Fear's Take on Horizon Zero Dawn

Slesel Ağustos 28, 2021

Rise of the Tomb Raider, Witcher 3, The Last of US, and Far Cry Primal are the 4 games that kept popping up in my mind as I played through Horizon Zero Dawn (HZD). That's right, I'm jumping right into it with this review by listing 4 of the best games of the last few years (or ever) and saying that HZD borrows elements from all of them and blends them into a damn near perfect game. While also saying that none of those elements feel ripped offed. I waited 2 weeks from the time I finished this game to go back and reflect to make sure I didn't write this review on a gaming high (Spoiler Alert I loved the game). I'm going to do things a little different this time and review this game by how it compares to each of the games I mentioned.

The Last of Us: So we all know the story of Joel and Ellie along with Sara and the various other characters that are in the TLoU that make the story such a rich experience. But that's not all that helped shape this game. If you took the time to find all the collectibles and notes, and then just explored the world, the world really took shape. You got the background for the story of what happened when the world went to hell. You didn't need it to make sense of the story of Joel and Ellie, but it made the world and each chapter so much better. Following letters found on a shipwrecked boat and into a sewer, then through the sewer set the backdrop for what happened. Had you not read the notes it would have just looked like any other tragedy in the game. Reading the notes was simply heart breaking. HZD has the same set up with a lot of its collectibles and different areas in the world. You can follow one person's journey around the world of the game as he reflects on his life, and the data points throughout the game really fill in just what happened when the machines took over. You could spend the entire game and never worry about any of these, but trust me they really flesh out the world. You never really get the full picture for the HZD project outside of these and how it affected the people in the world. The world basically went to hell, and while it is implied, these collectibles really fill in the void with stories that are separate from the main arc.

Witcher 3: Wow using W3 as a comparison is sure to set this up with huge expectations, and what I mean by that is the quality of the side quests of HZD match up to the side quests of W3. W3 has some of the best side quests in an open world RPG, or really any game on the market. They don't break down to just "fetch" quests, they generally have an interesting story to them, and for the most part they enhance the game's full experience. You can say the exact same for HZD. Not counting the XP you get for completing these quests, they add to the world by allowing you to enjoy full adventures outside of the main quest. You will taking part in hunting lodges, helping out citizens trapped, even unlock badass armor (that you definitely want). The stories in these are mostly self-contained, though a few of the characters can help you in the final quest. Also just like W3, some of the game's best characters come from the side quests that you will want to meet. While they might not be as in depth and expansive as some of W3's quests, there are a few in HZD that go from say the hunting lodge trails to becoming a Jr member of the lodge, to then taking down the biggest Thunderjaw out there. And that also brings up another point, the rewards and loot gathered in side quests are generally well worth the effort to play (just like W3).

Far Cry Primal: It isn't the bow and arrow that reminded me of FCP, it's the actual world of HZD. Anyone that ready my "Best Of" list last year knows that FCP had one of the best worlds of any game I have played. It wasn't full of side quests or any real mission impacting events, but it was just the design was amazing. In both FCP and HZD I got to a point that unless I was crunched for time, I rarely used fast travel, which in most open world games is a feature I use all the time (not having it really hurt Mafia 3 for me), so for me to just enjoy walking around is huge. From "ancient" ruins, unique landscapes, small to large sized settlements, and just awesome views in the game I can't compliment the team behind this enough. There are areas of the game that are so fascinating just because of the landscape and not because it is tied to any side quest or mission. What really ties it all together is the way each area of the game is different from the rest of the game. The landscape is totally different in the north than it is in the west; east is different than south, from mountains to desert to jungles it's just amazing. What this does is make the world feel larger than it really is. But make no mistake, the game is a huge area. Here's the thing, the last 6 sentences can be applied to either game, and in fact I was think about both when I wrote them. I said FCP had the best world of an open world came I have ever played when I reviewed it, and honestly HZD does a damn fine job of challenging it.

Rise of the Tomb Raider: So right off the bat let me just say that I played TR in January and I made the bold claim I wasn't sure any game would unseat it this year as my GotY (I base my GotY on what I played that calendar year, not release date). HZD has challenged that so much that as of right now, I'm really torn between a favorite of the 2 games. And while yes both feature a strong woman lead, that's not why HZD reminds me so much of TR. What the 2 have in common is excellent gameplay. From the bow and arrow, to the way each area is littered with different enemies of all kinds to take down with several different options. A story that has you guess where the next twist will take you. Upgrades that are just awesome and really enhance the game for you. Sure they are different in a lot of ways, but they fun factor is sky high for both. I loved both games, both had me wanting to keep playing long after the story, and both are games I will be returning to in time.

So that's how I will review Horizon Zero Dawn. Sure I could have broken down each area of the game like a normal review, but I wanted readers to understand what this game was like. It wasn't just the game with robot dinosaurs. It also isn't a rip off of any of the games I mentioned, but you can get a better understanding of the different parts that make up the sum of the game if I compare them to other games that excelled in those areas. HZD is an amazing blend of some of the best games on the market. I easily give this game a high score of 9.75.