Horizon Zero Dawn Review

Not for a long time has a game managed to draw me into the world and the lore in the same way as Horizon Zero Dawn. Guerrilla’s perfect execution, attention to detail and imagination shines through in every aspect of this stunning title; from the attention to visual detail, to the deep lore and flowing controls and combat. Horizon Zero Dawn is a defining game for 2017 which is made all the more impressive by it’s origin as a brand new IP.

Guerrilla have taken what many would consider to be an ageing formula, the RPG adventure set in bow & sword era where one hunts and explore the land, and have managed to make it feel oh-so-fresh again. Exploring ruins of an old, yet technologically advanced society, collecting logs and information about the beasts to unravel the complex story is incredibly engaging. Horizon Zero Dawn doesn’t rush you with information though; the player isn’t left saturated in the world’s history, nor overburdened with the  narrative unfolding in front of them. With the use of excellent narrative pacing, the game remains engaging whilst allowing for exploration and thorough analysis for those players who want it. With that considered; for players who are more comfortable with a superb action game and prefer to keep a way from the nitty gritty of the world, it avoids drowning the player in dialogue and walls of text, allowing them to take a lighter skim over the lore if they prefer.

Whilst you’re not able to create your own character and immerse yourself into the world in the way a lot of RPG fans love, the characterisation is top tier; allowing for a blank slate character in Horizon Zero Dawn may have even done the narrative a massive disservice. You’ll quickly fall in love with Aloy and empathise with her struggles as she discovers an amazing world and fights for answers.

Horizon Zero Dawn allows a variety of different combat methods, and while allowing the player to go at it stealthy, get up close and brawly or hang back and go rangey; the game encourages you to blend your play style and use multiple different attack methods depending on the challenges in front of you.

Interestingly, well interesting for me anyway, the HUD is split into two separate systems. The standard game UI with healthbars and ammo is listed in menus, but the analysis of the world, creatures and people is handled by a holographic interface belonging to the character. I feel this diegetic interface, from a narrative perspective, helps realise Aloy as a character of her own. This separation allows the player to distinguish information that she as a character has, from that which you have as the gamer. The Holographic system, known in game as “Focus”, assists Aloy on her journey, providing specialised information on beast tracking, weak spots, waypoints and other information that help her become the formidable warrior she is.

But what wilderness survival-ish title would be complete without a crafting mechanic? Now crafting systems are usually a major point of frustration for myself, but here it feels super easy to navigate, and not-at-all invasive. There aren’t ten-bajillion different resources you need to be collecting, and the ones you do need have straight-forward names, making it easy to keep track of what you need and where you can find it.

If I had to nitpick at something, I will take issue with some of the boss fights. For the first time in a while I went out of my way to do some of the side dungeons, half because I wanted some more experience before pushing forward and half because I really wanted to find out more about the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. They were actually quite fun and incredible to explorer, but when I end up having to resort to online guides to help me get past a boss fight; I take this as a failing of the game, not myself.

I feel Horizon was let down on some occasions to adequately teach me what I was supposed to be doing in some encounters, leaving me to just die over and over again, building up frustration and resentment. But this is a relatively minor complaint; for the most part I found the game does an excellent job at tutorialising skills and abilities. I’d just have liked some extra love in some of the tougher fights, especially if it can see me struggling. In an age with so many tiles vying for the players attention; allowing them to leave in frustration is simply not an option.