So Horizon Zero Dawn is pretty darn great (Gaming)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Wednesday, March 01, 2017, 19:03 (2610 days ago)

I'm still fairly early in the game... about 6-7 hours, or so. But up to this point, I can safely say that I'm enjoying it more than any other single player game in years... probably since The Last of Us.

On paper, there's a lot of stuff in this game that should turn me off, but doesn't. When I love them, I really love them, but I find most open world games dull. Running around gathering resources for crafting, following icons on a map, climbing towers, clearing outposts... it's all been done a million times before. But Horizon puts everything together just right. The combat is slick, tight, and exciting (closest comparison I can think of is the recent Tomb Raider games in terms of feel and pacing).

At the risk of too many comparisons, the game it reminds me of most is Assassin's Creed 2. The gameplay is quite a bit different, but the way they slowly roll out the plot and introduce you to the characters and the world feels very much like AC2 to me. It is patient and deliberate, and it pays off. I'm invested in what is happening, I care about the characters, I find the world itself intriguing and fascinating. They also do a great job of taking the usual "open world" mechanic tropes and justifying them in ways that fit the world. Similar to how AC4 Black Flag made sense of all that stuff (being a Pirate makes the act of searching for treasures and loot feel totally natural), nothing about Horizon feels tacked on or arbitrary. The dialog isn't anything special, but the writing and character development shines through all the same. Just a fantastically well developed world.

And SWEET DAMN is this game gorgeous. Best looking game ever? Very possible. Perfect marriage of tech and art design.

Basically, if you have a PS4, I can't think of any reasons not to try this game. Maybe if you really really hate open world games, but even then this game does so much right that it might win you over.