Prey for the Gods

This game is clearly a homage to Shadow of the Colossus. It has many things in common with it. Especially the narrative's tone and pacing, as well as climbing onto giants to locate and destroy their weak points as they try to shake you off. The giant segments are the bread and butter of the game's action, and they play out like physics based puzzles. You have to creatively search all over the giants for their weak points, being careful not to fall off of them by saving your stamina on stable surfaces of their bodies when possible. But there are also some notable differences to this game that make it different than SotC. The most notable probably being the survival element. I was reluctant to dip my toes into this one because of its inclusion; I typically avoid those types of games. But I'm glad that playing on normal only requires you to worry about the cold weather. The frigid wind and water will eventually take their toll on your body temperature enough to cause damage. You have to use fires to stay warm. The other survival mechanics, food and sleep, are not necessary for survival on normal difficulty. They instead give a boost to your stamina.
Some Pros:
1. The boss fights are epic, puzzle-solving endeavors completely reminiscent of SotC.
2. Grappling hooks and gliders are nice additions to traversal and puzzles.
3. Having enemies to fight other than giants does add a bit more depth to the combat.
Some Cons:
1. Monotony quickly sets in as you must button mash to keep your grip when the giants shake.
2. Occasionally frustrating physics like the character not running or climbing according to button inputs.
3. On a controller you have to press up a bunch of times to navigate the menu to do a manual game save.
If you enjoyed the heck out of Shadow of the Colossus like I did, then you will probably like this as well. Just maybe not everything the game has to offer. The grappling hook and glider are more aligned with games Zelda or Genshin Impact. The survival elements will surely be off-putting to some, but the fact that you can turn them off on easy mode, or up on hard, makes their inclusion a welcome one. Since they weren't exactly mandatory, I found myself partaking in them to get the benefits. And they add to the immersion of being stuck in an ice age's hostile environment. They also added gear in this game, which you can balance out to your liking or equip an entire set to receive its more exclusive benefits. Pretty cool. And there are puzzle caves you have to solve to acquire them. Very cool. Your interpretations of the primitive cave paintings will provide you with subtle clues to some of the solutions.

Great game! I had a lot of fun on Steam Deck. The only thing that was making the experience not 100% pleasant, was this the storm. Some times it was very hard to see through it. Anyway, not a perfect game, but definitely one of the best alternatives to Shadow of the Colossus.

TL:DR: 7/10 - Frustrating frozen fun found from first fight forward until finish.
For those still reading. This game is basically Shadow of The Colossus in the deep Nordth, on a mission to save the world from a never ending winter. The game is much smaller than SotC and swaps mounted travel, for a grappling hook and glider. On Legendary/Survival difficulty I did not feel like I could really take in and appreciate the world as much. I was on a mad dash to make it from one boss to the next -stopping of course to kill champions and strip the landscape bare to the extent i was able to- all while constantly freezing to death.
There are spitting worms, frozen, undead warriors, banshees, champions (mini boss), boars and bunnies a plenty to slice, club, and shoot for loot. The precious loot you'll need to craft and upgrade so you can better survive the harsh, unforgiving landscape. Survival mechanics on top added an immersive layer of difficulty that was coupled by some frustrating limitations (I'm looking at you cooking) Berries and scavenged bread made up the majority of my diet, as cooking meat and mushrooms requires campsites that are scattered throughout the landscape, you're not able to craft cooking implementations all by your lonesome... which I have issues with. It created an undo stress and prevented me from being able to get better benefits from food I needed, all because I, the survivalist, couldn't make a spit out of all the wood around me.
The combat with minions is clunky/floaty and could be improved on. The presence of a lock-on does help with melee combat, but distance and gap closure is iffy. You're best to get right up on your enemy before spamming melee. There is no block or parry so dodging is your best friend. Melee and Archery don't take any stamina, but running, climbing, gliding, and dodging do. Stamina management is KEY to survival, so I put all my totem upgrades into stamina and relied on dodging to not get hit.
While trying not to die of frost and hunger, you'll notice the landscape is beautiful. Ancient ruins and abandoned camps pepper the environment. Trees sway in the wind, and the sudden and powerful storms impact your vision and ability to traverse the terrain. Your character leaves deep trenches in the snow as the struggle through. This eerie, haunting landscape still has a peaceful beauty. Some areas hint at a forgotten history frozen in time. The area surrounding boss 4 in particular is one of my personal favorites, the atmosphere is great and really shows the love and effort put into the visuals. Each boss fight is unique and usually involves activating a mechanism to stun the boss, or help you to reach them in some way. Each boss is a puzzle of both, how do I get on it, and what do I do once I'm up there. The feeling you get from scaling these titans is on point with this game.
Praey for the Gods wears it's inspiration proudly and I salute NO MATTER STUDIOS. I hope they make more games in this vein, as the set piece moments are wonderful and really gave me that SotC feeling I loved so much. While the story -and ending especially- leave a lot of questions, I came to the game to climb and fell titans, and that's what I really enjoyed. Great job and I hope to play another!

6/10 weak recommend. Colossal boss fights with obnoxious survival elements.
Pros:
- Boss fights - I haven't played SotC so I can't compare this game with its inspirations, but the fights provide enjoyable action of scale.
- Platforming and traversal with the sail and grappling hook.
Cons:
- Survival elements prove a hard sell in such a game. Short durability of weapons often interrupts gameplay and otherwise smooth exploration of the world. Similar issue with cold especially in blizzards where you can't take more than 20 steps not freezing to death.
- Story not engaging

At some points the game feels rough.
But the main thing what I like is I don't remember when last time it was so interesting just to explore in a game.

Greatest Shadow of The Colossus type game that doesn't rely on QuickTimeEvent's and actually allows you to freely roam the Colossi, Being able to climb almost any surface was really fun, the explorability of this game and the size of the open world is so nice, the survival system is a nice way to fill in the blank spots as it doesn't have as many colossi as Shadow of the Colossus, each fight was nicely crafted with love and dedication, they all had their own twists and never felt unfair, the mechanics are pinpoint what they needed to be to make such a great game, adding the gliding feature and a grappling hook is amazing, and im all for a Shadow of the Colossus with more mobility as it adds more fun to exploring the battle and the world and it was amazing to be able to have moments where your hundreds of feet in the air and be able to glide onto your enemy or grapple in a clutch situation, the puzzles were nicely spread apart with neat little tricks, the enemies felt under used but still nice to the entierty of the world, the Art style was really fitting and i like how more brains then skills were needed for the bosses as it flips the tables to the usual boss fighting moments in other games, the world story telling as well as the notes were nicely thought out and gave alot of insight onto what has happened, the ending was very satisfactory and this is now my Favourite game of all time! Loved it all thank you No Matter Studios for this amazing masterpiece, i will 100% be replaying it

Praey for the Gods offers a captivating survival experience set in a frostbitten world. You play as a lone hero exploring a desolate land plagued by massive, enigmatic giants. The game excels in creating a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere with its striking landscapes and towering foes.
The core gameplay revolves around climbing, battling colossal creatures, and managing your survival needs in a harsh environment. The climbing mechanics are engaging, though they can be a bit finicky at times. The giants you face are imposing and require strategic thinking to overcome, adding depth and challenge to the combat.
However, while the game shines in its visuals and ambitious scope, it does have some rough edges. The controls and camera angles can sometimes feel awkward, which might detract from the experience. Additionally, the narrative could be more fleshed out, as the story feels secondary to the exploration and combat.
Despite these flaws, Praey for the Gods offers a unique and immersive journey. If you enjoy survival games with a focus on epic battles and exploration, it’s worth diving into.