Prototype puts you in the shoes of a revenge-minded, shape-shifting psychopath and sets you loose in New York City. It is an action-heavy sandbox game where you unlock new methods of destruction as you cause more devastation.
Alex Mercer is Prototype’s protagonist. In the beginning of the game, he awakens in a morgue, about to undergo an autopsy. He flees, only to be riddled with bullets and escape again by jumping 20 feet over a fence. Mercer must discover why he has these newfound abilities by piecing together his forgotten past.
He discovers his city falling apart. A mysterious plague has infected the populace, turning citizens into zombiesque monsters connected to a hive mind. Bioresearch firm GENTEK is somehow involved, and a covert biowarfare military unit called Blackwatch is determined to stop the diseases’ spread even if it means killing everyone in Manhattan.
The story unfolds through cinematic cut scenes and a puzzle of memories called the Web of Intrigue. Much of the story is narrated by Mercer to a mysterious third party on the 18th day of the infection, with the player taking control of the past.
Amnesiatic protagonists are cliché in the gaming world, but Mercer’s method of remembering his past forgives this sin. The way Mercer unlocks memories is grotesque. He literally extends his tentacles into an individual, rips them apart and consumes them to display a short cut scene. There are 131 people walking around the game world with a piece of the conspiracy in their that can help unlock the story’s mysteries.
Consuming a pedestrian or enemy is also how Mercer replenishes health, learns some skills and assumes their form. Mercer is a shape shifter, which adds a stealth element to this action-heavy title. He can blend into the crowd to lose enemies, or disguise himself as a soldier to gain access to a military base.
The stealth mechanic requires a major suspension of belief, but a necessary one to maintain the fast-paced action. For example, the military know they are looking for a shape-shifting superhuman, yet if they see you disguised as a random pedestrian or fellow soldier jump 30 feet in the air, glide and then run up the side of a skyscraper they don’t bat an eye.
Getting around the city is delightfully liberating. Mercer has super speed, can run up the side of buildings, jump three stories and glide on the air. This is particularly helpful when being pursued by angry Marines in helicopters, making it effortless to travel the New York rooftops.
Prototype is a brutal game, and Mercer is no hero. He does not care how many civilians are killed on his path to vengeance. In fact, the game rewards players for killing in the form of evolution points. This creates a disconnect between the Mercer you want to root for in the cut scenes, and the homicidal maniac you play in the game. This detachment is even more pronounced than in other games with this problem, such as Grand Theft Auto.
Evolution points are spent to upgrade Mercer’s abilities, and are earned liberally. Improvements include new attacks, new ways to view the world, new ways to get around and protective powers like armor. Although Mercer can pick up and use enemy weapons, his shape-shifting abilities provide a much more interesting method of dispatching foes. He can grow Wolverine-style claws from his hands, turn his fists into giant hammers or morph his entire arm into a blade or into whip like tendrils. His attacks are devastating, often hewing an opponent in two. That this is not a game for children doesn’t even need to be said at this point.
Melee battles are messy and chaotic. It is a good thing Mercer can take a lot of damage, because Prototype throws waves of enemies at you. The camera can sometimes be an additional foe, providing horrible views particularly when you fight too close to a wall.
If Mercer didn’t have enough ways to create havoc, he can also commandeer enemy tanks and helicopters. Jumping on the back of a helicopter, making your way to the door and consuming the pilot is one of the most rewarding experiences in the game.
The main story has more than 30 missions, and with tons of side missions this game could keep you occupied for a couple dozen hours, longer yet if you attempt to find all the hidden content and memories. The story missions have a great balance, straddling that fine line between challenging and frustrating. The side missions are mostly the standard combat and time trial fare, but a lack of innovation here does not impede their enjoyment.
What the graphics lack in detail they make up for in scale. Dozens of vehicles and seemingly hundreds of people can be on the screen at a time. Vehicles realistically swerve, skid and crash when approaching street battles. Citizens hysterically run away from you and the infected monsters. The combined effect presents a city gripped in fear at the violence playing out on its streets.
