Praey for the Gods Preview – “Winter Colossus”
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Praey for the Gods Preview – “Winter Colossus”

In development by a tiny 3-man indie team, No Matter Studios, Praey for the Gods  is an upcoming action-adventure, survival game, with inspirations taken from the 2005 PlayStation 2 classic, Shadow of the Colossus  and FromSoftware’s Bloodborne  action-RPG, among other titles. Originally called as ‘Prey’ for the Gods,  No Matter Studios later opted for its present title to avoid legal intervention from ZeniMax Media (Dishonored, Doom, Evil Within ), who owns the Prey  video game IP.

Though first developed with the PC platform in mind, Praey for the Gods  was later announced to be making its way onto the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, after successfully reaching its $300K Kickstarter Campaign goal, which currently sits at $501K as of this writing. Praey for the Gods  places players in a harsh winter island where they must survive and face the inhabiting Giants for an answer to their dying world. Praey for the Gods  has a planned release date sometime this December.

Genre:  Action,  Adventure,  Survival,  Indie,  RPG
Developed by:  No Matter Studios
Published by:  No Matter Studios
Release date:  December 2017
Platforms:  PlayStation 4,  Xbox One,  PC (Windows) via Steam,  Mac (Stretch Goal)
Website:  http://www.praeyforthegods.com/

Praey for the Gods Features

  • Colossal battles with giants where you can climb your foes.
  • A vast and mysterious frozen world with dynamic snow terrain that you must traverse.
  • Intense survival game play.
  • Explore mysterious temples that contain secrets and treasure.
  • Dynamic weather and day/night cycle.
  • Non-linear game play where you choose who to battle and how.
  • Loot the fallen heroes and equip yourself with weapons and supplies.
  • Unique musical score.

Story & Setting

In Praey for the Gods,  you play a lone hero sent to the edge of a dying world to discover the mystery behind a never-ending winter. Arriving with only the clothes on your back, you must survive the colossal dangers that you encounter. To restore balance and reclaim the land from the brink, you will be faced with questions that not even a God knows the answer to.

The game’s premise and story is seemingly simple and somewhat vague, and yet the way it’s setup does spark intrigue. It is because the tagline for Praey for the Gods  is to “defeat the very Gods that you worship”. Who are these Gods? Why them? Am I doing the right thing? This resembles the story-telling aspect of the Souls  series. Where players are given only a handful of information to go on with, while the game’s environments and dwellers provide the exposition upon investigation. In Praey for the Gods, it works well as the Gods themselves are just oblivious as you are. And it is you who’ll eventually unravel a kind of truth that you seek.

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Gameplay

Praey for the Gods  drops players in a massive and desolate island, battered with harsh winters. With terrain riddled with steep cliffs, tall mountains and dense forests, all blanketed in thick snow. And not to mention, the Giants inhabiting them. Playing as a lone hero, players will begin their journey in this frozen new world without any items or equipment except for the clothes on their back. Tools and such will have to procured by scavenging the vast snow fields while braving the dynamically generated in-game “Weather System”, that cycles between night and day.

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The game features an “Exhaustion System” that affects the player’s movements such as dodging, climbing or running, as well as hunger and stamina levels. That system in-turn is also affected by the environment’s terrain and weather. For instance, walking through deep snow in the middle of a snowstorm can rapidly exhaust your character, leaving you vulnerable to predators like wolves stalking the area. A way to recuperate your character’s strength is by resting at campfires that can be found in caves and such. Which also acts as a base of operations and a safe haven for you to retreat after scrounging for food out in the fields.

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The game features a lot of verticality, in way of said cliffs and mountains. Aside from climbing them with your bare hands, traversing them is also aided by a handful of tools; which were implemented later in the game’s development. One of which is a ‘Grappling Hook’ that players can fire off in the distance, zipping across a ravine and reaching their destination. Another is a sheet that can be used as a ‘Glider’ of sorts, parachuting down tall mountains.

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These tools among others, can also be used in combat against the Giants. Though this may seem counter-intuitive when seen from the standpoint of one of it inspiration sources, namely Shadow of the Colossus.  Where physically scaling the Colossi was the level/puzzle itself, that needed to be solved in order to defeat them. But here, it adds a level of depth and introduces dynamics to combat that players can utilize. Either to target a weak-point or to use as a means of escape.

Furthermore, combat in Praey for the Gods  is a fast-paced and brutal affair. The giants themselves; which will number at 5 at launch, are undoubtedly massive and intimidating. With each new encounter being a unique one that requires thought and experimentation in taking them down. Players can approach these Giants in any way they see fit.

They can engage in close-range melee combat and simultaneously dodge attacks. Risky, but thrilling. Or go for a more tactical engagement. Raining arrows from a distance and zipping away to a new spot should their position be compromised. Either way, the effectiveness of the weapons provided will be highly dependent on the player’s effectiveness to apply themselves.

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Audio & Visual

Praey for the Gods  has been in development since 2014, and it is being built on the popular Unity 5 Engine. From a glance, the game looks stunning and well polished due to good texture work and anti-aliasing. Showing proper contrast between the game’s objects, elements, enemies and the player’s character. Making them easily discernible despite the bleak weather. And snowstorms in Praey  are just breathtaking, and the silhouettes in the far-off distance give off a sense of scale and awe.

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All in all, Praey for the Gods  is shaping up to become one of the biggest indie games coming out this year. An epic adventure full of exploration, thrill and strategy. If you’re a fan of Shadow of the Colossus  or someone who enjoys adventures with a good challenge, be sure to keep tabs on this game.

Praey for the Gods  is planned to launch sometime in December 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam.


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Comments

1 response to “Praey for the Gods Preview – “Winter Colossus””


  1. Aah, I remember this. It was the game that got even more popular after Bethesda gave their PR the middle finger by f**king with No Matter studios over their game’s name having “Prey” in it. In all honesty, I actually like the name change. Has a cool way of conveying a double meaning. Pray to the gods, cause you worship them, and prey to the gods as in you are their literal food; two terms rolled into one.

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