Horizon Forbidden West for PlayStation 4

A flawless return to Aloy’s machine-threatened world

Horizon Forbidden West is the long-awaited sequel to the award-winning open world action-adventure Horizon Zero Dawn. Developed by Guerrilla Games (Killzone Shadow Fall), the latest iteration of Aloy’s journey takes us once again on an exhilarating adventure through the ruins of a fallen society. Humongous mechanical beasts, breathtaking landscapes and a compelling story will accompany us while we explore a post-apocalyptic world on the verge of collapsing. With enhanced graphics and new gameplay mechanics, the vast and stunning open world of Horizon Forbidden West lands on the PlayStation 4 ready to become a turning point for the genre. But… Will it manage to succeed?

Story

The latest installment of the Horizon series reunites us with Aloy, the brave hunter from the Nora tribe, that ventures to a dangerous unexplored area known as “Forbidden West” trying to uncover the cause of the Red Blight. On her journey Aloy will encounter new tribes, factions as well as new adversaries and colossal machines. Exploring themes such as resilience, self-discovery and the destructive relationship between humanity and nature, Aloy will embark on a hopeless quest to restore balance and save a world on the brink of extinction.

Built on the solid foundations of Zero Dawn, Horizon 2 is an epic and immersive experience wrapped up in a compelling story full of twists and turns. With the basis of Aloy’s world and past already established, Forbidden West masterfully crafts a new adventure as thrilling and mysterious as its first installment. Accompany Aloy in this fallen world bound to oblivion and become humanities’ last beacon of hope.

Gameplay

Horizon FW is the perfect evolution of Zero Dawn’s gameplay. Everything that made the first game an instant classic is back with significant improvements, making it more responsive on the PS4. Forbidden West blends open-world exploration, thrilling combat, strategy and stealth mechanics, making Aloy’s journey always engaging and fresh. As you venture through Guerrilla’s post-apocalyptic world, you’ll gain access to a wide array of weapons, traps and tools that will help you take down the iconic machines that now inhabit the world. You’ll also be able to upgrade your arsenal at a workbench, improving their stats and making them more effective. But that’s not all, Aloy’s outfits won’t be just cosmetic, but will also give our heroine access to new skills to help her in her quest.

Aloy’s abilities have also expanded in Forbidden West, allowing us to explore the game’s enormous map however we like. Climbing is less rigid than its previous installment, giving us more freedom to ascend mountains and reach the summits of its breathtaking landscapes. We’ll also be able to conquer the skies thanks to a glider, an amazing addition clearly inspired by titles such as Breath of the Wild, as well as flying machines. However, one of the biggest changes is found in its underwater exploration, allowing us to dive and uncover mysteries beneath the surface of seas, rivers and lakes.

Last but not least, Horizon Forbidden West excels at offering an intense and action-packed combat experience. The game boasts around 40 different types of blood thirsty machines, each of them requiring a different strategy to take down. The way you decide to take up this challenge is entirely up to you. Are you into fiercely tackling your enemies face-to-face, with ranged weapons or surprising them with a stealth attack? You can play the game however you want, making combat constantly fun, intense and exciting.

Graphics

Like most PlayStation exclusives, Horizon Forbidden West looks amazing. From its lush jungles to its arid deserts, Aloy’s journey is one of the most visually impressive experiences you’ll find on a PS4. The level of detail in the game is often bordering on ridiculous thanks to its meticulously crafted life-like landscapes. The game’s world looks and feels alive as a result of the great lighting effects as well as the dynamic weather system, which perfectly recreates a fallen world that has been slowly reclaimed by mother nature.

We can’t talk about Horizon FW’s graphics without mentioning its character models. Aloy, as well as the friends and foes she encounters in her journey, have been rendered to perfection. They boast realistic facial expressions as well as extreme care in depicting fine details of clothes and armor. Their animations are also outstanding, recreating life-like movements, attitudes and even the quirks that define their personality. The same can be said about the game’s mechanical creatures, or “machines”. These jaw-dropping colossal robots showcase a wide range of metallic textures and moving parts that make every encounter as thrilling as it is visually spectacular.

Considered by many users to be the best looking game on PS5, Horizon II is a testament to what Sony’s next-gen console is able to do in the hands of skilled developers such as Guerrilla. Good news is that the differences with its PS4 version are negligible. While it is true the game has some noticeable pop-ins, the rest of the game looks almost identical to its PS5 counterpart.

How do you activate Burning Shores in Horizon Forbidden West?

To access the Burning Shores DLC, you’ll first have to complete the main story of Horizon Forbidden West (including the game’s final Singularity mission), otherwise the expansion will be unavailable. Once you’ve done this, Aloy will receive a message through her Focus that will trigger the Burning Shores DLC.

How long is Horizon Forbidden West?

It takes an average of 30 hours to finish the main campaign of Horizon Forbidden West. However, if you’re aiming to discover all secrets and complete all side-quests, it’ll take you 89 hours to platinum the game.

The perfect evolution of the open-world genre

Horizon: Forbidden West is  the perfect sequel to one of the most iconic titles on the PS4. The game takes the foundations set by Zero Dawn and improves on them, enhancing what already was a superb open-world experience. Guerrilla Games have once again built a world full of beauty, danger and mechanical nightmares in which it is a real pleasure to get lost. Its revamped combat mechanics, meaningful side-quests and newly introduced exploring mechanics are engaging and keep the game always fresh.  If you own a PlayStation 4, this is definitely one game you don’t want to miss.