Epic's new free games take us from a futuristic space station to the depths of Valhalla

    

    Steam might be the king of the PC gaming world, but Epic Games is not that far behind, and I think that the main reason for that is because of their free games. Epic games releases one or two games every week for free, and you get to keep them forever once you get them. There's no starting cost or anything, you just download the launcher and get free games and there are some really good quality games available, especially around the holidays. This week Epic Games has two new games available, 2015's Jotun as well as Arkane studio's Prey which was released in 2017. 

    Prey is a mish mash of FPS, RPG, and stealth games and takes a lot of influence from older sci fi games like System Shock, Bioshock, and Half-Life. Prey has been praised by critics for its narrative, environment, and inventiveness. You play as a scientist in the far future who is stranded on a space station that is orbiting earth's moon. You have to fight a variety of aliens and explore the open world environment of Talos I to escape. As you progress through the game, Prey keeps you on your toes with enemies that can shape shift into inanimate objects like chairs and coffee mugs and then jump out and attack you. 

   

    Prey starts out a little bit slow but if you stick with it the game introduces lots of fun mechanics like the glue gun and even the psychoscope which lets you use alien powers like shapeshifting and telekinesis. The game can be a little bit difficult, and I wouldn't say the combat is revolutionary but the way that the game incorporates Arkane's signature move of allowing you to complete scenarios in multiple different ways is really cool. Prey is currently thirty dollars in the store and Epic Games is offering it for free next week, I would say that is definitely a steal.

    Jotun is a gorgeous hand drawn, 2D action-adventure game where you play as a Viking warrior named Thora as she tries to make it to Valhalla. The art style is truly amazing, and you can't help but admire it as you adventure through the game. Where I think the game really shines is the boss battles. To make it to Valhalla, Thora has to fight a bunch of elementals called Jotun which make for fun and intense encounters. As Thora you're armed with an axe and your choice of god power. 

    In between intense boss battles, Jotun is a much calmer experience as you get the chance to explore the game world and solve puzzles. The narrative throughout the game is exceptional and by the time the game ends, you'll be wanting to start all over again. Overall these are two great quality games that are coming out for free on Epic Games from May 12-May 19, so make sure you go check them out.