This review contains spoilers
Overall I think this game was good if not a little disappointing. Let's breakdown the details.
Spoilers Ahead: Please read at own risk
Story - 7/10 - The story was a weak element of the game. It had its ups and downs. As the story progresses, you can see that it's being pulled in various directions. There's Sylens, GAIA's three sub functions and hephaestus, Far Zenith, the Tenakth and Rengala, and that Ted Faro debacle. The poor pacing for each plot point led to a very cramped story at times.
One highlight was the assault on the Far Zenith base. That sort of avenger style squad vs enemy was pretty awesome. Speaking of the ending, um... well I mean there is going to be a Horizon 3 now.... yay. Seriously though, looking back at the first game, Horizon wasn't all that great until the final act (check out my review on that game). But that final act at least gave you enough time to digest every reveal that is being thrown your way. Forbidden West elected to do the same thing, but with no breathing room. The pinnacle of that was dropping the (queue Horizon 3) bombshell out of nowhere AND THEN the game just ends. Some may like it, but I just don't think that's good storytelling.
Game Design - 8/10 - Great open world that felt alive. Side quests, despite being long, were rewarding and felt meaningful. Dialogue options were expansive. I really appreciate the effort put into the dialogue. Truly felt like you could have whole conversations with the characters. Loved the skill tree and crafting, which is a step up from the previous game. You can tell that the bow mechanics were reworked which I thought was for the worse. The bow felt more slow and clunky. Not quite as it used to be. Modifications seemed to be given a nerf as I found myself not really using them.
Characters - 8/10 - Some may disagree with me here, but I thought the lack of character development was fine. Existing characters have already been fleshed out. If taken the time to go through character dialogue, the newer characters can be fleshed out as well. Any other character outside the squad was very forgettable though.
Setting - 10/10 - Just like the previous entry, Horizon Forbidden West has an amazing setting. Each environment had its "catch". There was snowy mountains, dry desert, swamps, beaches, urban, etc. The attention to detail is stunning especially underwater. Guerrilla Games never fails to impress.
Sound and Music - 6/10 - Gameplay sound design was good. Music was basically non-existent though. Even in combat it seemed like the music was toned down. The songs that played during the credits were nice.
Nitpicks :
1. Fighting most machines were really unforgiving and sometimes frustrating. This is due to the bow changes, annoying enemy types, and that god awful player knockdown. I found myself dying a lot.
2. Certain side quests felt really long which ultimately led me to avoid them in order to finish the game.
3. That "main" quest regarding Ted Faro. What even was that? It almost seemed like they were just filling a plot point just for the sake of it.
4. Ubisoft type open world meaning a lot of pointless stuff cluttering the map.
Spoilers Ahead: Please read at own risk
Story - 7/10 - The story was a weak element of the game. It had its ups and downs. As the story progresses, you can see that it's being pulled in various directions. There's Sylens, GAIA's three sub functions and hephaestus, Far Zenith, the Tenakth and Rengala, and that Ted Faro debacle. The poor pacing for each plot point led to a very cramped story at times.
One highlight was the assault on the Far Zenith base. That sort of avenger style squad vs enemy was pretty awesome. Speaking of the ending, um... well I mean there is going to be a Horizon 3 now.... yay. Seriously though, looking back at the first game, Horizon wasn't all that great until the final act (check out my review on that game). But that final act at least gave you enough time to digest every reveal that is being thrown your way. Forbidden West elected to do the same thing, but with no breathing room. The pinnacle of that was dropping the (queue Horizon 3) bombshell out of nowhere AND THEN the game just ends. Some may like it, but I just don't think that's good storytelling.
Game Design - 8/10 - Great open world that felt alive. Side quests, despite being long, were rewarding and felt meaningful. Dialogue options were expansive. I really appreciate the effort put into the dialogue. Truly felt like you could have whole conversations with the characters. Loved the skill tree and crafting, which is a step up from the previous game. You can tell that the bow mechanics were reworked which I thought was for the worse. The bow felt more slow and clunky. Not quite as it used to be. Modifications seemed to be given a nerf as I found myself not really using them.
Characters - 8/10 - Some may disagree with me here, but I thought the lack of character development was fine. Existing characters have already been fleshed out. If taken the time to go through character dialogue, the newer characters can be fleshed out as well. Any other character outside the squad was very forgettable though.
Setting - 10/10 - Just like the previous entry, Horizon Forbidden West has an amazing setting. Each environment had its "catch". There was snowy mountains, dry desert, swamps, beaches, urban, etc. The attention to detail is stunning especially underwater. Guerrilla Games never fails to impress.
Sound and Music - 6/10 - Gameplay sound design was good. Music was basically non-existent though. Even in combat it seemed like the music was toned down. The songs that played during the credits were nice.
Nitpicks :
1. Fighting most machines were really unforgiving and sometimes frustrating. This is due to the bow changes, annoying enemy types, and that god awful player knockdown. I found myself dying a lot.
2. Certain side quests felt really long which ultimately led me to avoid them in order to finish the game.
3. That "main" quest regarding Ted Faro. What even was that? It almost seemed like they were just filling a plot point just for the sake of it.
4. Ubisoft type open world meaning a lot of pointless stuff cluttering the map.