In Horizon: Forbidden West, the developers from Guerrilla Games continue to tell a gripping story about humankind paying for mistakes their ancestors committed a thousand years ago. Where before there were spaceships, now there are spears and bows but the world doesn’t care. And only one young woman named Aloy can save the planet from the next destruction.
February 18th marked the release date of the second game in the action-adventure series Horizon. Much like when it comes to other projects, Sony had been very careful when it came to the game’s advertising in order to create maximum buzz but provide the least possible amount of details to avoid spoiling the plot.
Is your focus ready? This is our Horizon: Forbidden West PS4 review.
Note: the PS4 version of the game is a verified purchase by the author.
A Blast From The Past
The story of the game picks up where Zero Dawn left off. In order to freshen your memory, let’s take a quick look back at the premise of the first game.
In the world of Horizon, mankind got wiped out due to its own folly: the scientists created military automatons for the sake of progress, future and, of course, profit. Despite the plots of a million horror movies, humans were caught unawares when their creations turned on them. The Faro Swarm started a methodical process of eradicating life on Earth.
The last hope of humanity was tied to GAIA, a terraforming AI tasked with restoring life on Earth after its eradication was complete. This mad plan worked until a mysterious signal turned Gaia’s subordinate functions into full-fledged AI themselves, including HADES – GAIA’s extinction failsafe protocol. As the rogue AI seeks to destroy all life on the planet again, the future of humanity rests on the shoulders of Aloy, an outcast and a hunter of unparalleled skill.
As a young child, she found the Focus in the Old Ones’ ruins. This small, arrow-shaped device plays an important role in the plot of the game and serves as a way to establish connection between Aloy and Sylens, discover the truth behind the machines and the fate of the Old Ones. Together, Sylens and Aloy take on the AI HADES and manage to destroy it at the end of Zero Dawn.
But was it what really happened?
Forbidden West
The events of Horizon: Forbidden West take place six months after the end of Zero Dawn. Aloy is striving to ensure that humanity never faces the threat of another extinction. And even the most distrustful can no longer pretend that it is not coming: plants are being stricken with a disease that makes it difficult for humans and animals to breathe.
The resourceful huntress has a daring plan: to find a working copy of GAIA that should have been preserved somewhere and run the programs to restore the planet. GAIA’s trail leads far to the West, into the lands of the Tenakth tribe.
Sylens makes a comeback, revealing some of his plans to Aloy. While the young woman considered him an ally, this guy had his own vision of a “better world” he wanted to create. Aloy’s in for a long, exciting journey full of dangers and secrets.
Skills & Mechanics
In the new game, the skills are split among six categories: Warrior, Trapper, Hunter, Survivor, Infiltrator and Machine Master, making the entire system much more obvious and convenient.
Every skill is interconnected by a kind of cobweb and, in order to reach the skill you want, you will have to take a look at what you need to unlock first. Forbidden West also received a kind of “ultimate ability” – it can be increased resistance against physical damage or enhancing your own attack.
The system that is a bit annoying is leveling up weapons and armor. Most often, in order to improve your bow higher than level 2 or 3, you will have to set out to hunt specific robots for the details. Of course, getting enough crafting reagents in one go is next to impossible, so prepare to hunt, track and trap the needed type of machines 3 or 4 times in row.
Physical puzzles have been finalized and polished. The way they are realized is a bit unusual for the game’s genre. At first, it might even feel that things are not working as they’re supposed to in some places until you find the right solution. Thanks to the open world and the use of the game’s physics model, the local puzzles seem interesting and have their own independent value.
I was a bit upset with the behavior of the camera at certain points. When the battle begins and the enemy tries to move behind your back, the camera periodically chooses extremely uncomfortable angles for attacks. Similar things happen when you need to jump backwards or climb somewhere. Aloy’s behavior can be unresponsive at times as well.
Forbidden West received a new mini-game called Machine Strike. It is somewhat a mix between chess and a card game like Gwent or Valhalla’s Orlog. You have a set of figures of different values, each with its own characteristics. You can also find new figurines while traveling or purchase them from vendors. It is up to you to score 7 points or destroy your opponent’s army to win.
The characters in the game have become more individual and alive. Additionally, Aloy now has a certain dialogue variation, although it doesn’t affect anything. In between missions there is an opportunity to chat with NPCs and find out how things are going.
Sound & Graphics
In terms of graphics, Forbidden West is a clear example of next-gen and a huge step forward even compared to the splendor of Zero Dawn. There is a noticeable difference in the image between the PS4 and PS5 consoles. If you don’t have a PS5, check out the video from IGN below to see the difference!
Horizon has incredibly beautiful cut-scenes, both in Zero Dawn and in Forgotten West. People, facial animation, environment detail, draw distance, shadows are of very high quality and obviously created by masters of their craft. The game features bright colors, a realistic living world, dynamic change of weather and time of day.
In my playthrough, I have run into some bugs. Once, Aloy’s feet fell through the texture and got stuck when I tried to jump. Periodically there are glitches and lags as well as slowdowns and FPS drops. The developers have promised to address those issues in the patches.
The game’s music made me think of the elven tunes from time to time. A melody is perfectly chosen for each location, it characterizes the place and makes it even more atmospheric. The great ambient sound only adds to the overall charm: the screech of the machines, the slapping of shoes in the mud, the chirping of bugs in the grass, distant explosions rumbling like thunder through the valley – with a good headset, it feels like you are physically present in the world of the game.
