A beautiful game: Horizon Zero Dawn lives up to its hype, writes Aiman Maulana
THERE are times when a game gets hyped up way before its release date. The pressure to succeed is very high as the developers don’t want it to flop and cause a riot. Horizon Zero Dawn is one such game. Did it manage to capture the hearts of gamers? Let’s find out.
SYNOPSIS
Horizon Zero Dawn takes place about 1,000 years in the future, where modern society has fallen and humans have regressed to living in primitive tribal societies. Earth is now overrun by machines that behave like wild animals, and they soon became aggressive towards the humans after a phenomenon known as the Derangement causes them to evolve and turn violent.
The game follows Aloy, a girl who is shunned by society due to the mysterious circumstances of her birth and her status as outcast. One day, she accidentally falls into an old bunker and finds a small device that gives her special abilities to interact with and gather information on machines and technology via augmented reality.
She begins to question her life and her status. Her guardian, Rost, reluctantly trains her for an unforgiving competition known as the Proving that will change her status. However, what she’s about to go through will change her world in more ways than one.
GAMEPLAY
At its core, Horizon Zero Dawn is an open world action role-playing game. It is one of those games where you will have plenty to do and it can take a long time to finish, especially if you are a perfectionist. The main quests itself are very straightforward as you only need to follow through with the storyline.
The side quests, however, can be quite random. Some will appear alongside the main quests but at other times, will occur while you’re roaming in the open world environment. You must be very attentive of your surroundings as it can occur pretty much anytime, such as people calling you for help or just screaming.
The side quests, which are available in a wide variety of quests, can be very helpful in getting you through the game. It will award you with items and experience points which will help you level up easier. Upon levelling up, you will have some stat boosts such as an increase in your hit points, and gain skill points which can be used to learn new skills.
And just like any role-playing game, you have access to a multitude of equipment, from weapons to armour. The interesting part about this is that newer equipment doesn’t necessarily mean better. It could simply be a better fit for a particular purpose. For example, you can have an armour that is resistant against melee attacks and get rare equipment that is resistant to elemental attacks.
There is plenty of depth in Horizon Zero Dawn that will require players to consider not only their play style, but also the environment they’re in. Given how huge the game’s world is, you’d be surprised how the “obstacles” can fluctuate from one area to another.
COMBAT
The simplest way to describe Horizon Zero Dawn’s combat system is a mix of Assassin’s Creed and Witcher. You have access to various weapons such as bows, sling shots, and your trusty spear for direct confrontations, with each weapon having their own specialty. For instance, your bow will be effective but it can only dish out huge damage if you target the enemy’s weakness whereas the spear is a good all-around weapon but leaves you more vulnerable to enemy attacks.
You can choose to subdue enemies without direct confrontation, which is where stealth comes in. You can sneak behind enemies and land a stealth attack. This is usually a one-hit kill method for weaker enemies but it even dishes out lots of damage on stronger enemies. You also have the option to unlock more stealth-related attack skills later in the game which will give you more versatility in how you deal with hostiles.
There are two major problems that players will face. First, you will face camera angle issues at times during combat, so you might not be able to focus on enemies too well. This is especially true with the second problem when you’re facing multiple enemies head-on. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, unless you’re playing on Easy Mode, as the enemies can be ruthless.
Once you master the combat system, these things won’t be a problem anymore.
GRAPHICS
Horizon Zero Dawn has one of the most breathtaking visuals ever in a videogame, and it truly shows the PlayStation 4’s graphical fidelity. Life-like characters, coupled with an awe-inspiring environment, make for a game that is very pleasing to the eye.
The game seems to run very smoothly on the base model PlayStation 4, which made me wonder if it was running at 60 frames per second. Turns out, even if you were to play this game on the PS4 Pro, the frame rate will still be locked at 30 frames per second. Not only that, after its Day One update, the frame rate drop issue has been fixed, so you can be sure to have a consistent gaming experience.
CONCLUSION
I was initially sceptical of Horizon Zero Dawn. Usually when a game is so hyped up prior to release, it has a high chance of being a flop but this game has surpassed my expectations. It is currently in the running for Game Of The Year, as it is not only an excellent game, it’s also suitable for any gamer. Overall, I’d give Horizon Zero Dawn a 4.5 out of 5 rating. A definite must-buy for PlayStation 4 owners.
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