Horizon Forbidden West Review

Guerilla Games was primarily known as the developer of Killzone for many years before stumbling upon a new gem in Horizon Zero Dawn. It arrived at the perfect time in the PS4’s life cycle, when people were clamoring for something new and exciting. They got it with this brand-new IP. It quickly became a fan favorite. Aloy became a beloved main character, and the world around her captivated audiences everywhere. As word of a sequel soon spread, I wondered whether or not this was a game that needed a sequel, with so many games being yearly affairs these days. This wasn’t one of those quick cash-ins, with this game launching nearly five years after the first game. Guerilla crafted a lush world in Horizon Forbidden West with a compelling story that builds upon every foundation the first game set up.

Story

Horizon Forbidden West is set 6 months after the first game’s conclusion. The world is set for mass extinction, and our protagonist, Aloy, aims to prevent that by any means necessary. An unusual red plant is growing and spreading across the land, killing every living thing it touches, while storms stir up in the skies. It’s all ominous and gives that game a dangerous feeling, making everything you’re about to go through feel much more meaningful. This all leads to Aloy heading into the titular Forbidden West. It’s a dangerous region dubbed that way because it’s home to the volatile Tenakth tribe (amongst many other, less volatile tribes you’ll meet on your journey). When it seems like the Tenakth will be your primary foe, it’s revealed that an even more dangerous Tenakth rebel named Regalla is waging a war from within with an army of tamed machines at her disposal. It’s a compelling new development to have an enemy coupled with machines, adding to the difficulty level and even the playing field against Aloy’s ability to override her machines.

Side Content

The story is fascinating to me because it develops significantly with every side mission, errand, and primary mission you complete. You think certain tribes may be enemies, only for them to become allies. It’s a very complex story, incorporating elements from the past game and the conflicts between and within tribes in the present-day Forbidden West. Sequels rarely live up to the original story, but I felt that the story in Forbidden West rivaled that of Zero Dawn in quality. There is no shortage of jaw-dropping moments, including one revelation that made me gasp that I won’t go into because I’m trying to avoid spoilers. I appreciated the fact that the story was presented in a much more organic way than the original game. Much of the story unfolds through your interactions with characters and cutscenes. There are still text and audio logs, but they seem less imperative to listen to and read than in the first game. They’re still important, but it’s more to get the backstory than the main pieces of the narrative.

Lively NPCs

I was pleased to see that many of the NPCs in Horizon Forbidden West are more personable. Merchants and characters that give you quests have so much personality behind them. It’s not just talking heads this time around. They’re much more animated and varied. I especially liked the characters sharing rumors and making you sit down to listen to some information. These characters always made it seem like they were giving you a top-secret tip that no one else had. There are some unusual facial animations here and there, but for the most part, everything looks quite polished. It was some of the best interactions I’ve had in gaming with NPCs in an RPG.

Cool Machines

Once again, fighting the many robotic creatures that roam the land is an enjoyable, if not intimidating at times, experience. There’s just something about stalking and then being able to take down all these machines on your own that is endlessly satisfying. The different weapon types you can now equip make things even more fun. The Spike Thrower allows Aloy to toss an explosive spike into an enemy and helps me take out some of the more complex machines, while the Shredder Gauntlet launches discs that work like boomerangs.

Utilizing all your available tools and figuring out how to take down different types of machines is endlessly satisfying. The feeling is the same whether using stealth, one of the new weapon types, or tearing off components. There’s always a better way if you’re having trouble. The monkey-like Clamberjaws that climbed up trees were one of my favorite foes. The Slitherfang is another creature that resembles a Cobra and spits venom. It’s found early in the game and looks pretty cool when you first encounter it. You can also use Aloy’s spear to attack, which is most effective against human foes. This can be upgraded in the skill tree to be even more helpful as you go through the game. There are even Valor Surges, special abilities designed to turn the battle in your favor quickly, and are best used when you’re in a bind. The combat is much more diverse overall.

Graphics

The visuals in this game enamored me. I loved what I saw from the pre-release trailers and screenshots, but it’s taken to a new level when you step foot in these environments. The setting is diverse, with snowy mountaintops, dusty deserts, deep jungles, and vibrant shorelines. I never tire of the environment because there’s such a variation in things to see everywhere you go. Many indoor environments can feel very similar, but with this game’s size, it’s pretty remarkable to have this much variety. Even the different tribes have very distinct outfits, outposts, and personalities. The new underwater environments are equally stunning, with machines roaming around and lights gleaming through the water. It’s everything I could ask for in a video game environment, leaving me wondering why we can’t expect this environmental quality from all AAA games.

Mission Structure

There is something to be said about the mission structure of Horizon Forbidden West. There are many different things to do in this world, and I felt the need to do all of them as much as possible, no matter how small. None of it feels like filler. It all feels like it serves a purpose. Unlike many traditional Ubisoft games, for example, where you’re just repeatedly doing meaningless tasks. Even if you are doing the same things in this world, it feels like you’re always making a difference. On top of the traditional quests, errands, and side quests, you’ll have plenty more to do. Hunting Grounds return, Melee Pits are introduced, there’s an Arena for more significant challenges, and there are Gauntlet Runs, which are races (admittedly not my favorite). This is all in addition to the collectibles and environmental puzzles. Everything feels more cohesively tied to the story, and everything matters.

Traversal

Traversal has seen an improvement in this sequel with a few new tools at Aloy’s disposal. She now has a glider that can allow her to float down from a mountaintop, much like Breath of the Wild. There’s also a special diving mask that will enable you to breathe underwater, which you can obtain about a quarter of the way through the game. Forbidden West walls off certain areas behind new special gear like the Pullcaster, which pulls things towards you or pulls down walls. The ignited destroys Firegleam flowers, which also take down walls. The Vine Cutter destroys Metal Flowers. It’s a simple way to cut off areas to revisit later, and although I don’t enjoy it much, it works pretty well here.

Climbing

The one part of getting around that constantly caused me to utter expletives was climbing. Climbing is pretty restricted, and you can only climb onto specific areas. There’s an option to highlight those areas in the options menu, and I highly suggest using it. The main problem I had was that Aloy wouldn’t move at times when she had a clear point to grab onto. There were other times when she’d jump off to nothing despite tons of grab points nearby. This is mitigated when jumping backward using the O button (which works so well that I think every game should use it), but climbing up or to the side can be frustrating. It’s not often a problem, but it’s incredibly annoying when it is.

Final Thoughts

Minor issues aside, Horizon Forbidden West was a joy to play through. It’s something I’ll return to so I can explore every nook I have yet to see. It’s a fun world of machines and humans to interact with and defeat, while having a story that kept my attention all the way through to the end. This game improves on practically every aspect of the first game and should be a worthy contender for Game of the Year.