Horizon Forbidden West (PS4)īut Aloy is not out in the wild for a casual scuba dive: The Saviour of Meridian, as she is known throughout the regions in the game, is out to save the world. I won’t dive into details, but a story quest in the middle of the desert is a particular highlight, creating a level that I can only describe as “eerily mesmerising”. Guerrilla Games have previously stated that they worked extensively on water rendering for the sequel, and it clearly shows: even streams look markedly different from Zero Dawn, with lighting that mimics real-life and further immerses you into this world. The addition of underwater exploration adds another dimension to the world, and while the depths of the oceans and lakes are not as bustling as terra firma, exploring underwater feels like scuba diving. From the snowy peaks and water-carved valleys of the Rocky Mountain range (akin to Nora territory of the first game), to the sandy oasis that is the Vegas strip, to the Redwood-lined Californian marshes and overgrowth, Guerrilla have taken all the areas we saw in the first game, supersized each biome, and saturated within the world with as many quests, encounters, and machines as they possibly can. This world is no barren wasteland, either, with plenty of variety in its environments and climate. Little did I know, “ pretty big” was dead wrong: the vista in the cutscene was merely the tip of the iceberg of the world that Horizon Forbidden West is set in-a cursory comparison with Zero Dawn’s map would put Forbidden West at about 50% larger. “The world looks pretty big”, I thought to myself. It was a majestic landscape of snow capped mountains enclosing a valley, stretching miles into the horizon. Whilst trying to convince the guard on duty to take her down to the other side of the mountain by way of a gondola, a panoramic shot of the setting that is the Forbidden West comes into view. Not long after Horizon Forbidden West’s opening title faded onto the screen (which in itself was approximately an hour into the game), Aloy made her way to the top of a snowy peak, upon which a watchtower stood. After just managing to explore the width of the map, I am happy to report that Horizon Forbidden West stands head and shoulders above Zero Dawn, and is an easy early contender for Game of the Year. So I began my journey into Horizon Forbidden West with equal parts excitement and trepidation: I couldn’t wait to see how the story plays out, but was also acutely aware of the risk a sequel could do to a franchise.įret not, Horizon fans, as Forbidden West not only improves many aspects of the game to allow a deeper immersion into Aloy’s character and the player’s playstyle, developer Guerrilla have also filled the world with plenty of quests, storied characters, a slew of machines both old and new, and varying environments, thereby ensuring no area is barren. After finishing the Frozen Wilds DLC, the game cemented itself in my heart as the game I would revisit over and over again. The first chapter in Aloy’s epic tale, set in a post-post-apocalyptic world, is a beautiful marriage of science fiction plotline and tribal-esque combat using unique, primitive weaponry. Full disclosure: Horizon Zero Dawn is my favourite game of all time.
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