Wait a minute, this is supposed to be a blog about finding hidden retro
gaming gems, why am I writing about a AAA title that came out like a
year ago? Well, I played it and I figured I would write a review since I
don’t really play too many modern games. Hell, I only played HZD
because it went on sale for 10 bucks.
I can’t say this review is completely off topic either. One of the main reasons I stopped keeping up with newer games is my fatigue with FPS’ and open world games. I am just so tired of them and that’s all there are anymore. The whole “OMG ITS SOOPER DOOPER EPIC AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!” Thing wears thin when every game is like that. Fortunately, Horizon does enough different from its predecessors.
For one, it actually has a plot. Rather than put you in the role of a nameless protagonist, HZD puts you in the shoes of Aloy, a young girl who has been raised as a tribal outcast in a post apocalyptic world inexplicably filled with high tech beasts that humans both live in fear of and hunt for parts. She has no idea who her mother is and in the Matriarchal Nora tribe, that’s kind of a problem. In an effort to find out where she came from, Aloy begins training for the proving, an annual Nora rite of passage. If she wins this “proving” the tribe will have to accept her, allowing her to pry deeper into her past. Spoiler Alert: She wins and then everything gets turned on its head.
A lot of games have narratives that start out strong but end up running off the rails later on. HZD kind of has the opposite issue. The first two to three hours of the story are inconsistent and the game can’t really decide if it wants to be a coming of age story or a commentary on the dangers of technology. Fortunately, once it finds its focus the story becomes quite strong and you quickly go from aimless exploring and low stakes to a laser focused quest to understand why the world is the way it is. I found it difficult to pick up the controller early on, but difficult to put it down towards the end.
Speaking of the world, I would say its one of HZD’s strong points. Everything feels fully realized, with each of the various factions feeling very “real” and “human.” The contrast of the machines, high tech monstrosities made of sleek metal and oil-filled wires, to the primitive society seems like it shouldn’t work and yet it does. The machines, “ancient” ruins and cauldrons help make the world feel different. Also of note, the map isn’t as big as one you might find in an Elder Scrolls game. This makes HZD seem much more manageable and it certainly helps with consistency. The world doesn’t feel like its too small either, so I chalk it up as a plus.
So that’s great, but how does it play? Combat is fun and engaging for the most part, but some of the machines are more frustrating than fun to fight. The stalkers, which turn invisible, come to mind. The game also forces you into using stealth in the beginning, which is also another pain point for me. I consider unnecessary stealth and invisible enemies in the same category as escort missions. That’s not a good thing. Worse than any of that are the hunting challenges. I HATE when games force you into playing a certain way to add artificial difficulty. I should also mention that the camera is absolutely terrible. I found myself constantly having to dodge roll, which would screw the camera up in the worst way. By the time I stopped, adjusted the camera and aimed my bow, I had to roll again and repeat the process.
Still, the good far outweighs the bad. Combat and exploration are generally fun and picking the machines apart piece by piece is rewarding. The game has great pacing and the mix between exploration and combat is perfect. Aloy is a great character, she’s equal parts vulnerable and strong, is snarky but also sympathetic. It’s a shame none of the other characters are fleshed out, but at least the protagonist stands out in a world of generic vault dwellers and Dragonborns.
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a very good game with some flaws that keep it from being great. There is enough here to make it stand out a little bit from other open world games, but I still couldn’t help but shake the feeling of sameness I have started to get from all of these games. That said, the high quality is apparent throughout and its worth a play, especially if you pick it up cheap.
8/10
You should play this game if:
You like open world games and don’t have 200 hours to aimlessly wander around a virtual world
Skyrim didn’t have enough robotic animals for your liking
You are looking for a good plot with some interesting twist
You like snarky redheads
Avoid if:
You are really that bored of open world games
You can’t play N64 era platformers because of the camera
You prefer mindless action games
I can’t say this review is completely off topic either. One of the main reasons I stopped keeping up with newer games is my fatigue with FPS’ and open world games. I am just so tired of them and that’s all there are anymore. The whole “OMG ITS SOOPER DOOPER EPIC AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!” Thing wears thin when every game is like that. Fortunately, Horizon does enough different from its predecessors.
For one, it actually has a plot. Rather than put you in the role of a nameless protagonist, HZD puts you in the shoes of Aloy, a young girl who has been raised as a tribal outcast in a post apocalyptic world inexplicably filled with high tech beasts that humans both live in fear of and hunt for parts. She has no idea who her mother is and in the Matriarchal Nora tribe, that’s kind of a problem. In an effort to find out where she came from, Aloy begins training for the proving, an annual Nora rite of passage. If she wins this “proving” the tribe will have to accept her, allowing her to pry deeper into her past. Spoiler Alert: She wins and then everything gets turned on its head.
A lot of games have narratives that start out strong but end up running off the rails later on. HZD kind of has the opposite issue. The first two to three hours of the story are inconsistent and the game can’t really decide if it wants to be a coming of age story or a commentary on the dangers of technology. Fortunately, once it finds its focus the story becomes quite strong and you quickly go from aimless exploring and low stakes to a laser focused quest to understand why the world is the way it is. I found it difficult to pick up the controller early on, but difficult to put it down towards the end.
Speaking of the world, I would say its one of HZD’s strong points. Everything feels fully realized, with each of the various factions feeling very “real” and “human.” The contrast of the machines, high tech monstrosities made of sleek metal and oil-filled wires, to the primitive society seems like it shouldn’t work and yet it does. The machines, “ancient” ruins and cauldrons help make the world feel different. Also of note, the map isn’t as big as one you might find in an Elder Scrolls game. This makes HZD seem much more manageable and it certainly helps with consistency. The world doesn’t feel like its too small either, so I chalk it up as a plus.
So that’s great, but how does it play? Combat is fun and engaging for the most part, but some of the machines are more frustrating than fun to fight. The stalkers, which turn invisible, come to mind. The game also forces you into using stealth in the beginning, which is also another pain point for me. I consider unnecessary stealth and invisible enemies in the same category as escort missions. That’s not a good thing. Worse than any of that are the hunting challenges. I HATE when games force you into playing a certain way to add artificial difficulty. I should also mention that the camera is absolutely terrible. I found myself constantly having to dodge roll, which would screw the camera up in the worst way. By the time I stopped, adjusted the camera and aimed my bow, I had to roll again and repeat the process.
Still, the good far outweighs the bad. Combat and exploration are generally fun and picking the machines apart piece by piece is rewarding. The game has great pacing and the mix between exploration and combat is perfect. Aloy is a great character, she’s equal parts vulnerable and strong, is snarky but also sympathetic. It’s a shame none of the other characters are fleshed out, but at least the protagonist stands out in a world of generic vault dwellers and Dragonborns.
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a very good game with some flaws that keep it from being great. There is enough here to make it stand out a little bit from other open world games, but I still couldn’t help but shake the feeling of sameness I have started to get from all of these games. That said, the high quality is apparent throughout and its worth a play, especially if you pick it up cheap.
8/10
You should play this game if:
You like open world games and don’t have 200 hours to aimlessly wander around a virtual world
Skyrim didn’t have enough robotic animals for your liking
You are looking for a good plot with some interesting twist
You like snarky redheads
Avoid if:
You are really that bored of open world games
You can’t play N64 era platformers because of the camera
You prefer mindless action games
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