Prey for Strategy

Many of the rules you would apply to other first person shooters will no doubt stand you in good stead in Prey, but there's much more to this beautiful and disturbing game than just gunplay. From the unique weaponry, rotating environments, singular enemies, and nefarious puzzles, there's a lot to wrap your head around. Keep the following tips in mind to help ease you into the experience.

Attacks from All Angles
The genius of Prey's level design resides in its 360 degree room rotation. From walking along magnetic strips upside down, to rotating entire rooms, you must maintain constant awareness. Be prepared for enemies to attack from every possible angle. It's easy to be surprised, but if you remember to look where you'd never think to look in a normal shooter, your chances of survival increase substantially.

Here you can still tell which way is up.

The Explorer's Spirit
Perhaps the greatest asset of Cherokee hero Tommy is his ability to assume spirit form and roam away from his corporeal body. Here are a few tips to best utilize Tommy's spirit form:

• Whenever entering a new area, it's worth the time to change to your spirit form and look at what lies ahead.
• If you've got energy in your spirit meter, you can fire arrows at enemies. Your bow is a potent weapon, so always target the larger enemies with it first.
• Never forget to pick up the spirit energy left behind by fallen enemies.
• You can pick up ammo while in spirit form.
• Use spirit form to pass through force-fields or laser-guarded rooms. Once through, you'll usually find a panel to help clear or disable the obstruction, and you'll be able to keep moving forward.

You May Fire When Ready
Your primary machine gun may be fully automatic, but its most useful function is the single shot zoom. Not only do the single shots from this view do massive damage, but the view also highlights your enemies in bright orange. Much of Prey takes place in dark corridors and spotting enemies can be tricky, so use the zoom to spot enemies as you enter new locations.

Don't Forget the Light
Don't forget that a quick click down on the right thumbstick can illuminate your path as Tommy flicks on his lighter. It won't last forever, but the little bit of light it offers can be enormously helpful in navigating through the maze-like environments of Prey, not to mention getting a better bead on a nearby enemy.

Make sure to respawn your craft often.

Always Respawn Your Ships
The ships you pilot on rare occasion in Prey are spawned from landing platforms, and while they possess potent firepower, they're also rather fragile. However, if you land your ship on a landing platform and respawn it, you'll find the hull integrity returned to full. Use this trick often to keep your ship fresh.

The Life After Death
After you die, you'll find yourself warped to the spirit world, where after a few moments you'll be returned to your body. However, you can profit enormously while dead by shooting the red and blue spirits that encircle you.

Shoot the red spirits to fill up your regular health meter and tag the blue ones to refill your spirit meter. Also, you can resist being pulled back to life for a few moments by pressing in the opposite direction of the pit, but only do so for an extra shot or two, as the spirits will begin attacking if you overstay your welcome.

Article by Ryan Treit