Horizon Forbidden West

PS4, PS5

Developer/publisher SIE (Guerrilla Games) Format PS4, PS5 Origin Netherlands Release TBA

After seeing 15 minutes of action from Guerrilla’s open-world sequel, we’re still not quite convinced it has any big new ideas to offer – anything that wasn’t in the original we’ve seen elsewhere, including from Sony’s own stable – but it’s certainly easy on the eye. Aloy’s trademark locks flowing underwater make an impression, but it’s the hyper-saturated pops of coral and the way beams of light break through the surface that stand out most, a gorgeous example of how the PS5 architecture’s support for ray tracing has led to a greater embrace of vibrancy. In this spectacle, at least, there’s the promise of something fresh.