Prey: Mooncrash DLC review

A year ago Arkane Studios kicked out Prey. It was a reboot of a property originally presided over by Human Head Studios. The original game is something of a lost classic so the fact there was a new developer helming the project caused more than a little consternation. Well, that and the fact that it was kept under such tight wraps that no one knew what to expect when it finally dropped.

It turned out to be mind-blowing. Those reading this already know that. Those who have never played it should stop reading and go and buy it. In Arkane’s hands Prey was one of the most challenging and genuinely terrifying survival horror games of 2017. Set on a space station called Talos I that is filled with deadly aliens that can mimic anything from a desk lamp to a coffee cup, the game ensured players were consistently wrong-footed and always on edge.

Now, if they’re brave enough, players have the opportunity to return to Talos I to relive its terrifying experience, except this time, the game comes with a twist. Rather than plonk them in the boots of a single protagonist whose progression is as fraught with jump scares as it is discovery, Mooncrash is a progress-based first person experience in which players start off controlling one character trying to escape the Talos I moonbase, and if they manage that, they unlock a second one.

There are five characters in all and all are unlocked in succession once players escape the base with their predecessor. To make matters more complicated, each character has a different set of skills, meaning the play can’t just rinse and repeat each run through the space station. For example, the hacker class can bypass certain areas by cracking door codes and the like, while the security guard class can take control of gun turrets, bringing in more firepower as and when they need it.

Here’s another feature that makes Mooncrash something of a mind-flay; the DLC is a procedurally generated Roguelike. Let’s unpack that.

Because it’s procedurally generated, on each run through in Mooncrash players will find that their surroundings have changed. Some doors that were once open are now locked. Corridors that were clear are now blocked. The basic overall layout is recognizable but players can’t count on certain enemies appearing like clockwork and they’re going to find some environments closed off.

Second, the game’s Roguelike nature means players are going to die – this is unavoidable. However, as they play through it, players earn upgrades that they can keep from one run to the next. This makes each of the characters stronger, but there’s a catch; your enemies become stronger too.

So Mooncrash is something of an evolution in FPS games. It’s endlessly replayable, extremely challenging and, yes, still terrifying. If anything it cements Prey’s reputation as one of the best games of last year, because in terms of DLC, there’s nothing out there that’s even within firing range of it.

★★★★★