There’s been no shortage of new details for Arkane Studios and Bethesda’s space-bound RPG over the last couple of weeks, but today’s video for Prey aims to give fans an intimate tour of the Talos I space station players will be exploring come launch next month. First and foremost, members of Arkane’s development team explain that the research facility isn’t simply just a setting for Prey, but a symbolic representation of mankind’s ambitions, a technological marvel that the TranStar Corporation has spared no expense in creating.
Gilded statues, futuristic laboratories and mega industrial complexes all connect together to make a wondrous and lavish whole, but things aren’t exactly going well for Talos I’s inhabitants by the time protagonist Morgan Yu wakes up. The Typhon, a race of aggressive and parasitic extraterrestrials, have escaped confinement and begun either slaughtering or assimilating scientists to secure their hold over the installation. Now, it’s Morgan’s job to unravel the cause of the breach while also piecing together his or her own past, says Arkane.
The aliens have escaped containment and taken over Talos I. But Prey isn’t only about fighting an invasion. And it’s not just an epic journey to figure out who you are, what you’re doing aboard this space station, and how you’ll save humanity from the Typhon threat. Prey is also about the space station itself. A shining testament to mankind’s unbridled ambitions, Talos I is more than the setting for Prey. It’s also full of secrets to discover and hidden layers to uncover. But, most of all, Talos I poses a unique threat to the player all by itself.
Talos I being billed as a threat in and of itself, and Arkane comparing its layers to that of an onion that must be peeled back to reveal the truth immediately evokes comparisons to 2K’s BioShock and its underwater, dystopian city Rapture. The inspiration is immediately obvious, although Arkane is clearly approaching the formula with its own unique story, setting, and characters.
Prey is out May 5 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, though if you’re itching to get stuck in earlier than that, a free trial is scheduled to roll out on consoles next week, April 27.