Immersive sims like Dishonored and Deus Ex are typically solo experiences, but there have been a few attempts to bring multiplayer into the mix over the years. System Shock 2 featured an infamously wonky cooperative mode that was overhauled in last year’s Nightdive remaster, while Arkane’s Deathloop successfully folded an invasion mechanic into its mix of roguelike running and emergent sneaking.
Now, you can also play Arkane’s excellent System Shock successor Prey with a bunch of pals, albeit via unofficial means. The functionally named Prey Coop enables up to 16 players to explore the Talos 1 space station together. Prey Coop is the creation of modder null234, who says that the mod “syncs global campaign progression, story choices, enemy AI, inventory, doors, hazards and world physics across all connected clients.”
Although Prey Coop is still in Alpha, null234 says the whole campaign is playable from start to finish on “both new and existing saves”. Nonetheless, there are still plenty of kinks to be worked out, such as “visual rough edges, animation quirks, and potential bugs.”
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Frankly, 16 players running around Talos 1 sound like the worst thing ever, but playing Prey as a 2-player cooperative game should work fairly well. Prey is by far the most methodical and cerebral of Arkane’s immersive sims, one that encourages ingenious use of gadgets and powers to get the drop on the Typhon menace. Working together with a partner to set up traps, fight enemies, and bypass obstacles seems like a viable way to play, especially if you compensate for the extra player by amping up the difficulty.
As far as I’m concerned though, you can play Prey with as many friends as you like, so long as you play it. Arkane’s dark sci-fi adventure has gone up in my estimations every time I’ve played it, to the point where I believe it might just be the best thing Arkane has produced to date.
Sure, Dishonored 2 has the more galaxy-brained levels and flashier powers. But I think Prey’s slower-burn has the greater satisfaction, especially over repeated playthroughs. It has the superior story, by some margin and the way Talos 1 unfolds as you explore is marvellous. I also find that treating the Typhon as puzzles to be solved rather than enemies to be fought also elevates the experience. There’s tons of fun to be had in manipulating those inky aliens from the shadows using all the weird gizmos Prey furnishes you with.
Anyway, I’ll step off the soapbox now. If you want to try Prey Coop for yourself, you can download it via Nexus Mods. Alongside the mod itself, you’ll need to install Chairloader, forward the appropriate ports, and ensure all players have a legitimate copy of the game and the same DLL build of the mod. Full instructions are available here.
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