Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn is perfect for those who love open-world games but don't want to spend hours getting to know them. In recent years, only Ghost of Tsushima has come close to this balance of exploration and gameplay.

For those who have yet to play Horizon Zero Dawn, the story takes place in the 31st Century in our future. Hundreds of square miles of the former "old world" have been reclaimed by nature, creating a lush, green post-apocalyptic world. Only a few humans remain in scattered tribal-like populations here. They don't have access to modern technology. It is primarily the ruins of our near-future skyscrapers and deep bunkers that echo the past as they hold numerous secrets about humanity that have led the world to this disastrous turn.

A curious young outsider, Aloy, is at the centre of uncovering this shocking truth, living on the outskirts of the tribe with her protector and father figure, Rost. A big event turns Aloy's entire world upside down when she learns more about this world through Rost. There is no longer a human ruler in this world. As robots gained intelligence, they began to claim the world.

You play as Aloy while learning more about your ancestral past as you fight this machine threat. Throughout 20-25 hours of story, these two plots dance seamlessly together. For the coveted 100% completion mark, you'll have to spend 10-15 hours on top of that to explore the entire world.

A bleak but beautiful picture of the future is painted by Horizon Zero Dawn, which I mentioned earlier. We can learn a lot about the past and how this world came to be in this state from a lot of text logs and audio recordings. Horizon Zero Dawn goes deeper than these logs to flesh out its world if you don't want to read through them.

At different times of the day, each tribe performs their own unique song. There are fields outside of Meridian's capital city of crops that are ripe for harvesting so they can be brought inside to feed people. Each tribe speaks its own language, with sun worship and clothing made from machine parts that differ from place to place. This world feels alive with these subtle inclusions.

There are only so many things a storyteller and worldbuilder can achieve. Similarly, Horizon Zero Dawn features tight controls and fun gunplay, which are trademarks of the Killzone series. In terms of gameplay, Horizon differs greatly from what Guerrilla Games have attempted until now, with its brand-new third-person perspective. In spite of this, they treat it like it's no big deal.

There are a variety of side quests to choose from. There are many fetch quests, monster killing, or investigative tasks that can be tedious and cumbersome in the game.

It is the same breadcrumb trail in The Witcher 3, Batman, Assassin's Creed, and others that lead to the set piece at the end. While this game is engaging enough to keep you engaged, there aren't many depths and these moments are some of the most frustrating. Horizon Zero Dawn also has an astounding amount of longevity.

Also very well done is the voice acting, with Ashly Burch beautifully bringing Aloy to life. Nevertheless, it's Lance Reddick who really stands out here, creating the mysterious Sylens with an unnerving level of intrigue.

A studio that brings its A-game from beginning to end delivers a bold, striking vision of the future. Horizon Zero Dawn is a masterpiece of world-building, storytelling, and gameplay; an open-world game that sets new standards.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10

AJ