Prey: Mooncrash (2018)

IMMERSIVE SIM ROUGELIKE - A DLC expansion where players must escape a procedurally-generated moon base using five separate characters.

PROS:

++ More Prey. If you loved the gameplay of base PREY, then you will get more of that in this expansion.

++ Forced to use and master every playstyle. The five playable survivors each have their own role, limitation, and playstyle and allows the player to explore all of the other skills that they didn't get to use in base PREY. In my case, it was all the Typhon powers. And the player needs to master all these playstyles in order to successfully escape with all 5 survivors in a single run.

++ Perfect level of challenge. All the new mechanics (procedurally-generated environments that change every run, corruption timer, shared loot across all 5 survivors, randomized loot locations, randomized enemy types and spawns, etc.) provide the perfect level of challenge, and pushes the player to think, adapt, and master all the various mechanics of the game. This constant tension and pressure leads to memorable game experiences.

++ Gradual rise in difficulty. After each successful run, the game adds new factors that continue to challenge the player even further. I like how this rise in difficulty is gradual, rather than being given all at once.

++ Incredibly fair. The player gets to keep all the skills they've unlocked with Neuromods for all future runs, and are also given a Mule Operator to more easily share loot between each survivor.

CONS:

-- Long loading times. More noticeable in this expansion because the player is moving from place to place quickly (PS4).

-- Weaker narrative. The player is given limited time to explore and read e-mails, notes, etc. And the story that is given explicitly isn't too compelling.

-- Short phases. I don't fully hate the timer, but I do wish that each phase would last longer.

-- Weaker atmosphere. Atmosphere is obviously weaker compared to the meticulously designed levels of base PREY.

-- Save is deleted upon completion. Save file becomes unusable upon completion of the 27 KASMA objectives.

-- Only one spawn point. Would have been more interesting if there were multiple starting points.

Playtime: 1,5-2 hours

Review

Did you like Prey's carefully constructed Talos I? Well, here's some random stuff instead.

Did you like growing more powerful over the course of the game? Well, here you get completely reset if you die.

Did you like deliberate placement of blueprints? Well, here it's 100% random so if you don't find the one you need tough luck.

Did you like carefully studying your surroundings, exploring every nook and cranny, and reading every note and e-mail? Well, here there's a timer so go fuck yourself.

Did you like being hunted by the Nightmare? Well, here's an unbeatable Moon Shark, that's the same right?

Conclusion

I didn't hate this. Even the vague scent of Prey this retains still draws me in a little bit. I'm just disappointed, really. Prey has optional settings to simulate a survival mode, why not do the same here? Even just being able to turn off the timer would have been a vast improvement. Further options to disable the Moon Shark and stop the station from changing if your characters die might've made this game solid. If they also made upgrades permanent this could've been good.

Seriously, how hard is it to accommodate people who like variation but dislike lotteries and being rushed?

Steam Curator

Mooncrash is a wildly ambitious DLC; attempting to combine the infinite replayability of a roguelike with the dense and authored worlds and mechanics of an immersive sim.

It doesn't execute on its ambition perfectly, but its a damn good attempt that's worth your time if you're a fan of the base game. Roguelike mechanics aside, it's got the very compelling selling point of just being 'more Prey.'