Horizon: Zero Dawn impressions

[hanselthecaretaker]

For the day one folks, now that you've had a chance to play it for a while, what do you think?

I've only played a couple hours so far, but it's managed to pull me in. Ironically it was the opening sequence that felt a bit odd and unpolished, maybe because I've been spoiled by Bloodborne where the camera and movement is butter smooth.

However, now that I'm actually in the main game world, I can say it looks and plays beautifully. Contextual movement is nicely done, and aiming mechanics are exceptionally fine-tuned. With aim assist off I'm still able to hit moving targets, and it's refreshing to be able to still move at a good clip while doing so.

Crafting appears to be pretty deep, and I like the health/healing system; finding food for your pouch as a reserve to replenish your health bar.

Quests seem to be handled well so far, retaining player freedom with very little intrusion. The detailed menus system handles everything neatly and effectively too.

I'll post more details this weekend when I have more time, but so far it's managed to pull me away from Bloodborne, at least for a while. We'll see how for how long.

In the meantime, a bit more technical analysis from DF -

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/d...dawn-tech-analysis-what-works-and-what-doesnt

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I. AM. LOVING. IT.

It really took me until the 2nd area of the game where it really opens up to really start digging Horizon. The 1st area was fine and all, the sorta standard tutorial area of an RPG. However, the game is really bad about telling you about all the game's systems and how they work. The game doesn't tell you what the different elements do nor is there even a legend anywhere to tell you what the symbols mean. I don't even think the game tells you what "tear" is either.

Anyways, once I got to the 2nd area (after The Proving), I was just massively sucked into the game. You look over basically anywhere, you see something awesome, and you want to explore. There's also several new dinobots thrown your way as well. The game world so far feels just about the right size, it's not too big and there's not tons of things to do and collect. You're not going to go into town and have 10+ people with exclamation points above their heads. And, there isn't a million question marks on the map like Witcher 3 either. Everything feels doable without it being a total and complete timesink. So far the side quests are pretty solid and interesting enough, it's never been kill 10 of these dinobots. There are "errands" to do and they are labeled as Errands so they are obviously just extra content to do if you want. And, you've only ever got a few quests going on at once so your quest-log doesn't fill up with 10+ quests that feels more like a to-do list than anything. Even the collectibles feel pretty light, you pick up your first Metal Flower and it says 1/30 instead of like 1/100+.

The gameplay seems too simple at first, but as you learn the game's systems and fight more dinobots, the combat has some depth and creativity to it. And, it's just plain fun as hell taking down the bigger dinobots. Horizon is one of those games where you make a lot of the little stories yourself like I walked into this new dinobot on accident, it took 10 minutes but I TOOK IT DOWN!!! Or you're fighting a new dinobot for the first time, you're almost dead and so is the dinobot, and your freaking mount hind-leg kicks it for the KO, which happened to me.

There's a few negatives with the game just like any other. The hitboxes aren't perfect and even the i-frames seems a bit funky at times. So far fighting humans hasn't been much fun, and the first bandit camp I cleared out just had too many enemies.

 

[PapaGreg096]

You know it took me awhile to actually get into this but so far I'm really loving it. Whats best is that you actually feel like a hunter, not only do you use your bow and arrow to hunt prey but you set up traps, make distractions, weaken your prey, and tame other animals to help you fight. The game is a little more strategic than I thought it would be.

 

[stroopwafel]

Yeah, it's really good. Interesting premise and the gameplay is buttery smooth at just the right challenge. There is a lot of depth and variety to the game as well and the entire setting looks so gorgeous that it really sucks you in. Who though stone age mixed with machines from the future(past?) would be so awesome?

 

[Catfood220]

I've only played a couple of hours of it due to my copy turning up a day late (thanks ShopTo.net and Royal Mail, you are both better than that) so I only got to play it last night for a little bit before going to bed.

But yes, very much enjoying what I have played of the game so far. The game is absolutely gorgeous, even running on my standard PS4 and non 4K TV. The dino bots are incredibly imposing, I imagine that feeling will wear off after I've killed a few, but for the time being I spent most of last night taking a looping route around them and just shooting the rabbits and boar. So far, they don't fight back.

But yeah, so far I'm impressed. I have more time to play tonight, its just annoying that I have to wait all day to play it more. I was almost tempted to call in sick

 

[Casual Shinji]

I. AM. LOVING. IT.

Yes to all of this.

The game starts off slow, and the first area is nothing too special, but once you get set off on your "quest" things get fucking metal! Literally and figuratively.

Once you start fighting anything larger than a regular cattle sized robot all bets are off. These fights are hectic and relentless in the best possible way. When you trigger one of these guys they are out for blood, and you have to be quick on your feet and with your weapons if you want to live through it.

The game unfortunately(?) never really explains to you all the different types of weapons and status effects, and it wasn't until I figured all that out that the combat clicked right into place. It took me like 4 hours to I realize that using the Tripcaster in open combat wasn't only a valid option it was one of the best options.

And as for the open world, and the collective fatigue that there is toward it these days, the setting makes ALL the difference. Not only does it look dropdead gorgeous, there's an unhinged, savage tone to it that makes the world feel epic and ancient. There's also very little busy work. The Tallnecks that you climb to uncover the map are very few in numbers, like 5 or 6. I've only encountered one in my 7 or so hours of play. There are camps for you to raid, but again, there's so few of them. Most of what you'll be doing is sidequests and exploration.

The way the game handles health is also terrific. The medicine bar makes it so you never waste anything, you only use what you need.

And riding hacked robots (the ones you can ride) is surprisingly fluid. Just riding around on them feels like a joy, and they can cover almost any terrain -- I never once got stuck on heavily uneven surface. Anything short of a straight-up wall they just traverse with ease. And they really pull their weight during combat. It's totally doable to ride these things into combat, firing your bow at full speed, without it ever feeling tacked on or awkward.

It's not all rosey though, as the character performances aren't too great. It never crosses into David Cage territory, but there's a definite uncanny awkwardness to it all. Also the climbing feels too automated and on the rare occasions that you fight human enemies the combat is rather lame.

But overall this game seems to be getting better the more I play and the more land I uncover on the map.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Well shit. Gonna have to buy it now.

 

[Zhukov]

Enjoying it so far.

Turns out you can make a fun game out of the Ubisoft generic open world template by simply not being a bunch of hacks. Who knew?

Got a bunch of nitpicks, but nothing major.

Early days yet though. Hopefully I won't sour on it over time.

 

[stroopwafel]

I think about buying but just a question (please don't crucify me): There's no politics in the game, right? Both right and left, since I've heard the word Matriarchy and fear some bullshit coming with it.

No, there are none of those things. The tribe is a matriarchal society(not uncommon in ancestral times I believe) but it serves the storyline by giving the tribe customs and beliefs that the lead character(for story reasons) initially can't confirm too. Aloy being an outcast also serves to make her self-sufficient and resilient in this hostile world when she's on her own.

If you want to reach you could say men definitely don't overpower women in this game(with Aloy in particular being a really strong character). Ofcourse you have to consider this game was made in the Netherlands, we pretty much invented feminism(the sincere kind not the dubious SJW version).

 

[Zhukov]

I think about buying but just a question (please don't crucify me): There's no politics in the game, right? Both right and left, since I've heard the word Matriarchy and fear some bullshit coming with it.

I don't have the energy to properly jump down your throat right now. So just consider yourself crucified.

Let's see then.

The main character comes from a matriarchal society. They're led by a trio of old shaman-ish ladies. They worship a female deity of maternity, hence they mention motherhood in their rites a fair bit and they name places 'Mother's X' a lot. Mother's Heart, Mother's Cradle, Mother's Watch etc etc. They're not depicted as being superior due to being a matriarchy. In fact, their matriarchal nature causes the protagonist to get screwed over.

There are other societies in the setting that are not matriarchal. There's a city of sun worshipers who only have male rulers. At one point early on Aloy can have a conversation with one of their priests about this, if the player so chooses. He's depicted as being a bit of an idiot and Aloy pretty much wins the argument.

Oh, and as you're probably aware, the main character, Aloy, is female. One could make a case that she's a bit Mary Sue, although not notably more so than your average video game protagonist.

That's all I got. Granted, I'm not that far in.

You can make up your own mind as to whether or not that constitutes "politics". I daresay if you want to see politics you'll find something in there to get triggered over.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Turns out you can make a fun game out of the Ubisoft generic open world template by simply not being a bunch of hacks. Who knew?

Also by putting more than a year's worth of work into it.

Oh, and as you're probably aware, the main character, Aloy, is female. One could make a case that she's a bit Mary Sue, although not notably more so than your average video game protagonist.

I'd say she's bordering on a blank slate. The game handles its story progression very lopsided. It starts off extremely story heavy with a motivated Aloy, but then almost completely drops it to the point where I'm having trouble discerning Aloy's character at all.

The lore and cultures of this world feel very deep and intricate, but the way it goes about dispencing it leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Weresquirrel]

I'm enjoying it quite a lot so far. I feel the melee combat could do with a teeny bit of tightening up (my Dark Souls instincts keep making me bring up the focus in an attempt to lock on to targets). The AI is also a bit thick at the best of times. I had one occasion where I attempted to sneak attack a dude, missed and sent my spear noisily clacking into a wall in front of the guy, panic a bit and do it a couple more times while I tried to recenter myself... And then pulled off the sneak attack on him. All this occured while another guy watched from the other side of a tiny trench apparently missing the whole exchange.

But other than that, the game is gorgeous, the sweeping hills, the rivers, the mountains, all lovely to look at. It also has an interesting setting, although leaning a bit too closely on Battlefield Earth territory. So much so that I'm half expecting to see John Travolta's leering mug come at me screeching "Rat brain!".

It also has a lot of quite nice UI features, like it telling you if you're maxed out on a particular item before you try and pick it up.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm enjoying it quite a lot so far. I feel the melee combat could do with a teeny bit of tightening up (my Dark Souls instincts keep making me bring up the focus in an attempt to lock on to targets). The AI is also a bit thick at the best of times. I had one occasion where I attempted to sneak attack a dude, missed and sent my spear noisily clacking into a wall in front of the guy, panic a bit and do it a couple more times while I tried to recenter myself... And then pulled off the sneak attack on him. All this occured while another guy watched from the other side of a tiny trench apparently missing the whole exchange.

Once you get the sneak drop attack upgrade you can actually force stealth attacks on enemies that are already aware of you. I've had situations were I was fighting a bunch of Watchers on an incline with them being positioned slightly below me. This made it so that when I jumped over them I got high enough for the R1 critical prompt to appear.

 

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

So we have this, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and NieR: Automata, game with great buzz and I have no money to buy them.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I'm actually really considering breaking my rule on never buying full price. Seems like everyone is really digging it.

 

[Weresquirrel]

Once you get the sneak drop attack upgrade you can actually force stealth attacks on enemies that are already aware of you. I've had situations were I was fighting a bunch of Watchers on an incline with them being positioned slightly below me. This made it so that when I jumped over them I got high enough for the R1 critical prompt to appear.

"It's over Anakin, I have the high ground!"

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm actually really considering breaking my rule on never buying full price. Seems like everyone is really digging it.

Don't expect too much from the story and characters, but prepare for the sickest monster fights in the most gorgeous landscapes you've ever seen. That's about all you need to know.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Once you get the sneak drop attack upgrade you can actually force stealth attacks on enemies that are already aware of you. I've had situations were I was fighting a bunch of Watchers on an incline with them being positioned slightly below me. This made it so that when I jumped over them I got high enough for the R1 critical prompt to appear.

"It's over Anakin, I have the high ground!"

Pretty much, except you jump over them to get the kill.

...

And they're already more machine than man.