One of the advantages of focusing on roguelikes and roguelites is that I don’t have to spend too much time analysing the wider implications of industry layoffs and what have you. I chose this niche because I want to focus on games and the people who make them – not corporate dick swinging by soulless suits who are out whoring themselves for shareholder profits.
The latest travesty inflicted on the industry by a company that is supposed to be nurturing it is Microsoft’s decision to close down four Bethesda game studios: Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse, Alpha Dog, and Arkane Austin. I saved Arkane Austin for last because I’m focusing on one of their games in this feature – Prey Mooncrash.
After reading about the closures yesterday I proceeded to reinstall Prey so I could revisit Mooncrash, a roguelite spin-off that I thoroughly enjoyed when it landed all the way back in 2018. What better way to remember a game studio than to revisit some of its finest work?!
Ex-Arkaners, I salute you.
So what is Prey: Mooncrash?
I have a spreadsheet on my computer and it is RAMMED full of legacy roguelikes and roguelites that I want to write about. After well over a decade covering video games, I’ve played quite a few. Sandwiched between Hitman: Freelancer and Golden Krone Hotel is Prey: Mooncrash, a first-person roguelite that I think has aged extremely well, all things considered.
This is a spin-off / sequel to Prey, a futuristic first-person immersive sim that I played on PlayStation 4 back in the day. If you haven’t played it, Prey is a very good stealthy FPS about fighting an alien threat called the Typhon while aboard a space station orbiting the Moon.
These aliens are scary as hell because they can take on the form of everyday objects and attack when you least expect it. Naturally, our scientists can’t resist studying them, and these efforts lead to the escape of the Typhons and terrifying first-person adventure where stealth and smarts are just as important as a steady aim.
Mooncrash is set after the events of the main game, and follows the story of Peter, who is working for an evil company called Microsoft Kasma Corporation. Peter must enter a simulation in order to find out what happened on the Pytheas Moonbase following a Typhon attack. The simulation involves walking in the moonboots of five of the survivors of the attack, in order to help them escape and find out what went down.
What makes Mooncrash a good roguelite?
You start off Mooncrash playing as Andrius Alekna, but you will unlock and then control four more characters during a successful escape attempt. These characters will take you all over the base, but if all of your available characters meet a grizzly end, the game is over and all of your progress is reset. How roguish!
Each new run is slightly different because a number of in-game factors are randomised, including enemy placements and the location of key items. This means that while you can get a feel for your surroundings, your inventory will be different each time, and in a game where the tools you carry are fundamental to your success, this reshuffle is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.
It’s certainly not a traditional roguelite, but I love that a triple-A studio as talented as Arkane Austin was given a chance to explore the genre. In fact, one might argue that these experiments informed the design of Deathloop – which was developed by Arcane Lyon, it should be noted – a game which put its own roguish spin on things, and won a few GOTY awards in the process.
Mooncrash isn’t endlessly replayable, but the procedural elements marry well with the terrifying gameplay to create a butt-clenchingly intense sci-fi adventure. Throw in the big budget feel and the high quality of the overall production, and you’ve got a game that still feels worth a spin in 2024. Arkane’s roguelite adventure took risks and, for the most part, delivered on its promise, and when reflecting on the Austin team’s work this week, Prey and Mooncrash stand as two fantastic immersive sims that I’m glad to have experienced.
As mentioned, Prey Mooncrash is a DLC expansion so you need the Prey (2017) to access it. Don’t worry too much about the extra investment, because Prey is also very good (but perhaps skip the other expansion, Typhon Hunter, a multiplayer mode that I assume is pushing up daisies). Both the base game and the DLC expansions are currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox platforms.
