There is something beautiful about immersing yourself completely into a game, film or novel that, when you finish it a part still remains and you, almost, don’t want to see, play or read anything else in fear of sullying the effect.
Recently, that has been me with Guerilla Games Horizon Zero Dawn - a beautifully crafted game set in a post apocalyptic future where animal like machines roam freely and humans are living in, almost, primitive tribes.
Source: Playstation @ YouTube
Note: There will be mild spoilers but I will try to keep them to a minimum.
You play as Aloy, a young girl of the Nora Tribe, who finds herself tasked with uncovering the secrets of the Old Ones and why the machines have gone mad. As a child she discovers a relic of the Old Ones - a piece of tech called a focus which grants her access to information from before the world was changed. Raised by Rost, an outcast of the tribe, Aloy learns how to hunt, live off the land, and survive.
The game is story driven yet it exists in a huge open world with plenty of secrets. Add in the DLC of The Frozen Wilds and you’ve got a lot of game time on hand. The scenery is stunning and there were times where I found myself watching the day/night cycle just to see how the sky changed. The beautiful purple reddish dusks and dawn, the snowy mountains, and lush grasslands lend themselves for exploration.
The gameplay is challenging but not impossible. I usually play on normal difficulty whenever I first play a game. Horizon Zero Dawn on normal mode is fun and there was only one moment during the game where I found myself almost outmatched - when I was playing through one of the Cauldrons and there was a Thunderjaw that was determined to end me. It took several attempts (more like twenty attempts) to finally overcome the machine but it was still worth it. Controller wise - the controls are quick to pick up and the training is woven into the game with ease.
As Aloy, you use a range of different weapons, mostly bows, tripcasters, and slingshots. Each machine has different strengths and weaknesses, which is where the Focus comes in. You can track, see paths, strengths, and weaknesses of your ‘prey’ which should make it easier for you to defeat them. And destroying them is an important part of the game. You need to collect items from the land and the machines in order to craft ammo, potions, and other things vital to your success. Melee, however, is not the best in this game. Stealth is better than head on attacks and, once you’ve unlocked the cauldrons you are able to override some the machines, turning them “friendly” for some time.
What really caught my attention, aside from the fact that the protagonist is female, was the practicality of the costuming for her. Aloy’s costumes are, for the most part, practical and sensible. There is no chainmail bikini and Aloy is not a buxom character. I feel the gamemakers purposefully made sure not to over sexualise her character which definitely made the game more enjoyable for me. She is the equal, if not, better, than the majority of the male characters and she is not the only female character that we interact with. In fact, another selling point is the diversity of the characters. The cast is wide ranging from loveable drunkard Errend, intuitive, progressive new Sun King, Avad, and the mysterious and, possibly, dangerous Sylens.
Horizon Zero Dawn is a game that has instantly moved into my top games of all time. It’s replayable, has a beautifully in depth story, and a world worth immersing yourself into. The characters are rich and entertaining and the collectables are a lot of fun to find.
Overall, I give this game a 9/10.
What games have you played that you think I should tackle next? What is your favourite game of all time?