Thoughts on Horizon Zero Dawn for PS4
Warning: SPOILERS
To start off, here are some facts about Horizon. It was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, produced by Lambert Wolterbeek Muller, and directed by Mathijs de Jonge. Released in February 2017 on Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft PC. Horizon Zero Dawn is a single-player third-person ARPG (action role-playing game).
It is a game where the player (you) has to craft a mountain pile of resources for support throughout the game. If you have seen the cover of this game or looked at some wallpapers, you will see that in this game, you fight machines. They range in size from small to massive. Each one has its own weakness and mannerisms. Their designs resemble animals we know today like giraffes, goats, and hawks.
The story follows the journey of a little girl named Aloy. Who is considered an outcast the moment she was born. Having no parents, she is given to another outcast by three higher matriarchs (consider them chiefs of the tribe). As Aloy grows into the wilds, she is always shunned by other tribe's people including children. This angers her and she demands to know who her mother was and why she was cast out. Rost (her caretaker), informs Aloy that there is a ritual called the "Proving" and if she won, her answers would be in the palm of her hand. Determined to know about the past, Aloy trains for years from the age of six to nineteen.
Once the Proving comes and Aloy is of age, she joins. While everyone mocks her status, she ignores the blunt comments and objectifying glares. During each test of the Proving, Aloy shows off her trophy to the tribe at its place at the feet of a higher-up Nora (name of the tribe). Not too long after the woman announces her bravehood, there is an ambush. Everyone is killed except for Aloy because Rost swooped in and saved her from the Shadow Carja named Heris. He is killed in a blaze (explosive material) blast which sends Aloy over a cliff.
When Aloy wakes up she finds herself in the All-Mother Mountain. She is told she was found there when she was born. Frustrated over Rost's death and curious about who her mother really is, Aloy has been anointed a seeker. She is allowed to roam through the lands and explore on her own to find answers.
So now getting to my thoughts about the game...
Gameplay: The gameplay wasn't as bad as I thought it would be at first. I thought there would be buggy glitches and like Breath of the Wild, I would fall to my death (ALOT). That isn't how it turned out and I am pretty happy. Shooting is easy and the upgrades make it so much easier to use the bow. There is a large variety of arrows that can do frost, fire, shock, piercing, or even corruption damage. You can take down machines in many ways with a trip caster, sling, bow, or even rope them down and finish them off with a critical. Sneaking is pretty easy there isn't too much to say about that.
Story: I feel like the story is unfinished. If you haven't played the game yet, there's an ending credit scene that leaves you on a cliff hanger. But Aloy's journey and upbringing were heartfelt and a little tear-jerking. Her empathy through each person she meets is really inspiring. How much you can learn about how we could end up many years in the future is fascinating.
Q: Would I play it again?
A: I wouldn't say that I would, no. The trophies are easy to obtain and the story is good. But I get Death Stranding vibes from this title. There are some machines I hate but that doesn't make me hate the game altogether. I would give it a 7/10 scale or 3.5/5 star rating. For some reason, I wanted to only play about an hour or two of this game. It took me 40 hours to complete all of the main quests.
Lemme know what you think?
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