Another exclusive thwarts PC enthusiasts
ANOTHER YEAR and yet another PS4 exclusive that will instill a pang of regret into the hearts of PC evangelists who have spent obscene money building their dream machines only to be thwarted by the ‘exclusive rights’ slap-fight between Sony and Microsoft.
Horizon Zero Dawn is one of those exclusives. An ambitious title, one of massive scale, breathtaking beauty and thrilling action, Horizon Zero Dawn is as good an advertisement for owning a PS4 as any Xbox exclusive is for owning an Xbox One (yes, even Sunset Overdrive).
A sense of urgency is established right from the very start. You are cast as Aloy, a diminutive and well-intentioned protagonist who must solve a bold and huge mystery in an equally huge and visually stunning open world. The questions raised by protagonist Aloy and the primitive, feral machine-infested open world she inhabits kept me guessing throughout: what great mystery is hidden in this seductive world of fantasy and intrigue?
While the story is certainly worth seeing out to its dramatic and genuinely surprising conclusion, the clever and exciting combat takes centre stage. Aloy’s aresenal of weapons and ammunitions are what gives you the ability to topple Zero Dawn’s immense robotic monsters with efficiency and style. Each monster type in the game has a unique strategy associated with attacking it and the lack of hand-holding on the game’s part when it comes to how you should approach these huge beasts is extremely refreshing.
While combat is definitely at the forefron of the game, you will also need to gather any resource in reach as you travel from point A to point B. Plants and pieces of animals and robots alike are necessary for crafting Aloy’s ammunitioin and traps, upgrading item storage and brewing health potions. While crafting items is a joy, it seems the inventory was designed as an afterthought, which is odd as the rest of the game is designed so immaculately that I didn’t encounter a single serious bug in my entire time playing this release.
Horizon Zero Dawn is an incredible game, one that has been crafted to near perfection by the developers. If you own a PS4, you need to own this aswell.