Horizon forbidden west., the latest entry in Guerrilla Games’ open-world action-adventure series, is being review bombed on Metacritic.
Successful sequels are based on their predecessors in several ways-think Mass Effect 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Uncharted 2. All of these improvements on the previous game by inspiring exciting new game mechanics, character development with compelling stories, and mission design changes that offer versatility. In other words, they take a solid foundation and combine it with new elements to create more sophisticated bindings like Allow or, in this case, Aloy. There is a true sense of quest and many fully involved folklore to discover. The result is an excellent open-world action-adventure. This realizes what we promised five years ago, going back to some of the old ways.
The battle between nature and the completely unnatural takes place throughout the horizon forbidden west, from vines strangling the wreckage of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge to artificial machines like beasts roaming the land. The truck shows what the Horizon Forbidden West series is on many levels. I’ve been chasing the creator for many years. But that conflict also occurs in alloys, a complex combination of human and synthetic life (the spoilers of the first game). It’s what drives the plot and lends a personal touch. What could be otherwise ungainly themes if handled without the apparent care that developer Guerrilla Games has put into horizon forbidden west.
Take the Power Back
Once again, Alloy finds himself in a mission that is particularly sensitive to the mysterious time of his character. Many are firmly established in the grey area between friends and enemies. There were many twists and turns, and I kept guessing how it would end by the end of Alloy’s journey. This journey is not short. My playthrough (which took place at a moderately relaxed pace, including completing a healthy number of side missions) lasted about 32 hours.
Guerrilla has learned a lesson about finding a balance between worldbuilding and telling a coherent story. Horizon Forbidden West Zero Dawn tackled some big, ambitious ideas. Still, she sometimes stumbled when it came to engagingly conveying them, with an over-reliance on audio and text files found in lifeless labs and abandoned offices. With the stage now firmly set, though. Forbidden West can confidently stride over the deep exposition potholes that Zero Dawn sometimes fell victim to (mainly). Mercifully avoiding lengthy information dumps in favour of a more elegantly told tale.