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 First impression of Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Zero Dawn provided a stunning foundation for the post-apocalyptic world of Guerrilla Games, a world overrun by robotic creatures with a sense of amazement similar to seeing the Brachiosaurus dinosaur for the first time in Jurassic Park, centered around the PlayStation icon Aloy, and composed of wonderful layers of mystery, tradition and history. The release of a sequel to this iconic game is no easy feat, but after 4 hours of playing the early sequels of Horizon Forbidden West, it's clear that it's on track to deliver on all the promises made by its first sequel.

Zero Dawn was not a disappointing start, in fact it was a very successful start to a new PlayStation series. But there were obvious areas that needed improvement and polish, and Guerrilla seems to have tackled nearly every one of them since the last time I played on the Aloy's Journey. The battle system has become more complex, exploration is freer, and the world is teeming with more intriguing creatures (both robotic and human) and meaningful things to do. Forbidden West in all its glory is still waiting to be explored, but I can tell you about a lot of reasons why it's an adventure I can't wait to embark on.

My journey with Forbidden West doesn't begin exactly where Aloy's journey begins in the new chapter, where Guerrilla still holds many secrets, but rather later on in her quest to find new answers, and possibly save humanity in the process.

It's been 6 months since the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, and Aloy around the world has noticed that this red pest is everywhere. This is an apocalyptic level threat, and she has to find a way to stop it, according to story director Ben Macau, who added, "Where the game begins, there are some things we haven't talked about or shown you before that point."

Zero Dawn players will instantly familiarize themselves with the gameplay in Forbidden West, but with a thorough polish in almost every respect. (And new players shouldn't have too much difficulty catching up, Horizon's mechanics are revealed over time, but with enough new changes that it doesn't look like an extended learning chore.) The first big question I asked when I started playing was how much freer exploration would it be. Zero Dawn did a lot of things right, but navigating the climb was one of the most frustratingly limiting things, and I'm sure I'm not the only player who has spent a lot of time jumping around at random trying to get Aloy to climb a rocky surface that she wasn't necessarily supposed to climb .

Forbidden West may not allow every inch of its world to be climbed, which may be disappointing to some, but it was immediately obvious (and recommended) that the climbable areas of the world had increased exponentially. Instead of small, scattered areas with tractable bits, much more of the rocky terrain can be climbed in this area. This is absolutely wonderful. It makes exploring, whether to reach a destination or just check out an interesting area, feel like a more natural and fulfilling experience.

It was immediately obvious (and desirable) that the climbable areas in the world of Forbidden West had increased exponentially

This is enhanced by the improved Focus, the scanning mode in the Horizon world. Focus can now be activated with a quick tap of the R3 button to perform a pulse scan around Aloy, which reveals what resources can be collected, as well as highlight climbable parts of the world with yellow markers and lines. Just a few pulses will reveal all the climbable areas of the world and not just an obstacle in Aloy's way, and that's good news.

But the Focus has also been upgraded in many ways. We can still scan a robotic enemy and rate its various detachable items, but instead of having to slowly and precisely sweep over the monster, the D-Pad buttons can be used to focus on each one of these items. It is now possible to mark a specific part of the bot, rather than it as a whole. This might be a small change, but it's an indication of how well Guerrilla scrutinizes every element of Horizon and keeps things working, while finding clever ways to improve on top of them.

Now back to navigating the game. Another good addition is the Pullcaster, which is similar to a hook and allows players to drag the Aloy towards more distant or harder-to-reach points. It can even be used in conjunction with the Shieldwing, a parachute-like tool that Alloy acquired towards the end of my trial period. Taking off at a point, letting Aloy soar through the sky and head toward a point on a nearby cliff, gave Zero Dawn a real sense of freedom of movement that Zero Dawn lacked. I only had the opportunity to use these three elements together for a while, but it's a very welcome change that should make navigating the big map of Part Two more rewarding.

New in the game

And speaking of rewarding feeling, it seems that Forbidden West is intentionally built to ensure that everything you do has varied and worthwhile rewards. Deeper settlements are an essential part of Forbidden West, and if the time spent in the first settlement that Chainscrape came across is any indication, there is plenty more waiting for players to find, explore and waste hours on.

Chainscrape is first and foremost a bustling small town, which, despite being smaller than the Meridian City in Zero Dawn, immediately seemed more dynamic, and for good reason.

"We really wanted to hear from the fans and the reviewers, but also the internal feedback between us. So there were a lot of things we wanted to do with the settlements, including making it feel more realistic, with better animation, better character charts," Macao said. Playable, as well as the sound.We wanted to improve the sound type of crowds, meaning that when you go to any particular place in a settlement, it has its own sound attributes.We also have a situation where Aloy goes to the Forbidden West and encounters new tribes, specifically Utaru and Tenakth. And we wanted to make sure they were distinguished as much as possible, with non-playable characters doing things you would only do in that tribe to give it that sense of life.” 

Chainscrape, a busy pub, has many cute custom-made animations of characters sharing drinks, laughing at the stories being told, and more. But the settlements will not be full of NPCs that you cannot interact with. There seemed to be more side quests worthwhile, one of my first quests not only introduced me to a couple of cute craftsmen called Della and Boomer, but completing their quest by collecting certain parts of a machine led me to a whole new weapon type, the Javelin Thrower Explosive.

On the matter, Macao said: "In general, if you do a side quest in Forbidden West, it won't be the last time you see this NPC. It's also all woven into the story we talked about before, about Aloy and her companions and its evolution. As a character, and the question is how do you kind of learn to fit in with the human race, where you started as a pariah and become a savior, how do you really fit in with all those tribes and all those people?"

But in addition to the more important side missions and small details that bring Chainscrape to life, there's a wide variety of side objectives that I've come across in and out of town. You will find many battlefields across the world, there are Vista Points, in which Aloy must arrange a vision on her focus with a location in the world, and Salvage Contracts, in which Aloy must search for certain parts of the machines. It's worth noting that in today's open world era, you can't not get enough of in-world games like Gwent or Orlog. And Machine Strike looks like it's going to be very entertaining. In it, players will face opponents on a board made of different types of terrain, with an arsenal of sculpted machines (representing those you encounter in the world) facing each other. Machines have different stats in terms of health, attack, and movement, and each type of terrain can have either positive or negative effects as you try to take out your opponent's fleet. I just played a few educational missions, there will be plenty of matches to play, game pieces to collect, and strategies to check, but the game really managed to captivate me, especially thanks to the small changes that adapt real robot armor covers, the Overcharge ability, and more. that.

None of these goals seem like tautology, which is one of the biggest problems open world games have. Rather, McCaw showed how everything is built with more and better rewards in mind, whether it's new gear, outfits, weapons, or essential pieces of the game world.

On the matter, Macao said: “It's great to have a huge open world, but if you feel like all the activities in it are just superfluous, unrelated or unnecessary, it's not a great feeling. We wanted to make sure there was a certain path through this game. , where if players want to experience the main mission and get to the end of the story as quickly as possible, they can do so, and there is also a progression of the game that really focuses on combat.But if there is an activity in the world, or a board game, or a battlefield, or even a camp or Outpost connected to the Regalla rebels, stuff from the previous game, players should feel like it's all part of the world. It should all be part of the story."

This is a major disappointment for Zero Dawn, where side missions and quests weren't worth the reward, or took longer than necessarily entertaining. But then again, it appears Guerilla took these criticisms seriously and introduced an expanded content collection on Forbidden West. It's deeper, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and has me excited to cross borders and enter Forbidden Wilds for just over a few minutes.

Forbidden Enemies

I enjoyed the Zero Dawn characters in general, with Aloy herself represented by Ashley Burch as well as Silence by Lance Riddick, in particular. But to put it in perspective, I've fallen in love with almost every character I've met thanks to the excellent writing and unique character of each character. Aloy has always been likable from the very first minute, but Burch plays her part with such charming determination that it was fun to watch her defy unwilling bureaucrats to get things done, and at the same time, it hurts to see her keep caring friends like Erind and Petra away from her.

"What we wanted to do with Aloy at Forbidden West is put her under as much pressure as possible," Macau said. "So she's under pressure to try to solve the Bblight problem, which is an apocalyptic level threat, and she's under a lot of other pressures like fighting machines and trying to Only to survive in this world. But she also suffers from other pressures of trying to live up to her biological mother, Elizabeth Sobeck. She is perhaps one of the greatest people in history, and someone who almost single-handedly saved the world. This is a very high standard that Aloy must live up to. It is also important to remember that she is someone who grew up an outcast and just started interacting with the world as a whole in the previous game.

Aloy's arsenal

Fortunately, Aloy has some new tools and skills at her disposal to rise to the challenge. While I've only seen the early parts of it, there are now six tall skill trees players can invest in based on their style. I only got a chance to try out a few skills, some new like the ability to shoot arrows with a larger trajectory so that it rains down on enemies, and some back, like the ability to temporarily slow down time while shooting, and this is also where players can use Valor Surge abilities. Everything is supposed to pair well with the extensive arsenal of equipment and outfits that you will be getting. And in another special change to the game, the costumes are closely linked to these skill trees, and some of them will offer stat boosts that can make skills even stronger. (You will also upgrade your aiming weapon in the workshops inside the settlements, and Aloy can access a store that makes it easier for her to carry a lot on her own.)

It's worth noting that the close-range combat system has been improved as well, Zero Dawn's under- and out-of-light animations and heavy attacks can feel a bit stale, especially when paired with dribbling moves. But there's more fluidity in the animation and how it ties together now, and it also seems like a more viable option overall. This is thanks in part to the power of the Resonator Blast which basically allows you to charge the spear with quick successive strikes, and once it starts glowing, it allows you a much more powerful attack that can even transmit energy to the enemy, fire an arrow at them, and cause a massive explosion of damage.

There will also be new weapons like the Javelin Thrower, while returning items like Tripcasters and standard elemental stock options are also welcome. But there's now a much wider range of those elements, including plasma, and one I've seen a lot of in my playing days, which is acid. Throwed with an accurate hit of acid canisters at new Bristleback enemies, acid darts can deal massive damage and clouds of acid strike nearby enemies. It might have been a poor strategy, but I didn't get much use of the elemental damage in Zero Dawn and focused more on dismantling parts of the machines. But between the Bristlebacks and even more use of explosive wires on the returning Scrappers, I'm excited to continue mixing and matching all the new and returning technology with what appears to be a much more satisfying battle system against both humans and machines.

These machines are of course a big part of the allure of the Horizon universe, and at least for now, Forbidden West still captures the mix of amazement, fascination, and fear that comes with encountering these creatures. There's a nice mix of returning and new machine types, like the acid Bristlebacks, the returning Scrappers and Chargers, and even some like the Burrower, which offer a different twist on Watcher-sized enemies. Not only do they live up to their name and dig underground to avoid your power, but they can also set off explosions that reverberate and momentarily blur Aloy's vision. Guerrilla obviously offers some of Forbidden West's biggest battles for players (myself included) to explore when the full game is released, but I was able to take on one of the most highly anticipated new enemies: the venomous Slitherfang.

Jump to a later stage in Forbidden West to try out its new arena, an optional area where players enter the arena to face different challenges against a mixture of machines, and must eliminate them within a certain time to earn medals that unlock some of the rarest equipment in the game. (You can also compete with friends on the online leaderboard to see who has the best ring times.) The Battle of Slitherfang had all the classic ingredients for facing such a large machine in Horizon. With a mixture of fear and excitement, I had to be very careful around the enemy, who possessed an astonishing variety of attacks enough to keep me on my guard. From the thunderbolt tail (which can electrify entire parts of the battlefield) to the predictable and terrifying attacks that bite you, to the ability to dig underground and jump unexpectedly elsewhere, Slitherfang makes another example of how ingenious Guerrilla can be. Battles in Horizon. Add to that all the new weapons and skills (which I admit I'm still learning), defeating Slitherfang in time was as satisfying as the way it felt when taking down Zero Dawn's biggest enemy. But with new tricks for both Aloy and enemies, these battles offer new fun to explore while trying to figure out the best way to succeed...or at least survive.

I played a certain battle in Forbidden West with frame rate mode, but I switched between my all-time favorites, resolution and performance, and found both to be well worth my time. Visually, Forbidden West is a beautiful game. But playing it on PS5, its world was magical, from the stunning landscape scenes, to the level-up and the great amount of detail in settlements like Chainscape, to the smoother animations in and out of the battles, Forbidden West has been consistently impressive. Remarkably, while Zero Dawn's dialogues often included narrow shots of two characters talking, in nearly every conversation I've had in Forbidden West the camera has been retracting, showcasing the uniquely designed characters in their movements and facial expressions. Each outfit features the same incredible level of detail, from the faded Osiram outfit and the ornate robe of a priest, to the Tinnath armor and body paint combinations. But the minimal drop in resolution in Performance mode is worth the sacrifice, as the smooth, optimized frame rate increases the pace and action of every battle. Either option is good, and I'm excited to continue switching between the two when I play the full game.

It is also worth noting how cool the vibration mechanism is. You will, of course, feel the vibration of the Aloy's bow as it pulls the arrow back, but it's not overwhelming or exaggerated, but it is set correctly. The console came to life whenever the machines were around, whether during the grunting of the Charger's heavy steps, or the screams of the Scrapper, I found the DualSense's vibration mechanism engulfing me more rather than letting me out. The same goes for 3D audio, which is best used while exploring, where when walking through a settlement you can hear chatter and equipment moving around you, or in combat, when spatial audio can help determine if an off-screen enemy is heading towards Aloy. .

Fortunately, we're less than a month away from figuring out how this all works together across the entire journey, and my time with Horizon Forbidden West has assured me more than ever that Guerrilla has refined and developed the Horizon experience with Forbidden West.

Macau added, "There's a huge amount of story, regions, and battles to go through. But the part we gave you, is near the beginning of Aloy's journey, near the beginning of her stay in the Forbidden West, and also the beginning of her development as a character."

But all the doubts I had about the original game seemed to have been thought, and so much more. Aloy's new journey seems to be more powerful and rewarding than I expected, while maintaining all the amazing and wonderful elements of the original game. I still don't know exactly what Forbidden West will hold per se, but after trying it out, I'm more excited than ever to find out the answer.