Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PS4
Release Date: February 28, 2017
MSRP: $59.99

From Guerrilla Games, best known for the Killzone series, comes its new foray into the open world RPG - Horizon Zero Dawn. From the videos and the developer comments in past game shows, Horizon has been one of the most talked-about and anticipated games announced to release in early 2017. Additionally, the game’s stunning graphical fidelity thanks to the PS4 Pro was enough to justify the hype.

However, some people remain skeptical of Guerrilla for its disappointing previous titles, urging others to wait until the dust settles. For this reason, I was under constant pressure in reviewing Horizon because my review may turn people’s hype into disappointment or vice versa. Although I initially felt obligated to really take the time to examine every part of the game and carefully compose my thoughts into writing, I’m happy to report that it’s a weight off my shoulders after playing the game.

Guerrilla’s new IP, Horizon Zero Dawn, took six years of development and serves as a testament to how important it is to have good fundamentals in an open-world action game. For what it’s worth, I spent over ten hours straight playing the game, even though I don’t particularly enjoy open world sandbox games. My colleagues remarked that it’s a telling sign, and I think they have a point.

*All screenshots and videos are recorded on a regular PS4.

▣ Solid open world experience with a Guerrilla flair

As I was out exploring the world, doing main story quests, and getting lost in sub missions, I couldn’t help but think that Guerrilla outdid themselves in creating a clean open-world experience. Players are in direct control of exploring the vast map while learning about the snippets of story via main and sub quests.

Told through cutscenes throughout the game, the story is immersive and relatable enough, and the outcomes are all impacted by players’ decisions. For example, the main protagonist, Aloy, can choose to show emotion, to express hostility, or to use cunning to find a better solution, all with the use of the dialogue wheel. All choices are up to player and have subsequent consequences in the story. Granted, the main story arc doesn’t deviate from a set course, but minor changes in dialogues are noteworthy.

One minor drawback concerns crafting and item modification. Since crafting and mods are centered around combat, the diversity is somewhat limited. If one were to view this game as an open world with an emphasis on combat instead of survival itself, the apparent lack of diversity may be excusable. Another nitpick is that most NPCs look alike, aside from major NPCs and those who have significance to the story. Although there are characters who look similar within a tribe, NPCs look and speak differently from one tribe to the next, adding variance to an otherwise run-of-the-mill open world sequence.

Above all, the beautifully rendered cutscenes are well worth your time. On PS4 Pro, the game looks especially gorgeous and natural in portraying combat and cinematics without dropping a single frame. Everything, including the lighting effects, still looks stunning on a normal PS4. The developer knew how to use graphical fidelity to increase immersion and the player’s investment in the story.

As they play, players are privy to Aloy’s change in emotions and internal dialogues, gradually solidifying the character of the fierce huntress in their minds. Previously, the thought of a resilient red-haired huntress unconsciously reminded me of the one from Game of Thrones, but it’s nice to have Aloy to replace that image.

▣ Hunt or Be Hunted: The beauty and thrill of hunting realistic machines

If it’s not yet abundantly clear, one of the most entertaining aspects of the game is combat. I can clearly see the amount of care and effort the developer put into recreating the natural movement of mechanized animals to deliver a thrilling hunting experience. Even early non-aggressive herbivores are pretty dangerous when provoked. As the story progresses, players will have to be at the top of their game to face the more challenging predator machines like Sawtooth.

Charging into combat while swinging your weapon willy-nilly is a surefire way to invite disaster, as machines will gang up on you at a moment’s notice. Thus, players have to carefully plan their course of action. They may use the focus scan ability to identify the number and perimeter of the machines, study the surroundings for a possible advantage, and decide where to use traps or wires to burst down the prey. Once the combat begins, players will often be preoccupied with dealing damage to the machine and lose sight of everything else. If they mess up and aggro nearby creatures, then it’ll make things a lot more complicated.

Another fun aspect is dismantling a certain machine component. All machines have breakable parts, and destroying them will disable certain abilities, which is critical to keep in mind when facing high level predators. For instance, the buffalo-like Trampler has fire resistance and often uses a headbutt that deals fire-type damage. Taking out the horns on its head will shut down the headbutt attack, while destroying the oil tank between the hind legs will disable its fire-type attacks after exploding and dealing damage in the vicinity.

Hunting large combat-class machines like Stormbirds is where it gets extremely tricky, because larger machines not only have stronger attacks but also a wider range, making it easier for nearby creatures to aggro on the player. In addition to machines, there are groups of bandits that roam the map and often get in the way of players. These hooligans can dish out a significant amount of damage, comparable to the Stormbird’s swooping attack. I was one hit away from downing a Stormbird and was baffled by how much damage one of the mobsters did to me. I guess it’s tough living as an outlaw.

Since every fight requires a huge amount of focus, playing can get demanding at times. Even if you keep up with combat and weapon upgrades, flying birds of prey are often too fast, leaving very little room for error. I have thrown my gamepad in frustration as I barely downed three Tramplers only to be greeted by an entourage of Longlegs, Snapmaws, and Sawtooths right after. If you’re in it for the experience rather than challenging combat, I recommend playing on easy, because the combat difficulty spikes quite high with normal and above.

In any case, Horizon’s combat is designed to make the players focus and to immerse them in hunting. As the players gain access to more weapons, there are more enemies that stand in your way. That’s why careful planning is key when facing multiple machines. All pertinent information can be accessed from the focus scan, so players only have to worry about planning and execution. Although story mission combat is more challenging and begins without a warning, there are ample save points that allow for trial-and-error.

The day and night cycle, as well as the weather system, also play a big part in the game. Weather conditions such as sandstorm, rain, or snow obscures Aloy’s vision, requiring her to tread lightly. Likewise, it takes the machines a longer time to find Aloy, giving her more time to move around before she gets noticed. Keep in mind that Aloy has “the detective vision” to always have a first move advantage in combat.

▣ So, is it worth the asking price?

In some ways, the Horizon’s setting is post-apocalyptic, as the story takes place in a world where the remaining humans only scrape by after the fall of civilization while gigantic machines rule the land. As players progress through the story, they will search all throughout this strange world for answers about Aloy’s identity and the events of the past.

Simply put, Horizon is an open-world action RPG that focuses on combat for survival. This aspect of the game is well represented throughout the story and there are also side quests for those who wish to learn more about the lore.

I believe Horizon offers enough playtime for the price. Like the developer said previously, 50 to 60 hours of play on average will net you 70% to 80% completion on the game. There are other achievements and challenges to partake in, such as side quests that require you to complete missions in a limited time. There are also bigger machines that I haven’t gotten a chance to hunt yet. I’ve said that the game’s bread and butter is combat, but there are plenty of collectibles like voice recordings and hologram videos that will consume the time of many completionists.

Aside from the limited crafting, there are other downsides from a user experience perspective. For example, some essential combat items can’t be bought in bulk, and players will often have to upgrade bags to accommodate the various junk items they get from hunting. The latter problem gives some realism to the game by requiring players to hunt wild animals to make bags. It’s just that though these wild creatures are plentiful, they’re pretty difficult to spot. I often miss wild creatures because I’m focused on hunting machines. That’s why I recommend specifically looking for wild creatures starting from the beginning. On an unrelated note, sometimes predator creatures act wonky due to some AI issues. Use that to your advantage.

The question still remains: does Horizon provide suitable enjoyment for the asking price? My answer is a resounding yes. I believe anyone can really immerse themselves for at least 20 to 30 hours, and those who need more content can play for even longer. Additionally, the experience at times may be stressful and tiresome due to constantly intense combat, but it won’t be boring and painful.

Although Guerrilla Games has released many titles, most either didn’t particularly live up to the hype leading up to the release or had a polarizing reception (an exception being Killzone 2). Understandably, many people remained unconvinced by Horizon’s amazing gameplay videos prior to the launch.

This time though, Horizon delivered. The developer’s six years working on a new IP is well reflected in the end-product. I know how I’ll spend my weekend for the foreseeable future - hunting giant machines and having a blast.