Update June 25, 2017: A Prey speedrunner has now managed to complete the game in under seven minutes.
Wow, the Prey speedrunning community has sure been working hard since I last checked. From people initially beating the game within 20 minutes just three days after launch, speedrunner seekerTV has managed to set the world’s first sub-seven-minute run for Arkane’s sci-fi horror shooter.
Check out our thoughts on Prey with our review.
Like DraQu’s run, this blinding fast playthrough hinges on expert use of Prey’s GLOO Cannon. This weapon allows runners to break the game wide open, with players being able to quickly climb out of bounds and bypass the majority of Prey’s main story.
While it isn’t at this year’s Summer Games Done Quick, I wouldn’t be surprised if Prey makes it onto the AGDQ schedule for 2018.
Original story May 8, 2017: Prey has been out for less than three days and someone is already setting speedrunning records. After initially beating Prey in under 45 minutes yesterday, speedrunner DraQu has managed to half his completion time, beating Arkane’s sci-fi horror in less than 20 minutes.
What’s the secret to this amazing run? By abusing Prey’s GLOO Cannon, DraQu is able to build platforms out of the sticky substance in order to reach usually inaccessible locations and eventually clip out of bounds. From there, he can skip massive amounts of the story and get to the game’s finale in under 20 minutes. DraQu does also use the Recycler glitch to gain unlimited resources but his usage of the GLOO Cannon is what causes the major time-save.
At one point during the run, DraQu goes out into space and climbs upwards to four straight minutes, using GLOO clouds to create the world’s stickiest space ladder. I bet player character Morgan Yu is experiencing one hell of a trip while climbing up the side of Talos I.
If you want to watch the speedrun, it is available above but do be warned, it will (not surprisingly) spoil many of Prey’s main story beats. You can safely watch to around the eight minute mark without experiencing any major spoilers but after that, you will be spoiled. Having said, DraQu runs past many key moments at such speed that it can be a case of “blink and you’ll miss it”.
DraQu is still running Prey over on his Twitch channel, so expect that sub-20 minute time to drop even lower within the next few days. If you do attempt to try this run for yourself, please remember to use GLOO responsibly.