Horizon Forbidden West Review – Horizon Forbidden West Review – Leaping To Greater Heights

Horizon Zero Dawn was just the introduction to Guerrilla Games’ fascinating world and the unlikely hero who would do everything in her power to save it. Horizon Forbidden West’s sequel takes it to new heights with innovative mechanics and captivating lore. Guerrilla Games improves on the last game’s shortcomings and isn’t afraid to borrow popular features from other big-name series, like Uncharted, Mass Effect, and Assassin’s Creed. The result is a game that’s not only fun to play, but full of surprises and wonder. Zero Dawn was a great proof of concept, but Forbidden West shows Guerrilla Games still has plenty of thought-provoking and compelling places to take Aloy’s adventures.

Six months have passed since the events at Zero Dawn. Forbidden West begins. Aloy’s discoveries have only brought more questions and dangers her way, forcing her to head west for answers. With a few returning characters and plot tie-ins from the first game, Forbidden West isn’t ideal for newcomers who want to embrace the narrative. Guerrilla’s writers expertly expand upon Horizon’s rich lore and dive into the series’ sci-fi elements, which are the sequel’s most gripping aspects. Some of the most fun I had was piecing together Aloy’s journey, but certain revelations and “ah ha” moments aren’t as satisfying without the full context from the first game. While the narrative was engaging, there were parts that felt too rushed. I also found it disappointing that Regalla and other villainous characters weren’t given more screen time.

In the last entry, Aloy’s journey was often solitary, but Forbidden West makes other characters central to her success, which is a nice change of pace. Returning faces like Varl and Erend get to show more of their personalities, and newcomers like the kindhearted Zo and tragic warrior Kotallo have interesting backstories that explain their tribes’ beliefs and values. Aloy sets up a home base a la Mass Effect to help these new friendships become more genuine. She can share information with her friends about the latest developments, hear their opinions, and learn more about each other. The base’s growth and expansion was exciting to me. I also loved seeing the new spaces open up within it. I wish that there was more time for me to spend with them. It was great to just be there and hear their banter. 

The star of the show is the world. Forbidden West, a technological marvel with stunning vistas and vibrant underwater corridors that lead to lush rainforests, is truly a technical wonder. Each locale is unique; you’ll see Las Vegas. With smoother climbing mechanics now available, Traversal is much easier. The Shield Wing, an innovative tool that acts like a futuristic umbrella, allows you to descend from incredible heights. However, the world’s constant sense of discovery really had me glued to my controller. Forbidden West has a lot more content than the predecessor. There are many quests to complete and many items to discover. Side quests that are story-oriented add so much to the game’s lore, I didn’t want to skip any. They provided valuable insight into tribes. A side quest required me to select between two characters that were imperfect and vying for the leadership of a tribe. The other had me facing the most dangerous combination of machines on top of Sunhawks.

The side content also allowed me to unlock new locales and dungeons, and this doesn’t even factor in the additional activities like clearing rebel camps, climbing Tallnecks to reveal more of the map, and exploring Cauldrons for new machine overrides. I wasn’t expecting such a dense and vast world, and I always felt like I had something to do. Side quests offer great rewards, making them worth your while – some of my best weapons and armor came from these pursuits. Re-visiting old settlements was a great way to observe how their inhabitants and environments changed. Side quests are also available, which is a great touch.

Combative battles remain adrenaline pumping events. The satisfaction from defeating monstrous beasts never fades. There is more damage and better set pieces for fighting, but I liked how there was so much variety. From close combat to rugged areas that offer cover and cover, you have new options and strategies. Forbidden West lets you play your way and offers many options to gain an advantage over machines. It has both its benefits and drawbacks. My creativity was a joy. I enjoyed the ability to shoot off weapons and use them against my enemy, or cause chain reactions with certain elements that create big explosions. I did not feel the power to keep combat exciting over time. A lot of it was due to my dissatisfaction with the skill trees.

Skills trees are much more useful perks that exciting enhancements. You can, for example, unlock the ability set traps quicker, with more powerful potions and additional ranged damage. There are also techniques to increase shredder damage or guarantee a knockdown shot. Valor Surges is a special attack you can use to add value to your skill trees. These abilities are so valuable that I wish they were available in more combinations. I found the Radial Blast, which activates an AoE shockwave and was unlocked once I had upgraded it. Other options include dealing greater damage from melee attacks and shielding damage. Despite this, I found the skill trees so irrelevant to my success that my skill points piled up to 10 and I never touched them.

The game has many worthwhile enhancements that improve the experience. These include a clearer HUD and less inventory management. My favorite enhancements were being able to use Aloy’s focus to see climbing points and her ability to tag specific machine parts in a different color for easier targeting. This is a great way to find key upgrades resources as some machine parts are essential for upgrading your weapons and armor. Due to the time required for upgrades, I became tired of fighting the exact same machines over and over again. I had some minor issues with performance and poor A.I. I had some issues with pathing and checkpoints but they were not major problems that made me frustrated. Even though the game was large and complex, I found it to be incredibly smooth.

Horizon Forbidden West is Guerrilla Games’ new flagship game. It does more than surpass its predecessor; it takes Horizon’s fiction to captivating places and builds a rich world that rewards you for the effort you put into it. Mostly, it’s an entertaining experience, complete with jaw-dropping moments and unforgettable fights.