I first saw this game shown off at E3 2015. "Robo-dinos!" I thought. Sold.
Given my rather superficial analysis of the game, I kept my preorder for over a year, and wasn't disappointed by the game when it came out. If you want to engage in combat with massive machines, targeting weak spots, utilizing different weapons and setting traps, then this game delivers in spades. It sells itself as an Action RPG, but in reality it's a third person action game with very, very light RPG elements. You've got a skill tree no more involved than anything you've seen in Dying Light or the Arkham series of Batman games. You'll pick up loot, put a mod or three in a weapon, you'll craft ammo, and you'll gain skill points in a rather uninspired skill tree, but otherwise, you're not really crunching stats. The forgiving, choice-free nature of the RPG elements serves to make them more redundant - you'll get every skill if you level up enough and do enough side objectives, and mods can be swapped out after purchasing a later skill, but swapping armor and weapon loadouts (with specific mods inserted) depending on the foe at hand does add some strategic depth to combat.
Speaking of which, combat in Horizon Zero Dawn is fantastic, as was previously mentioned. You've got spears, bows, slings making up the majority of your arsenal, as well as the Ropecaster - a weapon that shoots out ropes and ties down robots, the Tripcaster - a weapon that shoots out wires you can use as traps, and the Rattler - a shotgun-like device that shoots out numerous projectiles. Don't be fooled by the illusion of choice, though - it's very much a bow game. While good aim and reflexes will serve you well, don't think of the game as a shooter as much as your bows are... element-spitters. Each enemy has specific weaknesses, and weakspots that may have different weaknesses from the main body of the machine.
Use a weapon with "tear" damage and you can knock off components, disabling machine attacks, giving you more resources, or even allowing you to commandeer the weapon you knocked off. Setting machines on fire can cause them to overheat, freezing them makes them take more damage from subsequent attacks, and shock damage can stun them for a short while. In addition, some machines will overheat when exposed to too much fire damage, forcing them to eject vulnerable components you can then target for mass damage, while other times machines will have various elementally-aligned canisters that will explode if targeted with the correct element. All in all, using the right weapon at the right time on the right machine (or right part of the machine!) is of supreme importance, and it gives combat a more tactical feel not seen in a long time. Knowing how to fight a machine will allow you to take it down much faster, and the learning experience is very rewarding in its own right.
The fact that most machines are based off some real-world animal (living or extinct) is also rather fun, especially as they take up environmental roles appropriate to their type. There are relatively skittish, docile herbivore mimics, more aggressive ram/bull like herbivores, giant cat-like machines, scavenger machine-dogs and machine vultures (you'll learn to hate them, trust me), up to the massive tyrannosaur-like Thunderjaw. The fact that you're fighting robot animals with massive guns is cool enough to bring the nerd out of anybody, enough so that you can ignore the silliness that such foes could be hindered by crude bows and arrows, which in HZD function more like rocket-launchers than actual bows. They have a linear (not arched) trajectory, although their maximum range may fool you otherwise, and the sheer impact damage they do (based on how the machines react to them) is absurd - but it's a trivial gripe, at best. The only other complaint about combat to be had is whenever you're forced to fight human enemies, which are nowhere near as fun as the machines. Fortunately, they're weak, but fighting them can't be viewed as anything but a low-point, by comparison to the excellent machine combat.
Taking advantage enemy weakspots and mitigating enemy attacks is where the RPG elements really come into play. Kill machines and you'll get mods, which can be inserted (like gems in Diablo) into weapon and armor, giving them permanent bonuses. Before too much time has passed you'll find yourself with purple (Very Rare) quality mods and weapons, at which point you'll happily start nit-picking details. It might seem odd to get the most powerful weapons early on, but rarer weapons also unlock new types of ammo, and while you'll be encouraged to do this once or twice in the beginning, it's largely left up to you to continue on your own. Buy a War Bow and you can use Shock Arrows. Buy a Carja War Bow and you can use Freeze Arrows. Come across a Stalker or a Longleg without a War Bow? Tough - you'll know better next time. That said, modding arms and armor is the closest this game feels to an RPG, and redundancy is key. Take the War Bow - it has three different elements of ammo it can shoot (albeit with its highest grade). The natural solution is to have THREE of these bows, each one modded to utilize a different element, which you'll switch to as the situation demands. Need to freeze a Rockbreaker? Get your freeze modded Shadow War Bow. Need tear damage? Impact damage? Fire damage? Three different Shadow Hunter Bows will do that - one for each element. Same goes for the armor. If you're fighting a foe that spits ice at you, put on ice resistance armor. Need to sneak past? Put on your stealth armor.
Speaking of which, aside from direct combat, stealth is very well done in HZD, being quite akin to Shadow of Mordor. Enemies all have detection bars, making evading foes intuitive. Stealth itself is powerful, but not over-powered. Good for eliminating many weak enemies early on, it leads you to a false impression of stealth's power until medium/large machines become more common, at which it goes from being a good fight-finisher to a good first-strike. There are also plenty of collectibles to find, and much, much climbing to be done. Climbing Tallnecks is quite fun, and the rewards (dispelling large segments of the fog of war) makes it even more enjoyable. The platforming is all automated, and ledges and handholds you can make use of are almost always indicated by white or yellow. The automation isn't perfect, however, and it does get tedious after a few hours of constantly watching the slow-motion jump which has long since stopped being nerve-wracking and started to be a bit of a nuisance.
The graphics are top-notch for a console experience, even the most jaded of gamer is sure to appreciate Horizon's superb lighting and weather effects. Character animation is generally good, too, save for speaking in cutscenes. Is it Andromeda bad? No, but it's not Witcher 3 good, either. Another praise-worthy feature is that despite being an open world game you will very rarely encounter clipping issues in the environment. Floating rocks and foliage, untextured terrain, and other graphical treats are abound in games like Fallout 4 and Skyrim, and while Horizon's not as big as those worlds, the consistently high quality throughout is definitely worth noting.
The story and characters is where the game falters, a bit, and if you follow too much internet drama, you'll have heard aspersions cast about this game before it came out. They're not entirely true or untrue, but it shouldn't spoil the experience, either way. The protagonist a figure she tracks throughout the game is, in typical video game protagonist format, portrayed as nearly omni-competent. Especially the latter figure, their wholesome goodness, inerrant correctness and unshakable aptitude makes for a two-dimensional character that seems overly lionized, and hard to really care about. That Aloy follows this model invariably means she shares the same faults. Other quirks of the character are probably personal annoyances, like Aloy's incessant need to mumble quietly throughout the game about the most trivial of matters. The story itself is interesting... or at least the backstory is. The main game presents a typical tale of self-discovery and revenge, and while cliche, they're motivations that work. Another down-point, however, are the dialogue "options", which are almost always completely pointless.
While the claims of misandry are overblown, if you're overly sensitive to such things, you might find plenty to complain about. Invariably when there's an evil character, it turns out to be male. From the main antagonist, to the mean child from the nearby tribe, to the angry War-Chief, to the main culprit behind the ancient event around which the world of HZD revolves... all male. This gender demonization even applies to AI. Fortunately, there are also strong, helpful male characters, chiefly Aloy's foster-father and mentor, but the range of portrayal males get just makes the female NPCs seem two-dimensional, by comparison, and this overly protective, sanitized writing of female characters just makes them boring. You'll find bandits of both genders, but as for named NPCs with speaking roles, the most adversarial one in the entire game is an intransigent old matriarch who has little effect on the overall storyline or any specific quests. Women can be villains, too, they have the same range of emotions and capacity for selfishness, hate, greed and violence, and writing them differently just dehumanizes them.
Overall, it's a great game with some room for improvement. If you enjoyed game like Far Cry Primal, Shadow of Mordor or Batman: Arkham Knight, consider giving Horizon a look.
What do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the manufacturer
Experience A Vibrant, Lush World Inhabited By Mysterious Mechanized Creatures
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
A Lush Post-Apocalyptic WorldHow have machines dominated this world, and what is their purpose? What happened to the civilization here before? Scour every corner of a realm filled with ancient relics and mysterious buildings in order to uncover your past and unearth the many secrets of a forgotten land. |
Nature and Machines CollideHorizon Zero Dawn juxtaposes two contrasting elements, taking a vibrant world rich with beautiful nature and filling it with awe-inspiring highly advanced technology. This marriage creates a dynamic combination for both exploration and gameplay. |
Defy Overwhelming OddsThe foundation of combat in Horizon Zero Dawn is built upon the speed and cunning of Aloy versus the raw strength and size of the machines. In order to overcome a much larger and technologically superior enemy, Aloy must use every ounce of her knowledge, intelligence, and agility to survive each encounter. |
Cutting Edge Open World TechStunningly detailed forests, imposing mountains, and atmospheric ruins of a bygone civilization meld together in a landscape that is alive with changing weather systems and a full day/night cycle. |
Embark on a compelling, emotional journey and unravel mysteries of tribal societies, ancient artifacts and advanced technologies that will determine the fate of this planet, and of life itself.
Let's get this out of the way right off: this game is gorgeous. It is probably the best looking game on any system right now (I played on a PS4 Pro with HDR and a 4K screen). Even after putting 60+ hours into the game I often found myself stopping to enjoy the vistas (and even taking a few pictures with the fantastic photo mode). A feat that is all the more impressive for an open world game where you can go anywhere and do anything.The crux of the game revolves around primitive humans fighting giant robot dinosaurs with frickin' laser beams in lush and varied environments. To that end the game is fantastically successful. There is a certain thrilling juxtaposition in watching a defeated machine twitch and spark as the sun sets on a beautiful windswept meadow.To hunt these mechanical monstrosities (and yes you have to hunt them to scavenge precious components) you have stealth, spears, bows, slingshots, various traps, and most importantly your wits. There are additional weapon types that can be taken from humans and machines and used temporarily. There is really no end to the number of ways that a battle can unfold. I spent hours just pitting different kinds of machines against each to see who was stronger (later in the game you can corrupt machines or even hack them to fight with you).Primitive humans and robot dinosaurs? How does that happen? There is a fantastically detailed story that explains everything. As good as the combat and graphics are the story itself is probably even better. The story has as much or as little detail as you want (and you will probably want it all). Peppered throughout the world are artifacts that flesh out the pre-apocalyptic world. These text, audio, and hologram logs provide not only story but also context of the people's lives before and up to the apocalypse.There is only one imbalance in this almost perfect game. With the exception of the absolute best weapons (which you have to earn through trials) and armor (available near the end of the main story) the 3 tiers of weapons are available too soon in the game. I don't feel like I earned the top tier items. There was almost no reason to even have tiers.
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 25, 2017
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 12, 2017
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Jonathan Boulet
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 20, 2018Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
まま
感動そのもの
Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on January 16, 2019Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
dhanis
日本語要らない
Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on July 2, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Adrian
PS4 Game
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 28, 2023Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Shabba
Beautiful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 18, 2020Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
