Horizon Forbidden West is indeed a satisfying sequel, exceeding the expectation of fans. Read our Horizon Forbidden West review.
Whenever a sequel comes out, there are a whole set of different questions like how well it performed than the original one. “Horizon Zero Dawn,” Guerrilla Games’ award-winning, 2017 open-world RPG was really a well-done one and settled a great benchmark for the sequel.
It was very good in terms of story, marvelous environment but “Forbidden West” is proving all of us wrong. It is one step better or we can say rocking than the first part. It is not only better than that but surpasses it in every aspect.
Horizon Forbidden West is already ruling on our hearts and it will introduce you to so many of its new tools within the first hour like Aloy’s arsenal: the “Pullcaster,” a grappling hook that puts a new dimension at your disposal for free climbing and also something we should really appreciate is that it set a whole new ground for us and not only worked upon its predecessor.
From a physical standpoint, Horizon Forbidden West now can expand in both directions vertically, underwater exploring and gliding mechanic too. And the fun part is about the story, dialogues, and the companions which make the story very real and lively. Good story writing, graphics, and PlayStation 5 helped the forbidden west in setting these high bars.
So, if you want to have a look at the gameplay review, story, and overall performance of the game before buying it and giving Horizon Forbidden West a try, here you go with our detailed Horizon Forbidden West review.
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Horizon Forbidden West story
The Horizon Forbidden West story follows the path of Aloy once again, an outcast turned redeemer of a world in ruins. It is set along after a plague which destroyed almost everything robust consumed everything on earth, and a primitive society takes birth with the help of project zero dawn.
An AI named Gaia is also designed to run the system to revive Earth using nine subroutines, each with a particular function to make the planet lively again and to restore life and to make functions like purifying waterways, making the air breathable, reintroducing animals created from genetic stockpiles, etc.
It worked on things like making machines with unique designs of birds deers dinosaurs and other animals too. This too just promotes the thought of saving them as they are a delicate part of this environment. But in recent times they are getting out of human control.
Following the events of Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy is known for the fact that few around her comprehend the gravity of what’s at stake. In one of the scenes, she notices that the statue honors her as the city of Meridian’s “savior”.
Gaia was the one who maintained the biosphere for ages till that cyber-attack which forced her to destroy herself. Now it’s Aloy’s responsibility to get Gaia back to life so that she can help her to run the whole function and maintain peace in the society. In between all these Chaos like gathering groups of allies setting crews next move etc the plot seems like an Ocean’s movie here.
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Horizon Forbidden West gameplay
The spellcaster was there in the first game instead of yellow or white paint splatter denoting climbable ledges, you have now Aloy “focus”, the head-mounted AR device as a better option which is also called second sight by locals.
Fans can look at it as a cross between the free climbing of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the Animus technology in Assassin’s Creed.
“Forbidden West” also took a page of inspiration from the Uncharted series in the environmental puzzles Aloy had to find throughout her journey. The solutions need to manipulate a variety of tools like weighted panels, movable boxes, and Aloy’s glider to keep things fun and interesting.
You will be fascinated by the core gameplay loop of building up your tool kit and adjusting your approach to take on new, more strong machines. More than that the world would mesmerize you. A little appreciation for all those little details which make it feel more lively.
Combat in “Zero Dawn” isn’t exactly simple, but “Forbidden West” has new weapon techniques with so many glitches too. You will enjoy some of the new weapons: you will find a variation of the throwing spear, a powerful but slow ranged weapon, that could lodge into enemies and detonate with an explosion. It will quickly become your go too.
You can check your progress too and trust us you won’t get over this you will always feel compelled to explore more of its unique world — just to see how Aloy’s adventures continue and how she make some changes for the better.
In simple words, there is some sort of war going between the natural and firmly unnatural is everywhere to see in the Forbidden West. It soaks down through many levels to what the Horizon series is all about animal-like man-made machines that wander the land, tracing the footsteps of their long-dead creators.
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Horizon Forbidden West Performance
There is another kind of feedback for the PlayStation 5 controller that adds another level to this immersion. One can be greatly satisfied with the tension to Aloy’s bow as wherever you draw each arrow back for a shot, the string vibration can be felt through the controller. You can feel the sensation while sneaking through waist-high.
When you stab the spear forward, there’s more resistance on the trigger depending on the toughness of the surface you are stabbing. The issues began cropping up about halfway through your playthrough and became more frequent the further you progressed.
Most of the time, the visuals won’t disappoint you and this will make you fall in love with “Forbidden West ” luxuriates in its breathtaking set pieces. Cinematic shots just beautify the purpose. The ruins of real-world cities are some of the best visuals.
Keeping aside the graphical issues one more thing to pay attention to is that it feels bloated like most real-world games. This time Guerrilla Games has decided to changes the formula a bit to keep players away from feeling stale or repetitive content; one example of this is climbing Tall Necks (a side quest kind of element that was likewise seen in the first game). This is not the same for Horizon Forbidden West. The quality of writing and voice acting is also not that good.
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Our Verdict
Horizon Forbidden West has delivered on the promise of more. It’s a food you might not get over of, filled with quests, characters, encampments, environments, and collectibles — and battles against new deadly machines. The game has many traversal tools, nearly photo-real wilderness.
But Horizon Forbidden West also slacks in a few things. Both mechanically and narratively, it suffers under the weight of its sequel ambitions, trying too hard to be superior, and sometimes losing track but for sure, Aloy is still a character you will love, and her world is one you will enjoy spending time in.
Horizon Forbidden West, especially on the PlayStation 5, is awesome; it’s one of the most interesting games. We are sure of the fact that you will enjoy the game on the PS5 console as there you will be able to walk all through the wide world, without facing any problems related to loading screens.
You will feel a different kind of freedom in the journey westward, exploring the best vistas bursting with giant sequoias, lively lakes, and crumbling ruins swallowed by desert sands. Joshua trees and scrub-speckled flatlands give a real sense of place — and Forbidden West even lets you experience the ruins of actual American cities.
For sure Textures on the PS5 are smoother, there’s more detail in some scenes, and overall, the image looks cleaner and has much-improved lighting. There are some noticeable glitches on the PS4, particularly during cutscenes, but no major graphical hitches; these might be frequently experienced if you move fast.
The clearest difference is that Aloy’s hair looks more realistic on the PS5, particularly as it moves around while she’s jumping and underwater too. Well, there you have it, our complete experience and detailed Horizon Forbidden West review. Be sure to check it out when the game releases. We will keep updated with new info, so keep following.
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