Praey for the Gods is a very clear homage to Shadow of the Colossus in many ways. The world is dead. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. Players set off on their journey to reach the gods in hopes of turning things around. The game begins with the hero waking up on an icy shore only to be greeted with a disembodied voice. Sound familiar?
Everything about the story and gameplay should feel right at home with fans of Shadow of the Colossus for better or worse. There are some new elements in here as well because Praey for the Gods also borrows from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There is a glider, broken weapons, and so much more. What else is there to know about this boss-focused adventure?
8 There Are Difficulty Settings
There are four different difficulty settings to play with from the start. They range from the typically easy to the most challenging. Then there are three sub-settings to further tweak the player experience: Story, Boost, and Survival.
Praey for the Gods has survival elements such as exhaustion which is based on stamina. There is a cold factor because the entire game takes place in the tundra. And then there is hunger. Those three extra settings determine how detrimental those statuses will affect players. In a way, they are like assist features.
7 There Are Other Enemies
The giant bosses are the showstoppers of Praey for the Gods. Unlike Shadow of the Colossus, this game has smaller enemies to fight in-between too. Sometimes they are like mini versions of the upcoming bosses.
There are undead warriors, worms that spout explosive dark energy, and so much more. Defeating them will grant players more materials to play with. However, they may drain resources too. It’s not a bad idea to avoid their encounters if possible.
6 Don’t Go Straight For The Bosses
Avoiding smaller enemies is a good idea. However, don’t mistake that advice to mean players should head right for the bosses. That’s a bad idea. It’s important to explore every area thoroughly. Materials are needed as they are the basic currency of the game. To upgrade equipment, craft equipment, and use them during boss fights.
For example, chopping down wood will give players sticks to make arrows and kindling to make fires. Making a small fire will regenerate heat which is important especially around water battles. Getting wet will reduce the player’s heat quickly.
5 Upgrading Your Health And Crafting
There is another reason why exploring is important. Players can upgrade their heroine by finding tiny golden totems. Collect three and the health bar, represented by a heart, will increase. Stamina can be increased this way instead.
It’s similar to the games in the Zelda series that use four heart pieces to increase health. It’s also important to upgrade armor to help with the cold resistance. Don’t waste materials on upgrading weapons because they all break anyway. Plus weapons are not necessary for most bosses. Armor is the key to victory.
4 Don’t Forget About Your Glider
One of the best things Praey for the Gods takes from Breath of the Wild is the glider. Sailing across huge gaps in Praey for the Gods never got old just like in that Zelda game. Players may get used to it while exploring the environment but they may forget about it during boss fights.
Players may fall off of a giant and then be done with it. However, if players are fast enough, they can pull out their glider and then switch out to the grappling hook. This combo may allow them to cling back to the boss without touching the ground. It’s based on luck because not every surface can be grappled onto but it is a combo worth remembering.
3 Change Your Controller Setup
The default controller setup on PS4 and PS5 has the jump button locked to Triangle. This is not the best command input for that prompt in particular. There are four presets players can switch over to the in the options.
It may be best to switch things up to have the interact command be on Triangle and jump be on the X button. Try every setup before beginning the game. It all depends on player style. Maybe the default will feel right at home for some. That’s why practice is important.
2 Look For Runes
There are runes placed all over the world. They will not be hard to miss if players are paying attention. Most of these runes are large. Even the smaller ones will be easy to spot because they all glow. Touching these runes will add more context to the map.
This may make it easier to find totems or other materials for the adventure ahead. The more prep work players do before a boss, the easier that encounter should be. That is true for many RPGs or at least games with RPG elements.
1 Save Often
The game does a decent job of auto-saving everything. However, it is still important to manually save in Praey for the Gods as well. When going towards a boss, make sure to save well outside of the battle arena.
Once players enter it, manual saves will be disabled. It’s hard to tell when a boss encounter will rise up too. Sometimes players will have to march up to the exact spot on the map and sometimes things will trigger early. That’s why it is always important to pay attention to the map and to save often just in case.
Praey for the Gods was released on December 14, 2021, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
