Horizon Zero Dawn Review is a new addition to the PS4 must-have exclusives list. Horizon: Zero Dawn Review From Rogue to Seeker

Literally every acquaintance who has played (or are playing now) in Horizon: Zero Dawn has followed the same path, in which they had to experience a variety of feelings - from puppy childhood delight to disappointment. But in the end, they all learned Zen. This path did not pass us either. We offer you a short retelling of its main milestones, because the new exclusive for PlayStation 4 is really worth taking a closer look at - it is predicted the role of the platform headliner. Sony sleeps and sees the red-haired Aloy become the face of the console instead of the thief Nathan Drake.

Step one: expectations

It is very important to remember how we perceived the first news related to the gameplay of Horizon: Zero Dawn, what expectations and fears arose initially. The game story revolves around the post-apocalyptic world, in which humanity has rolled back to the early Middle Ages, and individual tribes - to the primitive communal system. But at the same time, not only animals, but also very strange robotic dinosaurs graze in the fields, forests and jungles of the once human world, once again captured by nature.

Developers from Guerrilla promised a huge open world in which your protagonist Aloy, who grew up an outcast, but suddenly received the status of a "seeker", will have to engage in traditional Action / RPG activities - finding and killing villains, hunting and gathering. Many saw this as secondary, a simple copying of the ideas of the Far Cry and Assassin's Creed series. Gradually, laying out all the new videos with gameplay, the creators of the game were able to convince us that the project still has the potential, and, fortunately, met expectations. But let's talk about everything in order.

Step two: reality

We have to admit that the level of graphics and design of the surrounding space in Horizon: Zero Dawn at first makes you sit in front of the TV screen with a drooping jaw. An amazing combination of the remnants of a long-dead civilization and the riot of nature, inexorably absorbing everything that was once created by human hands, made it possible to diversify the general plans as much as possible. The designers were not too lazy to work with little things. The game practically invisible "copy-paste", which most open worlds sin with. Juicy colors, smooth movement of foliage, which the wind sways - all this makes you first stop and admire the landscapes for a long time, study the skeletons of cars and buildings overgrown with vines, trying to understand what it was like when the word "man" still sounded proudly.

In contrast, the sound in the game evokes mixed feelings. If the rustles, squeaks and roars of the surrounding world can still make you confidently say “I believe!”, Then you want to turn off the soundtrack after a few hours of play. Mournful, little-than-catching melodies do not create an atmosphere, but rather spoil it. The strange glitch associated with the transition of musical themes that sound during the action into calm, background compositions especially hits the ears. It seems that the game often "forgets" to switch them on time.

We should also mention animation. This is where we really went out of their way. Representatives of the living fauna - a variety of wild boars, foxes and rabbits - are just fine. But look at how Eloy moves! And especially take a closer look at the plastic of robotic dinosaurs. Sometimes it seems that they are more alive than creatures of flesh and blood.

Probably the main "feature" of the game is the hunt for robotic dinosaurs. Each of their species is unique, each has strengths and weaknesses and striking features in behavior. One of the weakest iron beast can still be stupidly showered with arrows. Perhaps it will be possible to cope with two or three robotic horses waving a spear. But when you have to fight with a flock of little things (and this happens all the time) or enter into a duel with even one powerful opponent, the "invocation" does not work at all. The fact is that cyborg animals have quite strong armor, they can be seriously damaged only by hitting vulnerable spots, and using a certain, elemental weapon: someone quickly burns out in a flame, for someone a special danger is electricity.

Initially, most of the monsters are really strong and dangerous opponents. Shooting stealthily, setting traps, circling around monsters in a dance of death, you methodically, destroying one "organ" after another, deprive them of their advantages. Did you manage to break the napalm flask hidden on your back? This means that the animal will no longer be able to spit fire. Did you manage to hit an inconspicuous point in the underbelly? The monster suddenly forgot how to make rapid jerks. And so - to the bitter end.

Horizon: Zero Dawn does not follow the lead of casuals. Fast moving around the map requires resources here, saving can be done only at certain points, near bonfires. Even on an average difficulty level, you will most likely replay the same battles several times more than once, cursing yourself for hesitating during the battle for literally a couple of seconds.

Let's say more - this is one of the few games in which, after returning to the starting location after long wanderings around the world, you will not feel like a god who can turn off opponents with a snap of your fingers. And if you try, your fingers will be chewed off very quickly. Most likely - along with hands and head.

Step four: disappointment

And yet, the game falls short of the status of a "masterpiece" that has been entrenched in Uncharted. Let me remind you once again that Sony has repeatedly emphasized that the game about the adventures of red-haired Aloy in the world of robotic dinosaurs will be the successor to the delightful, but already completed saga about the thief Nathan Drake.

We're pretty sure your fourth step will almost certainly be a mild (and for some, not so easy) disappointment. Despite all the beauty and interestingness, Horizon: Zero Dawn suffers from absolutely unforgivable conventions for an AAA product. A world living its own life? We laugh in the face of designers. Go to any settlement and dance on the head of any passer-by a passionate tarantella with a tambourine - he will not lead an ear. Release a quiver of arrows at the merchant - he will continue to stare mindlessly at you with the face of a de-energized android. There are practically no destructible objects in the game: despite the bright colors, you very soon begin to realize that they are painted on plastic and cardboard models.

And of course, at some point you will get tired of the endless "give-and-bring". Practice shows that satiety occurs at the 20th hour of the game. On the one hand, this is an achievement (few projects are capable of this). But on the other hand, the very fact that the game does not "hold" to the final is an indicator that they did not make it.

On February 28, 2017, the release of the large-scale action / RPG with an open world Horizon: Zero Dawn will take place. Plus another high-profile industry event over the past month. The project is expected and promising. It has an interesting plot concept and a decent implementation in terms of overall quality. This generally applies to graphics, opportunities, quests, music. With open-world RPGs plentiful, the Horizon: Zero Dawn universe is still arousing interest. There is a desire to study it deeper, to find out what the essence of the confrontation between human tribes and robotic animals is. Just the other day, Guerrilla Games lifted its strict embargo on journalistic reviews. Game Resources have received the full version of the game for reviewing. Let's take a comprehensive look at their new brainchild.

Not so long ago, an article was already written with the announcement of the project, the first information about the plot, an assessment of the quality according to the official and beta versions. And now the decisive hour has come. A finished game and a portion of fresh impressions. As always, in order.

Horizon: Zero Dawn plot

The player is greeted by a harsh post-apocalypse. And this is not some typical world with ruins after a nuclear disaster. Although the main writer is John Gonzales, who invented Fallout 3 New Vegas. No, everything is much deeper here. Thousands of years have passed since the death of the forerunner civilization (as our contemporaries are called here) Apparently, they were destroyed by technology. The earth is now inhabited by animal robots of various types, up to huge monsters. People on it also stayed, but the level of development of their civilization is low and they are very scattered. Some tribes live according to the primitive system of the Stone Age, while others have developed the state system a little more. The most advanced peoples have some technologies and developed politics, but still, this is the maximum level of the Middle Ages. There are few memories of the era of the precursors, only ancient fossils, which people simply cannot explore. You already feel a serious scenario, don't you think?

The main character of the game is the hunter Ella. She was born into a tribe of pagans who worship the Great Mother (meaning nature), From the very birth she was made an outcast. These are special members of society, with whom others are forbidden to communicate and they are expelled from the village. It happened because of some misconduct of the parents, about which Ella has yet to learn. She lives alone far from the village and from childhood learns all the skills necessary for survival from another outcast named Rast. He is much older, experienced in many things. Rast became the girl's father and mentor. By the time she reaches adulthood, she is already an excellent hunter, not afraid of robotic beasts and able to survive in extreme situations. She decides, by all means, to go through initiation into her native tribe and save him from the impending great danger. This is the plot of the story for more than 30+ hours of the main plot only. With side quests, this number can be safely multiplied by two.

The bottom line. And from the outset, and in the course of the entire development of the storyline, it is clear that this is the work of professional screenwriters. The plot here is by no means just an excuse for action and quests. It's interesting to watch him, you empathize with the heroes. Cut scenes and scripted videos on the game engine are well-directed. Some veterans of games and movies with a similar storyline may find the plot twists too predictable. But still, the highest score.

Horizon Graphics: Zero Dawn

Guerrilla Games, creating its PS exclusives, has never skimped on graphics. That Killzone 2 on the Playstation 3 squeezed out very nice graphics, which is the third Killzone on the PS4. But those were corridor first-person shooters, but what about the role-playing game in the huge one? The answer is unequivocal - no worse. Stunning detail, high-definition textures (1080p for PS4, 4K for PS4 Pro version), amazingly beautiful landscapes and glare of light. The developers have stated that they want to make the most beautiful PS4 exclusive to date. And partly it succeeded. Even the facial animation in scripted story cutscenes does not look as clumsy as in other RPGs, to say nothing of the rest. The environment of forests, mountains and fields, as if referring to Far Cry Primal. There is a lot in common. The animation of movements, battles and acrobatics is perfectly executed.

The bottom line. Console exclusives often try to show the full power of their platform. And this is exactly the case. On PS4 Pro, the picture is simply gorgeous.

Horizon: Zero Dawn gameplay

Horizon: Zero Dawn's gameplay contains all the elements of a large open-world RPG. The player will have to complete story quests, collect resources, pump numerous skills, explore a huge map. By its type, the gameplay resembles the third Witcher. But here it is much more interesting to walk on the map just like that. This world is truly alive and beautiful. You believe in him.

You will have to fight not only with powerful animal robots, but also with people. Humanity is incorrigible. No matter how few people and nations inhabit the Earth, there will always be reasons for war. Naturally, the approach to the destruction of cars and people is completely different. The combat mechanics of the game are varied. You can use stealth or try to go ahead. There is also a lot of climbing on rocks and ledges. By the way, if in games like Assassin’s Creed new spots for the hook are highlighted or indicated as something else, then everything needs to be determined by eye. And this is good. Doesn't spoil the atmosphere.

At some stage in the game, Ella will find a special device - a visor. From this point on, the gameplay will change significantly and acquire unique features. Now she can recognize the properties of all objects, read footprints, look through walls, see the weak points of robotic beasts and much more. The subject of high technologies of the future (in this context, perhaps, the past) on the head of a primitive hunter is an unusual approach. Immediately opens up a lot of space for stealth strategies and other solutions that facilitate quests.

The bottom line. At its core, the classic RPG Open World gameplay with a number of interesting features. Implemented perfectly.

Soundtrack

This part was also not ignored. Unlike none the less, the music was not left as a simple motive in the background. She sometimes creeps in, emphasizing dramatic moments, tension, anxiety, fear. In addition, the game has excellent Russian localization and voice acting (which is rare recently),

The bottom line. Even this part was not forgotten and made at the highest level.

Conclusion

The gaming press, as before, generally rates the game as “good” and “very good”. And here one cannot but agree with the opinion of the majority. She objectively does not have any weaknesses or significant disadvantages. Beautiful, big, interesting. It is too early to judge whether she will become the “face of PS4”, but all the prerequisites for that exist. If you own a Playstation 4, or even better a PS4 Pro, then it is definitely recommended to play.

The time has come to evaluate the game - the project is completed, the map is cleaned, the platinum cup is in your pocket, and emotions have managed to settle, giving way to drier impressions. Isn't it an ideal time to take stock? About that and speech, that it is. Probably, to make the story more interesting, some information blocks will overlap with the preview, but I will try not to repeat myself as much as possible, so familiarization with the past material is definitely recommended. However, this is not unlikely to stop fans from looking only at numbers from their favorite scheme.

Perhaps the main factor that did not allow me to summarize the final result of the release of Horizon: Zero Dawn was that at that time I had not yet completed the story, although I had overcome more than 80% of the game as a whole. Perhaps, if there were another game on our operating table, such progress would be quite enough, but the Guerrilla Games project still managed to surprise even at the last ~ 20%, and to surprise it thoroughly.

At the beginning of the game, we do not understand a lot and the main question is not what fate awaits Aloy, but how the world rolled from the top of technological development into the abyss of primitive superstition. The heroine is certainly pretty, but she does not gush with charisma. However, the developers compensated for this disadvantage with another characteristic - mysteriousness. From the first minutes of the game, we are introduced to a child practically cursed by his own tribe, who is not clear why they hate and just as incomprehensibly why they are expelled. Fortunately for her, the rogue warrior Rast takes on the burden of education, whose riddle is also a little intriguing, raising the same questions - why was he exiled? After a couple of hours of play and dialogues between the heroes, the intrigue subsides, because we are faced with stupid and religious people acting on the basis of signs they themselves do not understand, which the priests interpret the dull mind for their not the most intelligent flock.

This impression is partly true and will accompany the player for many hours of adventure. Even Aloy herself repeatedly scoffs at the religiosity of her fellow tribesmen and representatives of other tribes, trying to explain to them that man himself is the smith of his own happiness and future. Sometimes successful. But here, too, everything turns out to be not so simple, when the plot crosses the equator and the scriptwriters begin to reveal the maps of the game world to us, one by one, gradually. This not only brings the dying intrigue back to life, but also thoroughly pumps it over.

Of course, I will refrain from spoilers and will summarize the scenario of the game as follows: it is not devoid of holes that are partially darned as you progress, but it is quite unique, it is able to keep the player at the screen until the credits and impress with many of its ideas. Especially the answer to the very main question - how human civilization fell a thousand years ago. The writers of Guerrilla Games have not worked in vain all these years of development of Horizon: Zero Dawn - even though they did not manage to fill the game world with various tasks and make the dialogues with the secondary characters exciting, they managed to create an excellent concept and adequately explain most of the decisions that seem strange. For example, the emergence of robots, their animal habits, the ability to self-replicate, and much more.

With the concept of its world and the story of the disaster, Horizon: Zero Dawn is like a light and pleasant breeze among the field of post-apocalyptic gaming stories. Akin to The Last of Us. Everything here does not seem hackneyed and banal, as in typical "zombie apocalypses". But I did not just focus on the game stories, because similar ideas have already flashed in various books. For example, something similar in basic terms was in Dan Simmons' Hyperion, although there is no post-apocalypse. Those who have read will surely catch a couple of parallels, and those who have not read should urgently correct this sad gap in literary education.

This game introduces some innovations in terms of the process in which the player is carried away. The main core here is an excellent combat system, which is based on elements found in different games, but confidently stands out among its colleagues in the shop. Archery here evokes associations with Tomb raider, but it is implemented head and shoulders above. This is due to the fact that the bow is the main fighting tool of our heroine and the developers have polished its work to a shine. Aloy's work with traps and a rope launcher, a special tool for pinning down opponents, can remind the player of Monster hunter, where there are also powerful opponents, which it is desirable to immobilize. But the implementation of the binding mechanics here is peculiar and sharpened for the fast combat system of the game, which requires the player to make quick decisions, rather than planning on the go.

Speed \u200b\u200bis speed, but the developers have not forgotten about tactics either. Actually, thanks to this, the combat system stands out like a polar star. Already one abundance of shells for several variations of the combat bow provides at least five approaches to the battle with opponents. And three types of traps, a rapid-fire needle gun, a stale air weapon and a rope launcher, increase them in arithmetic progression, allowing each player to develop their own approach to opponents. Run from opponents, luring them into traps? Sneak and hide? Delivering from a bow, keeping your distance? Freeze and provide 200% pure damage? Take control and force a mighty Thunderbolt or Petrel to fight on their side, literally grinding other machines? All this is available, and even more.

Amusing dialogues can also be found among the side quests. Well-voiced in Russian.

Fighting and exploring the world, traveling across a huge map with several climatic zones in search of tasks, hidden secrets and treasures, are the main components of the gameplay of Horizon: Zero Dawn. Alas, not everything is as wonderful with the exploration as with the combat system, but here the developers walked along the path trodden by others - they made many points for fast movement, so that players, having once visited the region, can move back without long runs. Or riding a rideable robot. The map is really huge, but there is simply no need to return to many of its corners. However, the side quests justify its size, because in the process of natural passage, players will visit each sector of the map.

The presence of the photo mode in the game is very pleasing. It works even during most cutscenes (but you cannot control the camera in them).

I talked about the technical implementation in some detail in the preview, but I repeat - it surprised me. I did not expect that on a regular PlayStation 4, given the existence of the Pro version, the developers will honestly squeeze out everything possible to ensure a comfortable frame rate. Horizon: Zero Dawn is practically devoid of significant drawdowns, and most of the shortcomings fall into the category of "found in every open world game." Among them: dips of legs into textures of mountain peaks, invisible textures closer to the edges of the map, poor lip sync with speech, outlandish hair behavior, strange shadows. But mistakes like enemies who fell into the ground, as I had in the battle with the petrel (from the preview), I have never seen.

The death of humanity as a consequence of environmental pollution, wars and dangerous experiments literally does not leave the pages of Hollywood blockbusters, giving rise to new incredible scenarios each time. Fresh game from the Dutch studio Guerrilla does not lag behind the big movie, offering to look at the Earth after 2065, where, after a terrible catastrophe, humanity has retreated in development a couple of millennia ago.

The beginning reminds of the premiere demonstration of the restart God of war... Rast teaches still little Aloy in hunting and gathering, protecting her from danger and helping her to become a real warrior. Emotional moments show the growing bond between the characters, gradually immersing the player in the atmosphere of a sci-fi world. The first big task comes to replace fun and well thought out learning. Eloy must undergo initiation in order not only to become a full-fledged member of the tribe, but also to get answers to important questions: who was her mother, why did she become an outcast and what is behind the ban on visiting technological ruins?

The developers combine exploration and storytelling, which unfolds and grows with new details as you explore the rich world of the game. Some locations open gradually, but you are not limited to exploring the available environment. This is what becomes one of your motivators and makes you move on - to new discoveries. And although the heroine has a clear goal, in order to achieve it, you have to consistently complete story missions, going to various points on the map and gaining additional information about the world and history through side missions, listening to recordings and studying objects. If you are not careful enough, you may miss most of the game lore.

The nature of the new world does not allow us to establish the exact location of the project. You visit dense forests, climb steep cliffs, as in Tomb raiderusing the highlighted environment elements. Rough rivers offer you to hide from pursuers or catch salmon with a well-aimed shot, which will be useful for improving your inventory. Sometimes you come across random nomad camps, where you can get a task or find out about this place through conversations with other characters. The world is very similar to “ Witcher”, Only the number of available tasks here is a bit more modest.

The main story flows into side quests. Following the new standards of role-playing games, Guerrilla Games here creativity takes as a bar CD Projekt RED, distracting the player from the main task with a set of side quests, research or random trials. So, in one of the early missions, you can help an accidentally met warrior of the tribe to save his daughter from a pack of mechanical predators in order to continue the task by looking for the tracks of a giant beast in which a legendary spear is stuck - all that the poor girl has left in memory of her dead mother. As in " The witcher”, You search for people or robots using a special mode. True, instead of a special flair, you are invited to activate the visor, which shows the route of movement not only of the missing targets, but also of the enemy passing nearby.

In the second case, you can set up traps or plan an ambush. The visor also detects the type of enemy, his dangerous attacks and vulnerabilities, which allows you to cope with a dangerous creature even at a high level of difficulty.

Despite numerous action demos, he prefers that the player abandon the head-on attack in favor of tactical decisions. Hiding in tall grass and quietly shooting a target in the head is a priority than going into a frontal attack, absorbing healing potions. Even in boss battles, it is preferable to set traps, dodge and shoot with special arrows at weak points from afar than to enter into close confrontation. Unfortunately, stealth abilities do not involve hiding corpses, so you need to plan to eliminate opponents in the correct order without raising an alarm, keeping an eye on the guards' movement routes. This does not apply to the final part of the game, where the action component is required, but by that time you should have already pumped enough.

Horizon Zero Dawn combines popular online gaming trends for single player play. There is everything that we are used to: gathering, crafting, open world, non-linear passage and so on. It would seem that such a kit should be boring for a long time, but maybe in some other video game. Horizon is quickly addictive and does not get boring at all, literally at every step the player is waiting for hints and hints, more and more stirring up interest.

What is Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn is the story of a young hunter named Aloy, who, learning about the world around her, tries to find her place in it.

The player sees an unusual universe in which people are thrown back into a primitive society, and robots rule the planet. People live in small settlements, hunt and gather. Mechanical animals are found in forests and meadows. Today, it's safe to say that this is where the most beautiful video game landscapes are. The world captivates with endless expanses, scorched deserts, snow-capped mountains, ruins of civilization overgrown with grass, gloomy caves. Everything looks like the real thing. It should be noted that the developers have provided for the presence of a photo mode, with which you can save all the moments of the "journey".

The main character Eloy

The heroine grew up in exile with her mentor Rast. Throughout her life, young Eloy proved to others that she was a worthy person. But, without even having time to blink an eye, the fire-haired archer becomes the hope of the tribe. The heroine is endowed with the following abilities:

Having found a visor in the ancient ruins, she sees something hidden from others. For example, she can determine the hidden places of cars, calculate the route of the robot, read information from old devices;

Having matured, she becomes the owner of another artifact that allows opening electronic locks, as well as intercepting control of various mechanisms;

With this list of abilities, a huge arsenal and good stamina, Aloy has an increased chance of defeating opponents, which are armored vehicles equipped with lasers, bombs, and flamethrowers.

An interesting point is the emphasis on the combination of ammunition, "tuning" modifications. Aloy is also available in the game, which is carried out in the direction of: warrior, gatherer, hunter.

Horizon Zero Dawn is an RPG game where tactics, attentiveness, and personal skills play an important role.