Horizon: Forbidden West Review
Performance
Performance wise, the game was wonky. I had to restart it often because framerate would just TANK for no reason, usually after cutscenes, dying and respawning, and sometimes after fast-traveling. If I fast traveled very far across the map, the framerate would mostly fix itself. I don’t remember if I played it with DLSS on Quality or on Dynamic. Framegen was sometimes on, sometimes off, but mostly off due to not being able to alt-tab without the game crashing. 1440p resolution, with settings optimised(Either Digital Foundry or BenchmarKing) + slightly boosted by myself.
Gameplay
Standard open-world formula. “Undiscovered
Where the game shines is combat wise. It’s super cool and satifying to tear pieces off the machines, and alongside late-game combat, you feel truly like “the chosen one” (admittedly, an overused trope, but written fairly well, more on that in a bit). Featuring many different bow types, and non-bow weapons, elemental ammo, buffs, etc., you’re given plenty of choices to customize your playstyle.
There is a bethesda style skill tree, with 6 different categories, each focusing on different elements, from stealth, to crafting, to spear combat, and so on. There’s passive skills, active skills, and weapon skills to unlock. This adds another layer of complexity allowing you to customize further.
Art
Visually, the game is magnificent. Bright and vibrant, the world is really nice to look at and run around in. Until you hear massive mechanical footsteps nearby, go toward them and meet a gigantic metal T-Rex equipped with rocket launchers. This is again where this game shines. Machines are imaginative, detailed, expertly animated. And when I say expertly animated, I mean it. I can not praise the animation team enough. Metal is rigid, and yet these machines have visible muscly elements allowing them somehow feel like they are just any old part of nature.
Story wise, it’s your typical “chosen one saves the world” story. Nothing you haven’t seen before. But it’s fun, immersive, well paced, and a great follow-up to the first game. Where it builds upon the first game is the fact that Aloy now has allies. People who want to fight for her, who care for her, and support her cause, in a world where tribes are isolated into their own religions, these characters choose to defy them, even break their own laws. Some characters are fully fleshed out with questlines of their own, but unfortunately not all of them.
Other quests were fine, nothing too special in terms of variety, but at least the dialogues between the characters were well written.
Speaking of dialogue, at times it felt cringey, but that cringeyness somehow manages to add entertainment value rather than detract from the experience.
Audio, alongside the animation, is also top-notch. Especially when we’re talking about machines, and machine factories(named Cauldrons). Pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a triple-A game.
Verdict
Horizon: Forbidden West may follow the familiar open-world, third-person formula, but it elevates the experience with a compelling story, well-developed characters, and absolutely stellar combat. The game’s world is a visual feast, and the attention to detail in both the design and animation of the machines is nothing short of remarkable. While the story and gameplay can feel formulaic at times, especially with the overused “chosen one” narrative, it remains engaging due to the strong writing and the depth of customization options available. If you can overlook the occasional performance hiccups and embrace its formulaic nature, this game is a worthy addition to any library, offering a blend of satisfying combat, intriguing lore, and breathtaking visuals.