Game Review: Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)

Horizon Zero Dawn (HZD) is a game of RPG very action on a world post-apocalyptic totally open and completely exuberant. This award-winning game was developed by Guerrilla Games, the same as Killzone, exclusively for Playstation 4.

Introduction

the world of Horizon Zero Dawn it's post-apocalyptic, but calm down if you don't like zombies this game is not about that, even though the HZD universe is in a future where life on Earth has almost completely gone, we will fight against killer machines and some humans who chose the Wrong way.

The game is the perfect coexistence of the human race's primitive past, with tribes, hunting, fledgling commerce, mysticism, superstitions, and what's left of a highly advanced futuristic technology that nearly wiped out all life on the planet.

And in this new world a baby is born who in a few years becomes a curious, fearless, unbeatable warrior who will most likely save the blue planet from complete destruction, but that part will depend on you.

In Horizon Zero Dawn the player will be Aloy, the heroine destined to change the course of events in the game.

History

At the beginning of the game we are introduced to a hunter who will make us cry right from the start. Rust, is the name of this warrior that we will love and respect. This brave hunter will be given the task of raising the newborn that was exiled from the Nora tribe.

At 6 years old this little girl doesn't understand why she can't play with the other children and why everyone moves away and can't talk to her. And it is at this age that she knows cruelty and decides to find out why she was exiled from her tribe, who is her mother and why she was not raised by her.

There's only one way for Aloy to get the answers she's looking for, and that is to get first in the Ordeal. So, to overcome this challenge, she starts training. With Rost's training and care, "the exile" will become an incredible, unstoppable, fearless, agile and intelligent warrior.

Fortunately, fate has in store for our main character much more than winning the Ordeal: Aloy will expand her horizons, abilities, explore the world, meet totally deadly machines, discover more about the past of the human race and the reason for the near extinction of life on the planet.

Graphic Art

This is without a doubt the magical part of the game. Of course, the whole game is a good set: story, characters, sounds, but the landscape is breathtaking. It's really amazing. The engine used was Tenth, which is owned by the Guerrilla, but it wasn't as simple as it sounds.

Second Hermen Hulst, director general of Guerrilla, the engine was not “ready” to create Horizon's open world and many tools had to be created from scratch. And the team responsible did an exquisite job with Decima, so exquisite that it impressed the demanding Kojima and soon we will be able to see another game using this powerful tool: Death Stranding from Kojima Productions. 

Below we leave the opinion of Neil Druckman, creative director, screenwriter and programmer at Naughty Dog and acclaimed for his work on The Last of Us and Uncharted 4.

“Another thing that strikes me is the amazing graphics. I don't even think about the graphics because I'm in a forest. I'm immersed in an environment surrounded by flora and I think: how did they manage to create so much foliage, so much density in an open world? Believe me, I will tell my team: ok this is the paradigm now.” 

Check out some screenshots in the gallery below:

Audio/Soundtrack

https://youtu.be/YjIZiU2fxq4

One moment you hear the terrifying noise of the killing machines and the next you can calm down to the peaceful sound of the birds chirping. Sensitivity is increased after a mission is completed and the background music changes, for example, showing the regret of recent events.

As it could not be otherwise, at times the sound increases warning of the approach of danger, although there were times when there was not so much urgency.

In short, the audio fulfills its role by increasing the immersion and tension of the player.

O soundtrack of the game is good and stay here playlist for your verdict.

Gameplay

Horizon has an easy mechanic, you carry 4 weapons that you can quickly select, but you can also "pause" the game and choose another weapon from your arsenal and exchange for one of the ones you are carrying, without prejudice to the game. And if you run out of ammo, there's no need to panic, just as you change weapons you can mount more arrows or bombs. 

Another feature of the game are the potions that either restore your health or prevent you from freezing, for example, and these drinks once made are in an easy-to-select menu and also nothing prevents you from pausing and making more potions if yours has run out. .

Difficulty

You can choose the difficulty you will play. Easy, Normal, Hard and Very Hard. And with the recent expansion the Ultra Hard. Particularly, I played in normal mode. It wasn't too easy so that the game didn't lose its fun and also not so difficult as to stress and give up on the game.

Game Modes

Horizon is played in mode only single player, but don't think that it takes any shine away from the game. The story was very well thought out. And there is not just the main mission, but also campaigns and secondary tasks.

Some side quests explore the lives of other characters and also tie into the main story. Like, for example, the quests involving Erend and Ersa.

And even though some missions have the good old “explore the area” and “follow the tracks” the game has not become repetitive.

Replayability/Game Duration

It is an open world game and the time will depend on the game mode of each one. You can follow the main story or you can dedicate yourself to the main campaign, side missions and other tasks that appear throughout the game all at the same time. You can also explore the map and collect items.

The fact is that you will hardly spend less than 30 hours in the company of Horizon Zero Dawn. The friend who lent me the game beat it in 30h and platinum in 50h. I, on the other hand, spent 72 hours to beat it and at 80 hours I still hadn't gone platinum. And I would have continued playing to try to platinum and beat the game on Ultra Hard, but unfortunately, I had to return the game.

Cost X benefit

The physical media is still between R$150 and 200, the normal considering that the game was launched in February 28 this year. It is certainly a game that you will explore a lot, play for several hours in a row and forget to even eat.

In addition, the game began to be developed in 2011, which implies that it took many hours, years of dedication and the result is a masterpiece with an exuberant landscape, the result of the care in the details and a powerful engine.

Impressions

distances traveled

Open-world gamers will certainly enjoy running freely around the map, exploring every available inch by completing quests and collecting items. But what is the good point of the game in a few hours can become the negative point. For example, if you have to go through large areas in the same mission, even with the help of mounts, in hours of gameplay it will become a tiring and repetitive task.

And Horizon solves this problem masterfully. You can walk, run, convert machines and turn them into docile horses… but mostly you can, through a “travel package”, “teleport” to the desired location, provided you have already passed through that location before. The only downside to this trip is that the longer the distance, the longer the game load time, but it certainly takes a lot less time than you would running around the map.

hunting/gathering 

Despite not being an innovative resource, I liked hunt and gather material to manufacture potions, ammunition and weaponry. Even though at times it was tiring to spend so much time collecting material. But the solution came quickly, when I started to spend my fortune on thugs, in-game currency, to buy potions, so it didn't affect my passion for the game at all.

Skills & Tools

I have a certain fear of RPG because I have the uncanny ability to spend my skill in combinations that end up leaving my character far short of what he should be. And luckily in Horizon Dawn Zero there's no way you can spoil the character, in fact, it's even possible to fill in all the skills from Aloy, which even earns you a trophy. So, to my delight, I only regret one skill that I took.

Collectibles

After getting 99 out of 100 Kingdom flags in Assassin's Creed I took some trauma regarding exploring the map to obtain collectibles. HZD brought a middle ground.

In the “Collectibles” category in Zero Dawn we have: 12 Perk Points, 12 Ancient Vessels, 30 Metal Flowers and 6 Banuk Artifacts. Here, everything within reason and for those who enjoy platinum the game is a topic that yields a lot of trophies:

The most megalomaniacal part, which doesn't compare to Altair's game, are the access points. There are 63 Audio Access Points, 22 Hologram Access Points, 52 Text Access Points – Quests, 67 Text Access Points – World, 10 Text Access Points – Machines and 18 Analyzed Glyphs.

Some of these collectibles are small items that you find in the middle of nowhere in the vastness of the map. I didn't get them all and I didn't die for it.

The good part and what makes these items worth picking up is that they reveal a little more about the game's story. One thing is for sure: the Guerrilla team has put a lot of effort into HZD.

moral decisions

At the very beginning of the game, Aloy comes across a group of children and has to make a decision. The game warns "critical moments offer emotional choices”. You can choose to respond on the basis of strength, intelligence or heart as illustrated in the image above. But the truth is that these choices do not affect the story, much has been said that not choosing with the heart in some sidequests would affect the achievement of the “All Allies Joined” trophy, but the developers later reported that the choice of answer does not affect getting that bronze. I think it would have been interesting if it affected the story, but that doesn't dampen my excitement about the game.

Others

Another point I liked is that as much as the character runs, and that sonically she is panting, she doesn't slow down and we also don't have to stop to rest and catch our breath.

I liked the climbs, I missed Assassin's Creed, but I didn't always find the right spot to climb so… not all my climbs were glorious, on the contrary at times it was a little frustrating.

Curiosities

The game won the “Best Original Game” award in 2015 and 2016 by Game Critics Awards and in 2017 it won the title of best animation for “Development Awards".

In April 2017, the Documentary “Horizon Zero Dawn – The Making of the game (2017)” was released. The documentary is 47 minutes long and was produced by VPRO Blacklight.

The Guerrilla team spent 6 years developing Horizon Zero Dawn, 47 million dollars were invested in the project, 240 people were part of the team and 2,6 million copies were sold in just 2 weeks of the game's launch.

launch trailer

History Trailer

For those with a weak heart spoilers don't watch the trailer below.

Conclusion

Horizon Zero Dawn is the combination of past and future with mastery. A dazzling and enchanting new universe. With characters you love right away and others you don't like that much. It is addictive, passionate, exciting and unforgettable.

Anyone who says games isn't art has certainly never played Horizon Zero Dawn.

And to finish, I just say one more thing: mission accomplished, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck.

“Elisabet Sobeck: Yeah… so, as I said, it was an electronics kit for kids, but I altered the wiring with a car battery and a solar panel, and then the grass caught fire. And also a huge pine tree that was nearby. It must have been, I don't know, a hundred years old.

Gaia: Question: how old were you?

Elisabet Sobeck: Six. My mom arrived, thankfully, then she called the fire department, and then she took me out onto the lawn and showed me the dead bird chicks. Because she had nests in the pine tree.

Gaia: Question: what did you feel?

Elisabet Sobeck: I'm not sure. I remember screaming 'I don't care'. And that's when my mom took my face in her hands and… she spoke.

Gaia: Question: What did she say?

Elisabet Sobeck: That I needed to care. She said: 'Elisabet, it's no use being smart if you don't make the world better. You need to use your brain to make a difference. To serve life, not death'.”

And you, have you played? Please play and chat with me in the comments.