Halloween Review: Kkat's Prey · 6:44pm Oct 31st, 2021
You all should know Kkat. If you somehow don’t, then you at least know of him. After all, he wrote what is probably the single most well known story in the fandom: Fallout: Equestria. When I heard he was writing a new story, I couldn’t help being curious. The bad news was that, due to my scheduling, it would take more than a year to get to the new story.
Imagine my surprise when the author himself contacted me and asked, specifically, to review it as a Halloween Special. I had no idea I warranted such attention. Who was I to say no? And so here we are, on the best of the best holidays, to enjoy something dark by a guy who knows a thing or two about writing dark. But don’t think this is going to tie into KKat’s other material in some way; this is, refreshingly, a whole new world.
Prey, an homage to the video game of the same name, is set sometime after the events of the show, although presumably not long after. It begins with the revelation that Ocellus has been facing a crisis of identity, mentally pulled apart by an inability to recognize herself. But her personal issues will have to wait, as Princess Luna has decided to give her and her friends a special, personalized field trip through a mirror portal. No, not that mirror portal. This is a different one. It goes somewhere completely different.
Now Ocellus finds herself alone in a mysterious, crumbling palace. No, not alone; there are changelings here. Changelings belonging to a different hive, changelings that are hunting her, changelings that have not reformed and have no intention of doing so. Trapped, confused, and terrified, Ocellus must find a way to escape… without letting this new threat to Equestria escape with her.
I’ll admit, when the story began I had my eyebrows raised over the horror tag. Sure, Ocellus’s situation was grim and her personal issues were unpleasant, but they didn’t really strike me as horror material. As the story went on, I came to realize that Prey is a slow burn. No, it probably won’t frighten you. At first. But by the time we’re two-thirds of the way through, the ‘horror’ aspect has truly set in. No longer is Ocellus dodging the occasional changeling drone; now she’s got truly hideous creatures of Lovecraftian proportions hellbent on doing terrible things to her and she’s only one wingbeat away from what is sure to be an agonizing demise.
Prey is a story of escalation. With every chapter things get worse, the threats more real, the stakes higher. I love it for that. Kkat does a wonderful job with the steady build up, creating a tension that worsens gradually until we hit the climax and the string snaps. This is carefully crafted pacing at its finest.
Even better is how the events are all so very important to Ocellus. This isn’t some random horror where bad things happen for no reason. Ocellus’s personal crisis of identity plays a huge role in the ongoing events. Kkat utilizes the fact that Ocellus is a changeling not just for getting out of situations, but also to define her character and shape her fears. Her evolution as an individual is defined by her species, her connection with her friends, and the fears that tie those elements together.
Speaking of Ocellus’s friends, they make their showings too. Although she begins the story alone, Gallus, Yona, and Smolder all take up space within the story. Alas, Sandbar and Silverstream aren’t so prominent, although that doesn’t mean they aren’t brought up, or that their absence doesn’t have a decent reasoning. We’ve got Gallus’s everlasting snark, his humor providing a much needed buffer against the horrors they are witnessing. Yona makes quite the splash, proving at one point that you really shouldn’t screw around with a yak. Yet it’s Smolder who takes center stage, as her relationship with Ocellus is one of the key elements of the entire story. It’s not something I expected going in, but it worked surprisingly well.
Seriously. Smolder rocks in this story.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t note how much I enjoyed the characterizations. Especially for Ocellus. You guys don’t know how entertaining it is for Ocellus’s world to be crashing around her, her life literally and immediately on the line, and she can’t resist pausing to cry out “Gallus, you swore!” That and her nearly coming to tears because there are books and she can’t save them were some of my favorite moments in the story. Oh, and her attachment to that lamp was adorable. I love little character-defining quirks like these.
I also enjoy how considerate Ocellus is. Not because it means she’s considerate, but because of the way she used it throughout the story. She’s endlessly examining her friends and enemies, seeking the best approach to handle things, never rushing into a decision, always being careful of her exact words. This in itself is a major character-defining element that also served to keep the story interesting outside the ever-looming threats and struggle for survival. Sometimes, the characters get a break. But in Ocellus’s head, there is no such opportunity.
The one and only issue I had was that sometimes we’d be in the middle of a fast-paced action sequence where Ocellus’s life is currently in serious jeopardy and Kkat pauses everything to have Ocellus carefully analyze what’s going on around her. This isn’t the same as Ocellus getting hung up on Gallus’s foul language, which is a second of reaction before, “oh, yeah, I need to be running for my life.” This is different. It suggests that all the carnage and violence and desperate struggle has come to a standstill so that Ocellus can take five and think of a proper solution. It doesn’t happen often – two, maybe three times tops – but when it did it always annoyed me.
But if that’s the only thing I didn’t like, and it is, then I’d say this one’s a winner. It’s got action, it’s got tension, it’s got anxiety. It’s filled with deeper meaning, is masterfully paced, and keeps the revelations coming. The characters evolve and improve themselves, the villains are frightening but not wrapped in a heavy cloak of absolute evil, and there are some great lessons learned. The story effectively utilizes a lot of the resources that most authors would neglect, from Ocellus’s relationships to her history to her very species. Best of all, it never forgets that our protagonist is, in fact, Ocellus, and uses that to properly enhance the horror of the ongoing adventure.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had my doubts at the beginning, but by the end this one had earned my wholehearted approval. I’m happy to have it for a Halloween special and pleased to give it my best rating. Prey proves that while Kkat may not write for the fandom often, when he does it is always worth taking note.
Bookshelf: Why Haven’t You Read These Yet?
Happy Nightmare Night, folks.
Previous stories reviewed for this author:
Fallout: Equestria — WHYRTY?
Origin Story — WHYRTY?
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Now you just need to play Prey to get the other side of the coin.
Awesome tease you showed here but you didn't tell us which "Prey" videogame kkat is using for the story's setting is it the original "Prey" from 1998 or the reboot "Prey" from 2016. Though based on the cover art it looks like the Reboot game
5602317
I don't think those two games have any relation besides the name? They share no story elements and are also different genres. It's odd that you call the 2016 game a reboot.
And yes, it would be the 2016 Prey this story takes inspiration from.
(I played the 1998 game and watched an LP of the 2016 game and Mooncrash.)
Should I play Prey before reading this?
Thank you for this review! Happy Nightmare Night!
5602364 There's no need to. The story is inspired by the game and an homage to it, but no knowledge of the game is needed for the story. It takes thematic ideas from the game and reimagines them into something completely different and wholeheartedly My Little Pony.
That said, if you are looking for a fun game that explores some of these themes, I can highly recommend Prey.
5602278
It's definitely on my to-do list. The problem is that there's close to 200 games also on that list.
5602435
And thank you for the suggestion! It certainly deserved a Halloween release.
I seem to recall having read a few other stories that combine pony with Lovecraftian horror and suspense. If I hadn't had to work on Sunday, you can bet that I would have loved to have read this, still might...after I finish the non-pony book I started reading.