Horizon: Zero Dawn is this year’s big RPG from PlayStation and it will undoubtedly be one of this year’s top games. While it is considered by many to be the Playstation’s counterpart to Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild, it feels undeniable unique and has a fresh take in the world of Action/RPG games.
Story: 10/10
Never before have I seen a game with such mystery have such a fulfilling and rewarding discovery when you learn the truth. While it is true that the Horizon leaves you in the dark for a while with many of the big mysteries of the game such as why robots run rampant around the Earth and what caused the wipeout of humanity, the game delivers the answers perfectly and you’ll be amazed once you start getting the answers you’ve been searching for. I believe that the desire to get the answers about the world is truly the games highlighting feature and may be one of the best delivered stories of any game I’ve ever played.
Score: 8/10
While only a few scores to this soundtrack are memorable, Horizon does a great job of adding intensity and peace to the game as you battle and interact with allies and enemies.
Characters/Character Development: 9/10
While we learn so much about the protagonist Aloy and see how she develops and learns throughout the game, many other characters she meets along the way have interesting stories which will have you wanting to finish their side quests in order to learn more about them.
Graphics: 9/10
Graphics here look amazing and fit well into the landscape. Even the 3d map on the pause screen looks fantastic and stunning.
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Exploration is such a big part of this game and Horizon: Zero Dawn takes no shortcuts in their big expansive world that Aloy searches through. Combat works so well and this game takes advantage of using long ranged weapons, which feels so right and smart for a game of this nature. Using Aloy’s spear as a melee attack was another fantastic choice by being used as more of a secondary weapon to stun an enemy or to do that last bit of damage.
Difficulty: 7/10 (0 being the easiest, 10 being the hardest)
While parts of the game can be easily traversed with not much difficulty, several aspects of the game left me struggling. For example, herds of powerful robots left me running for my life rather than feeling that if I got stronger it would be something I could overcome. Several boss fights also took several tries before I got lucky enough to beat it. While I’m not saying that this game is something that’s hard, it is something that you don’t want to go into a fight unprepared for.
Fun: 8.5/10
Horizon definitely provides hours of fresh entertainment through its’ story, combat and characters and is something I would consider a must play for 2017. The only reason I can’t give this a higher rating is due to little annoyances like having difficulty finding certain skins and bones to upgrade pouches which can often hold you back in the heat of combat. Also while finding a new town or camp, most, if not all buildings or homes could not be explored and while this is a small detail to complain about, I believe it is something that helps a game feel more alive and real and makes reaching a new settlement feel more like a place characters actually live at, rather than just a place where I can talk to a few people for quests.
Recommended for-
- · Playstation 4 owners
- · RPG fans
- · Anyone who loves a good story