Horizon Zero Dawn

I have only completed a few games - in fact, you could count them on your two hands. This is not because I seldom play video games, rather because I'm not one to lose time in something I do not enjoy, and I leave many games mid-run.

You must know that I did not own a PS4 before 2/3/2017, and I got it specifically to play this game, which I was super-hyped for. It did not let me down: the main thing I always look for in any experience I throw myself into is the story, and, boy, did this one suck me inside! I will avoid spoilers, but know this: the way the protagonist is introduced to you immediately stimulates your empathy, and everything that follows feels very natural and a very "personal" experience. In fact, it all starts as a "personal" quest for Aloy, which will evolve, going deeper in the mysteries this future holds. But it will never lose sight of Aloy's quest, and this is a thing I want people who play it to notice throughout the story.

The gameplay is extremely fluid, and I got the grip on the controls after maybe 2 hours of gameplay (keep in mind that I had not touched a console in years before Horizon). The combat interactions are amazing, it would be hard to think of many other features or details to make it feel more "realistic". The possibilities are many and many when fighting a Machine or a Herd, and I think the gameplay is what kept me playing for an entire month almost daily: the (main) story does not take this long to be completed, but you can enjoy just being in this open world, taking dozens of different challenges, following the personal affairs of many and many - very charismatic - side characters.

About the graphics I can not add anything useful to what has been said by people who have played many recent games (which I have not done). I will just say that the last game which graphics really excited me was Xenoblade Chronicles, because of its beautiful and extravagant locations. The locations in Horizon Zero Dawn, on the other hand, were very earthly, with not many "alien" features popping up in the environment; despite that, the world felt idyllic (photo mode will totally convince you on the beauty of the game), at peace with itself, and "in balance". Sure, this balance is very fragile, and on the verge of collapse, as any story would require, but nonetheless everything feels "right".

Technical comment: I think the graphic engine is what makes the magic in terms of gameplay and graphics both. In fact there are very few texture bugs, and the character movement and interaction with environment is extremely fluid and natural. And obviously a beautiful world is no good if it does not feel real.

I was and am still blown away by this game! The amount of detail that went into this game is staggering, both from a visual and developmental standpoint. The characters are interesting, the story is much deeper than I expected, and the world feels truly alive! Playing HZD on the PS4 Pro upscaled to 2160p and with the amazing use of HDR it is truly the best looking game I think I've ever played! Bravo Guerrilla Games for putting so much time and effort into making a realistic world for us to run around in and experience! The Frozen Wilds has gotten me hooked all over again, I now have around 100 hours of game time and having a blast. I don't say this lightly but HZD is a true masterpiece!!!

Finally finished Horizon Zero Dawn on Playstation 4. Clocked in 86 hours of gameplay. This explains why many critics, even if they gave it high scores, really didn't understand the brilliance of it. They didn't play it. Most of them claimed they finished it after about 30 hours. No, not possible. All you could have done in 30 hours is rush through the main story without experiencing the vast world that was offered. What a great game. I'd score it a perfect ten if not for some moments of very frustrating platforming, so I'll give it a 9.7. The only thing I didn't finished was getting perfect scores in all the hunting challenges because, my god, that would have added at least another ten hours to the saga and even though this is an excellent game, anything can get old after nearly 90 hours of binging it. Looking at the final credits now and even those are spectacular. Best $40 I've ever spent. (oh, and Lance Reddick should get an Oscar for acting in a video game, if that category ever comes to exist.)

Pros:

• Good story and protagonist
• Good combat
• Great open world with regional variation
• Fantastic graphics
• Awesome robotic enemies
• A lot to do

Cons:

• Some bland side characters
• RPG elements feel kinda tacked on
• Generic open world structure
• Some repetitive side quests
• Jumping mechanic a little wonky
• Human enemies take too much damage

Verdict: Good game with a mysterious story & likeable protagonist that kept me playing to the end. Good game overall

8 /10.

I hope there is a sequel to this one. I can see it's potential and I know the next horizon game will be better then anything we've played. it's a great game and I hope the next one comes out soon(crazy ending) story at times was flat and some of the things it tried to implement didn't feel quite right. I enjoyed killing machines and the bandit camps but not a fan of the heavy armoured bandits and bandit boss fights, kinda felt a bit to much. I can't help but think there's to many machines(flying ones) I would want to have seen them in the next one and be surprised. All in all great game and it's way better then uncharted 4 but not quite as good as god of war(2018) or last of us.