Fresh, masterfully crafted and astoundingly detailed: Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best new franchises the PS4 has ever seen

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PS4 - $59.99, £49.99

When looking at the 17-year history of Guerrilla Games – a developer known predominantly for the popular Killzone series – it would be safe to say the leap from first-person-shooter to ‘post-post-apocalyptic’ third-person action adventure was a risky one.

However, five minutes into Horizon Zero Dawn and it becomes clear the risk has paid off.

Horizon is set 1000 years after the fall of civilization in a staggeringly beautiful and incredibly vast world, densely populated with aggressive indigenous fauna - of the robotic variety - who are itching to tear the player apart.

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Horizon Zero Dawn features a huge, highly detailed and treacherous open-world

Despite there being an abundance of AAA titles in the open-world genre over the last few years (Witcher 3, Fallout 4 and Watch Dogs 2, to name a few) Horizon is not only a breath of fresh air but something truly memorable.

From sweeping snow-capped mountains to luscious forests thick with vegetation, barren deserts to rolling, rocky uplands filled with eerie ancient ruins of a bygone civilization: the world in Horizon is as varied as it is enigmatic and features a dynamic weather system and full day/night cycle to mix things up even more. 

The protagonist of Horizon is Aloy (voiced by the talented Ashly Burch), a strong-willed and sassy outcast from a remote tribe who is raised to be a skilled huntress and tracker while desperately searching for answers to the secrets of her past. 

Although the story and dialogue in Horizon has its occasional cliché moments, for the most part Aloy’s journey through the 30+ hour playthrough was not only remarkably compelling but often surprisingly philosophical. 

The world in Horizon features a dynamic weather system and full day/night cycle

If living in a harsh and challenging environment wasn’t enough, Aloy has another force to contend with: the machines.

The machines in Horizon are as diverse as the landscapes, with a total of 26 different varieties roaming the world: each with unique traits, strengths, weaknesses and (most importantly) loot.

The limousine sized Snapmaw uses freeze attacks and its huge jaws to inflict massive damage

The volatile mechanical wildlife comes in many shapes and sizes; from the smaller and agile recon focused Watchers to the mountable Texas Longhorn like Broadhead’s who charge first and ask questions later, or even the enormous Snapmaw who utilizes a freeze attack (and mega bite) to inflict huge damage on its victim.

Machines like the Shell-walker protect the cargo on its back with an energy shield and ranged shock attack, while the colossal – and terrifying – Tyrannosaurus-esque Thundermaw uses its heavy artillery to deadly effect.

The technologically advanced machines in Horizon Zero Dawn come in many shapes and sizes

The largest of them all is the long-necked and aptly named Tallneck – which sits somewhere between a Brachiosaurus and a giraffe - who roams through certain areas of the game and can be climbed to unlock sections of the map, similar to ‘viewpoints’ in the Assassin’s Creed franchise (albeit mobile versions of them).

The largest machine in Horizon is the Tallneck who can be climbed to unlock parts of the map

To tackle these dangerous beasts Aloy has a number of weapons and skills at her disposal.

On the weapon front the player has access to a standard bow and spear from the beginning of the game – the latter of which having both a light and heavy attack – but as the game progresses Aloy can unlock unique weapons like the Tripcaster, which can anchor tripwire into the ground at strategic locations to electrocute or explode when an enemy crosses its path.

Other weapons like the Ropecaster - which as the name suggests fire ropes into your quarry to tie down and immobilize them - are very effective against the larger and more unforgiving machines.

The smart skill system in Horizon gives Aloy access to a variety of abilities and is split between three trees; Prowler, Brave and Forager.

The skill system in Horizon is split between three trees and provides some very useful abilities

In most games featuring skill trees there is normally a portion of the skills that can feel useless or arbitrary, but in Horizon every skill feels important.

While notching an additional arrow in your bow or improving the damage of your melee attacks are both useful, Guerrilla Games decided to take abilities that are traditionally part of the standard moveset of the protagonist – like dodge rolling and striking your enemy from above - and make them purchasable skills.

Because of this Aloy’s progression from young tracker to seasoned Sawtooth huntress feels very natural and it is the combat in Horizon where the game truly shines.

Going to battle with the machines is intense and exhilarating, requiring a surprising amount of concentration in order to become proficient.

The landscapes of Horizon Zero Dawn are as diverse as they are enigmatic

Wild swinging of Aloy’s spear might be enough in the opening hours of the game, but when pitted against the larger machines the player is required to use every tool and skill at their disposal to take down their technologically advanced prey.

The unpredictable nature of the random encounters with the machines also means that you always have to be prepared and be on your toes, which led to some very memorable moments of terror. 

When you’re off the beaten path you never know what you might find… or what might find you.

The machines can attack Aloy from land, air and sea - so she must always be on her toes

That being said Horizon does reward patience when it comes to hunting. Stalking your prey, setting up traps, using all of your abilities, switching smoothly between weapons and - with the help of a nifty device called a Focus – targeting your enemies weaknesses to strip them of vital components all makes for some exceptionally challenging, intense and gratifying fights.

There is an overriding patience to Horizon that is present not only in the combat but also in other areas of the game.

A number of the mechs in Horizon are mountable and can be used as quick modes of transport

Unlike some games that can rattle through enemy types and key points in the storyline in the space of a few hours, Horizon expertly paces not just the unveiling of new machines but the overarching mystery of the game, slowly peeling back layer-by-layer as the player advances through the engrossing main quest line.

An RPG would not be complete without its dose of crafting and collectibles and Horizon does not skimp out on either of those fronts.

There are 60 collectibles in the game including a number of different ancient artifacts and also over 200 hidden audio and text ‘datapoints’ that each give a small insight into the history of the Horizon universe.

When it comes to crafting there are a number of different items that can be fashioned using the resources Aloy gathers during her travels. 

She can craft ammo, traps and potions or create new pouches that can increase the capacity of her quiver.

The Corruptor is an agile, deadly machine with grenade and spike launchers atop its back

This gives the player an incentive to stalk through the forests and the in-game map provides the player with a rough location of the machine sites, so it’s usually not too difficult to find a certain type of beast and attempt to bring it down. 

The exception to this being the mythical - and nigh on indestructible - Redmaw that will tear Aloy’s flesh from her body with no remorse.

Horizon Zero Dawn is a fresh, masterfully crafted and astoundingly detailed open world adventure with some of the most polished and fully-realized action the genre has ever seen. 

Coupled with a rich and compelling story and a strong protagonist, Horizon is a breath of fresh air and one of the best new franchises the PS4 has ever seen.

Horizon Zero Dawn features Aloy, a strong-willed, skilled and often sassy huntress

There are a myriad of weapons in Horizon including the Ropecaster, Tripcaster and Hunter Bow

The varied world of Horizon Zero Dawn is huge, diverse and astoundingly detailed