Prey: Mooncrash Reviews

Prey: Mooncrash, a DLC for Arkane Studios’ immersive sim Prey was revealed and released during this year’s E3. It can be described as a standalone rogue-lite campaign where you have to escape TranStar’s secret moon base with several characters possessing unique skillsets over a series of “runs.” By now, the DLC has received a number of reviews and from the looks of it, the reception seems to be quite positive. Check it out:

Rock, Paper, Shotgun Scoreless:

I’m still going with this, crashing and sneaking and leaping and flailing through the interconnecting sectors, and being absolutely properly terrified of the new Moonshark monstrosity that haunts the central hub. Whether it will hold my attentions long enough to persist to try to get all five off the base in a single run seems a lot less likely, but I’m having a great time for now.

Mooncrash is an enormous paddling pool compared to Prey’s Olympic swimming pool. There’s none of the depth, but it’s a heck of a good time to splash around in.

PlayStation Universe 8.5/10:

I can’t say this is what I expected from Arkane’s next dip into the world of Prey, but I’m happy that this is what we got. Prey’s structure is a good fit for this kind of roguelike/Metroidvania type of spinoff, and it shows in how it plays out. While the story’s shortcomings aren’t too much of a problem, the ridiculous load times are. Luckily, this is a fine DLC addition to Prey that takes the best of the main game and makes it work in a more compact frame.

GameSpew 9/10:

Offering over 10 hours of rewarding, exciting, and sometimes horrifying Prey gameplay, Mooncrash is undoubtedly one of the best pieces of DLC I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Perhaps the only nitpick I can make about it is that it can eventually become to feel a little samey running through the same four areas. With the enemies and items within them being randomised every time the simulation is reset, however, it’s not that much of an issue.

If you own a copy of Prey and want a reason to go back to it, pick up Mooncrash without a moment’s hesitation; it’s absolutely essential. And if you’ve not yet played Prey there’s never been a better time to jump in. Consider picking up the new deluxe edition which includes the base game and Mooncrash at a bargain price.

NDTV Gadgets 360 9/10:

All in all, Prey: Mooncrash makes Prey better. It isn’t a conventional addition to the game by any means, but it does more than enough to keep us coming back for more. It’s well worth a download if you own Prey, and a great reason to check out the game if you haven’t already.

GameSkinny 8/10:

Mooncrash is just the start of the Prey renaissance, as later this year we’ll get Typon Hunter, an asymmetrical 1 vs 5 version of the game that will also support VR! Hopefully we’ll have plenty of more Prey ahead, as Mooncrash shows there’s still life in this game, and a full sequel would be well received by the fan base.

bit-tech.net Scoreless:

Arkane has itself described Mooncrash as an experiment. I get the feeling that it was a troubled project which the devs have attempted to rescue with a new direction. Either way, whether or not you think it is successful will depend largely on what you expect from Prey and Arkane in general. I personally think it’s deeply flawed, but also undeniably intriguing. I can’t recommend it outright, but I have found myself thinking about it far more than I anticipated.