10 Plot Twists That Change How You See Video Games
3. Prey - Through The Looking Glass
At the start of Prey, you wake up in your luxury apartment with a gorgeous view of the futuristic city skyline outside. You go through a series of routine tests in preparation for being launched into space… but something’s wrong.
The scientists monitoring you seem confused and disappointed, as if you’re doing everything incorrectly. It’s a bit like that dream where you turn up late for school and you’ve forgotten your pencil case or your pants.
Out of nowhere, one of the scientists is murdered by an alien tentacle creature disguised as a cup of coffee (Mondays, eh?) and you’re knocked out by sleep gas. But don’t worry, because soon you wake up in your luxury apartment with a gorgeous view of... hang on, didn’t we already do this bit? What’s happening?
Thinking quickly, the player picks up a wrench and smashes their apartment window to get to the city outside… except it doesn’t lead to the city at all. It leads directly to the Talos I space station. The view of the city was actually a virtual environment.
The entire opening sequence was an elaborate simulation, and you're already in space. This twist acts as a meta-commentary on the fact that everything you see in video games is accomplished through a series of clever conjuring tricks, and that you can't always trust your perception.