it did not accomplish by showering me with rewards but by making me care.

If you were to ask what my favourite games ever made are I would probably mention Bioshock pretty high up and Prey reignited my passion for these kinds of games. Although they definitely felt very similar in terms of setting atmosphere and narrative, it's important to mention that Prey's gameplay is far slower and moreso rewards proper strategy. If you were really determined you could play the original Bioshock as if it were DOOM just full on running toward enemies and blasting them with your shotgun at close range. In prey however (unless you completely turn down the difficultly obviously) you would be severely punished for this either through having to waste enormous amounts of resources (like ammo, healing supplies or repair kits) or usually through just straight up dying. This guns blazing sort of gameplay isn't rewarded nor is it what Prey is about.

The game instead encourages you to thoroughly consider all your options and then execute a sort of "plan" to achieve your goal. A significant part of the game is thorough exploration which is rewarded with materials that you may use to craft neuromods for example, which are this game's form of leveling. This in addition to the incredibly detailed interior and exterior of the station makes you actually want to explore every nook and cranny. This constant searching for supplies is strangely satisfying and will inevitably lead you to finding audiologs which will not only further build upon the world but navigate you to sidequests in different areas thusly repeating the cycle.

The world isn't only beautiful and detailed however, it also makes sense. You will slowly but surely make a mental map of all the station's sections which are incredibly interconnected, sort of reminding me of Dark Souls and its elevator shortcuts.

As of this moment I don't have the urge immediately play through the game again but Prey invoked this incredible feeling of excitement and wonder that only very few games manage to give me anymore. Ultimately Prey was just very satisfying to complete and gave me a sense of accomplishment.