Horizon: Zero Dawn

Thoughts

It's intriguing to me that one of the best games I've played in quite a while is so derivative. Horizon's gameplay is a strange mix of Far Cry, Monster Hunter, The Witcher, Uncharted and a fair few other titles, taking ideas and sprinkling them liberally throughout the gameplay when appropriate. Guerrilla have really taken the something borrowed is something new mindset here, creating a gameplay loop that feels like a greatest hits compilation of many AAA titles from recent years. 

I should clarify that this is more a curiosity than a downside — Horizon plays incredibly well and features strong writing and design even in smaller sidequests. This is an open world game for those weary of them, streamlining the various fetch quests and operating with a level of polish that makes traversal, combat and exploration easy and enjoyable. This blog isn't really for the big breakdowns so I'll stray from going into too much depth in terms of the setup, but rest assured the world-building is excellent and the story is very well paced and written, with the talent behind the pen showing through with gusto. 

The diversity in the combat is worth noting; there are so many games that give you a multitude of options with only a few that feel viable. In Horizon you can really roll however you want, which did wonders for keeping my interest over the 40-60 hours one can spend in this world. Many people will stick to bows and a situational weapon but I rolled with slings, traps, ropes and melee for a good chunk of my time and never felt underpowered. This sense of balance and care extends to nearly all facets of the game — little things such as having a dynamic UI to reduce clutter and ways to skip dialogue without missing entire conversations are great examples. Sidequests are intriguing, characters are well developed, fetch quests are minimal and optional (while giving more than just economical benefits). I'll leave it at that lest I start waxing lyrical too heavily. 

Plus/Minus

+ Wonderful graphics and art design

+ Varied and interesting combat

+ A genuinely well written and internally consistent story

+ Minimal fetch quests and clutter for an open world game

+ Some excellent music, sound design is generally top notch

+ Really stands out in terms of atmosphere and world design

- Last couple of hours don't quite hit home

- A few more mount options would have been nice, feels like a missed opportunity

- Can be a little repetitive mechanically

Overall

It's rare you'll play a game where the things you saw in the big, flashy E3 demo are not only easily repeatable, but are far from the coolest things you'll pull off. There's a great learning curve which lends a sense of power far more than just numbers getting bigger would. Horizon is an absolute triumph and is the pinnacle of this style of open world game. Guerrilla have done a cracking job and exceeded my expectations by such a big margin I feel a little foolish. Will definitely be in game of the year contention from most places. 

9/10

Technical Stuff: Played on a PS4. Copy was purchased by myself. Full playthrough, platinum trophy acquired, about 60 hours spent.