We should point out that we’re not talking about the legendary 2006 game, which is now considered abandonware, but rather the 2017 version.
Immersive simulators such as Dishonored and Deus Ex usually provide a single-player experience, but a few attempts have been made over the years to incorporate multiplayer elements into the games. System Shock 2 featured a notoriously buggy co-op mode that was completely overhauled in last year’s Nightdive remaster. Meanwhile, Arkane’s Deathloop successfully integrated invasion mechanics into its blend of roguelike-style escape and spontaneous stealth. We can now also play Arkane’s excellent System Shock successor, Prey, with a group of friends, albeit unofficially.
The aptly named Prey Coop allows up to 16 players to explore the Talos 1 space station together. Prey Coop was created by modder null234, who says the mod synchronizes global campaign progress, story decisions, enemy AI, inventory, doors, hazards and world physics across all connected clients. Although Prey Coop is still in the alpha stage, null234 says that the entire campaign can be played from start to finish using both new and existing save files. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of issues to fix, including visual glitches, animation quirks and potential bugs. Having 16 players running around on Talos 1 might sound like the worst thing in the world, but two-player co-op should work quite well.
Prey is by far the most methodical and theoretical of Arkane’s immersive simulators. It’s a game that encourages ingenious use of gadgets and abilities to gain the upper hand against the Typhon threat. Setting traps, fighting enemies and jumping over obstacles while cooperating with a partner seems like a viable gameplay option, especially if the additional player’s presence is compensated for by increasing the difficulty level.
If you’d like to try out the Prey Coop mode, you can find it on Nexus Mods. As well as the mod itself, you’ll need to install Chairloader and forward the appropriate ports. You’ll also need to ensure that every player has a valid copy of the game and the same DLL version of the mod.
Source: PCGamer, Nexus Mods
