Horizon Zero Dawn is a game that I never expected myself to enjoy, let alone love. The RPG mechanics, massive open world, and crushing difficulty are ingredients for games that I never manage to finish, however, I found that all of these made the game stand out from the rest and hooked me from start to finish.
Where do I even begin with this review!? Well, I guess let's start with the gameplay, which is a mix of third-person shooter and RPG mechanics. What I love about it is just how accessible it is, this is further true in my case as I used the same starting weapon from start to finish of the story, and it never felt like the game was punishing me for not taking advantage of the more powerful weapons available. Rather, the difficulty comes from the way you approach the encounters with many of the mechanic beasts that roam the world of Horizon.
In fact, in my first 10 hours of the game, I was so afraid of fighting any of the adversaries, even the low-level ones. But I used every death and encounter as a learning experience and ended up being hooked on what the game has to offer.
In most cases of open-world games, the map often only serves as a setting rather than an actual living place. However, in Horizon, it really does feel like an essential part of the overall experience, as it's more than just a place full of jaw-dropping vistas but rather serves as a giant playground for mechanical beast mayhem.
I also found the game's story to be such an engaging experience, made even better with it's strong world-building and touching ending. Even its side quest provided a fun diversion from the larger tale.
I had simply never played anything like Horizon Zero Dawn. Sure, it can be a bit clunky at times with its animations but considering the game's massive offering, it doesn't really hamper it that much.
Where do I even begin with this review!? Well, I guess let's start with the gameplay, which is a mix of third-person shooter and RPG mechanics. What I love about it is just how accessible it is, this is further true in my case as I used the same starting weapon from start to finish of the story, and it never felt like the game was punishing me for not taking advantage of the more powerful weapons available. Rather, the difficulty comes from the way you approach the encounters with many of the mechanic beasts that roam the world of Horizon.
In fact, in my first 10 hours of the game, I was so afraid of fighting any of the adversaries, even the low-level ones. But I used every death and encounter as a learning experience and ended up being hooked on what the game has to offer.
In most cases of open-world games, the map often only serves as a setting rather than an actual living place. However, in Horizon, it really does feel like an essential part of the overall experience, as it's more than just a place full of jaw-dropping vistas but rather serves as a giant playground for mechanical beast mayhem.
I also found the game's story to be such an engaging experience, made even better with it's strong world-building and touching ending. Even its side quest provided a fun diversion from the larger tale.
I had simply never played anything like Horizon Zero Dawn. Sure, it can be a bit clunky at times with its animations but considering the game's massive offering, it doesn't really hamper it that much.