Previews

GDC 09: First look at first person shooter Prey on iPhone

Better than PSP-quality graphics promised

GDC 09: First look at first person shooter Prey on iPhone
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| Prey Invasion

The concept of squeezing a console game onto a handheld is enough to make any pocket gamer cringe, but for the designers at Machineworks NW, it's an opportunity.

In transplanting the PC and Xbox 360 first-person shooter onto iPhone, the developer has created a groundbreaking game in Prey. Beautiful graphics complemented by a robust, fully customisable interface assure its status as a must-have on the day of release.

Playing as native American called Tommy, Prey has you battling an enigmatic alien race that unexpectedly attacks Earth. Tommy and his loved ones are abducted, trapped inside a massive alien vessel without hope of escape. That is, until you take up arms against the alien enemy and begin to shoot your way back home.

Alien weaponry provide you with more than enough firepower to blast through a stable of grotesque creatures milling about the gigantic spacecraft. Crawlers, for example, provide living grenades that you can pick up from the ground and chuck at enemies. As soon as these bug-like creatures hit something, they explode and cause damage.

Along with firearms, Tommy has the ability to spirit walk and fire a special spirit bow. Tapping a button allows Tommy to have an out of body experience - his body left behind while you explore and solve puzzle as his spirit. In one level entitled Excavation, we witnessed Tommy spirit walk to glide through a force field and deactivate the adjacent security panel so that his body could pass through.

The spirit bow acts as a complement to Tommy's spirit walk. When his health is depleted, you're taken to the netherworld in which you must fire arrows from the spirit bow to eliminate ghosts. These gliding ghouls, coloured blue and red, refill Tommy's health and spirit to the point of reviving him to continue the adventure.

Control is of the utmost importance to any shooter and Prey is no exception, especially given its range of gameplay elements.

"When we started we knew the iPhone had unique control needs," admits Machineworks NW CEO Andreas Vasen. The team spent four months wrangling with ideas and finally settled on the core features of what is undoubtedly an innovation in iPhone gaming.

Two control schemes will be offered: digital and analog. Selecting analog places a pair of discs on the screen used to control Tommy's direction of movement and sight. These can be situated on any spot on the screen. Choosing the digital scheme, on the other hand, arranges a series of directional buttons that can be placed wherever you wish. If you want a directional pad, make it; should you want the arrows far apart, feel free to do it. Even the fire and spirit walk buttons are movable.

Vasen contends, "This is the first iPhone game above PSP-quality." The game's visuals supports his claim; gorgeously detailed textures and sprawling level designs invoking a sense of awe. The configurable interface, however, distinguishes Prey from a hard-button handheld game.

"We want to start a revolution for hardcore games on iPhone," says Vasen. Prey probably won't incite revolt in the App Store, but it's sure to evolve expectations when it releases later this spring.

Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.