High-performance playtime
PS4 | $99.95 | WWW.GUERRILLAGAMES.COM Supreme sandbox exclusive is a metal marvel.
Guerrilla should never make another Killzone. The Dutch studio spent nine years delivering dreary sci-fi shooters. Spend nine minutes with Horizon Zero Dawn and you’ll appreciate how head and shoulders above the Helghast the dev’s new IP is. This is a sensational sandbox — and one of the best open-world games in years.
People routinely moan that modern games merely look prettier than titles of the past, rather than evolve the gameplay. That’s not a critique you can lay on Horizon. The emergent behaviour systems of the robo-dinosaurs makes you feel like anything is possible. Witness two 45-foot AI alligators emerging from a river, a tribe of hunters whaling on them with spears, as a Pteranodondwarfing Stormbird pelts the lot of ’em with electric bolts, and then tell us this could have been done on PS3.
The key facts: embattled human factions eke out an uneasy existence alongside a bevy of AI animals known as the Machines (that’d be the aforementioned robodinosaurs). Yes, this is yet another dystopian world ravaged by war... wait, come back! For fear of spoilers, we won’t delve into specifics. Just know this: Horizon’s story is not what you’re expecting.
Aloy is a really interesting lead, especially by sandbox standards. She’s no generic criminal seeking redemption. Instead, Aloy is a compassionate paradox who simply wants to know where she came from... in between shooting arrows at mechanical hippos.
Stripped down Mass Effect- esque conversation wheels give you multiple dialogue options while taking on missions, allowing you some agency. Choosing between confrontational, compassionate, or intelligent answers doesn’t have much of an impact on how the story plays out, but it’s still nice to have control over the RPG-lite responses.
Stalking robotic creatures to harvest their valuable parts, then trading them in for shards (the game’s currency) and weapons upgrades; clearing out bandit encampments with predatory, impeccable sneaking; reminiscing about Shadow Of The Colossus as you figure out how to scale a Longneck to reveal new areas of the map... there’s a wealth of diversions on show. All this monster mayhem features prominently in the game’s central story missions and abundance of sidequests, and both are granite-strong.
Say hello to PS4’s new killer franchise.
Dave Meikleham