Prey

Prey takes the player to the Talos I space station, where a scientific corporation studied alien life forms and, as usual, did not calculate the risks. The main character comes to his senses after the experiment and discovers that the staff has been killed, and creatures that can take on the appearance of objects are walking along the corridors. An ordinary chair or cup in this world can turn out to be a predator. The development system is based on neuromods: they provide human abilities such as hacking and repair, as well as alien ones - telepathy, shape changing and manipulation of objects. The style of passage depends on the set: you can sneak through secretly, you can fight, or you can use the environment and engineering solutions. The station is designed as a single space, where you return as you progress: closed doors open in other ways, and new skills allow you to get into previously inaccessible parts. Diaries and staff notes turn the laboratory into a place with history, and decisions during the game affect the ending. It is also worth noting that the game implements the conditions in detail: weightlessness, oxygen leaks, disabled gravity and going outside in a spacesuit. The player can use these features to their advantage, literally dismantling the station piece by piece. This is a rare depth for the genre, for which the project is appreciated even years later. For fans of the genre, what makes the Prey so valuable is its freedom: there are almost always multiple paths to a goal, and the game encourages curiosity. The atmosphere of a disturbing space detective lasts until the end, and the solution to what is happening leaves behind questions.