The Horizon series is comfort food. They are the omelette of video games, never the best meal that you have ever had, but consistently good, sometimes even great, and endlessly customizable to suit your taste. Hate onions? Leave them off! Don’t like drift challenges? You never have to touch them! Here’s a bottle of Sriracha and a difficulty slider so you can incrementally decide the challenge for tonight. No matter your preferences, there is probably a configuration you can find to like.
Horizon 5 follows in this tried and true and growing tired formula with noticeable, but modest, improvements. Visuals have taken a leap. Mexico is more interesting than Great Britain. And everything that has been fun in the past is just as (if not more) fun now.
But 5 hasn’t perfected the formula. Choosing between quality and performance modes feels like a legitimate lose/lose. There is still no meaningful progression path in the game. And the tone of the writing still makes Steve Buscemi dressed as a 14 year old seem positively on the pulse of culture.
However, perhaps the hardest part of the game to critique is the nagging feeling that it is just more of the same. Because while that might be somewhat true, no one else seems to have a better idea. Since the first Horizon game in 2012, no one has come close to Playground’s crown and hold over the open world/sandbox racing game.
Because the omelette is still really good! Driving fast, flying off a mountain, and juicing cars is good, dumb fun. It’s just that maybe the kitchen should try their hand at Eggs Benedict next time. But until then come on over, take a load off, and enjoy some comfort food.
Horizon 5 follows in this tried and true and growing tired formula with noticeable, but modest, improvements. Visuals have taken a leap. Mexico is more interesting than Great Britain. And everything that has been fun in the past is just as (if not more) fun now.
But 5 hasn’t perfected the formula. Choosing between quality and performance modes feels like a legitimate lose/lose. There is still no meaningful progression path in the game. And the tone of the writing still makes Steve Buscemi dressed as a 14 year old seem positively on the pulse of culture.
However, perhaps the hardest part of the game to critique is the nagging feeling that it is just more of the same. Because while that might be somewhat true, no one else seems to have a better idea. Since the first Horizon game in 2012, no one has come close to Playground’s crown and hold over the open world/sandbox racing game.
Because the omelette is still really good! Driving fast, flying off a mountain, and juicing cars is good, dumb fun. It’s just that maybe the kitchen should try their hand at Eggs Benedict next time. But until then come on over, take a load off, and enjoy some comfort food.