Written by: PlayDevil.com

 

 

 

One of the best parts of going to the Eurogamer Expo is the chance to attend various developer sessions, where teams can show you part of their upcoming games. Whilst perhaps not as good as a hands-on, it still gives me time to see what is upcoming, and I’m able to take more notes.

 

After some great word-of-mouth following E3, I was desperate to find out more about Human Head’s Prey 2. Chris Reinheirt, Creative Director, took us through a guided demo, and told us more about the game, which is set for release next year.

 

The first major difference is that you no longer play as Tommy, but instead as William Samuels, an Air Marshall who was on the flight from Prey 1. He is enslaved by the aliens, and wakes up on the planet Exodus, where he becomes a bounty hunter, thinking he is the only human... until he meets Tommy.

 

The game is now an open-world shooter, which also features free-running, in the style of Mirror’s Edge. It’s very natural movement, and just in case you miss a jump whilst in this mode, you also have a pair of hover boots- the developers are trying very hard to remove all potential frustration from movement. It’s an ambient world, and people will react to you, and you will get missions, based on the actions and choices you make through the game.

 

The combat was violent and visceral, and is described by Human Head as ‘agile combat’- which it certainly was as Samuels would dive behind cover, or skid down before rearing up to plant a bullet in the head of the nearest alien.

 

You also have a set of cool abilities, such as an anti-grav lift, which pulls people out of cover, and an electro-leash to capture some of your bounties that you decide not to kill. However, it’s not all shooting- there was also some Batman- style investigation options.

 

It’s an absolute mash of different styles and genres, but it has a fantastic alien noir look to the city and planet, and some fabulously smooth looking gameplay. I’m genuinely incredibly excited for this game now, and if all of the aspects are pulled off, then it could revolutionise the genre, and even gaming itself.