Horizon: Zero Dawn - 7.2
I have to start this one by just saying that I really hope that whoever decided to voice up and say “machine-dinosaur tribal post-apocalyptic open world game” needs a raise. The originality behind the concept is genuinely refreshing at a time when many of the major AAA games being released are either reboots or sequels.
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Scores:
Originality: 8
Gameplay: 7
Story: 8
Audio: 7
Art & UI Design: 6
Total Score: 7.2/10
ORIGINALITY
Something that I particularly liked with Horizon: Zero Dawn’s concept was the fact that a game like this could have easily gone down a more steam / cyberpunk root - after all, those genres are much safer and more popular than anything Guerrilla Games had tried -, but instead they took the machine concept in another direction introducing primal tribal groups of humans. This really adds a sense of self to the game and is an undoubtedly a large part of what led to the game’s unique position in the market and subsequent success.
The concept of post-apocalyptic dinosaur machines oozes originality.
GAMEPLAY
I wish I could be as impressed with the gameplay as I was with the concept and story aspects of the game. The truth is I did have a lot of fun playing with the game. However, the biggest issue for me personally was that the the aspects of the game that felt most enjoyable and unique, also seemed a little undercooked and at times outright irrelevant.
For example, the game allows you to ‘take-over’ some of the machines. The concept that we might be able to control or tame the robot dinosaurs (or ‘machine’s’ as they’re labelled in the game) is genuinely intriguing. There is a great variety of these machines: underwater, underground, and flying machines all feature in the game. But ultimately, in the vast majority of cases taking over the machines doesn’t offer any new value aside from having an AI-controlled machine fight on your side. The exception being that it is possible to ride some machines. This feels like a waste of a great concept.
In the next game, I’d like to see more depth to this feature. It may be possible to add riding for flying or underwater machines. Likewise, more abilities may be possible. For example, you might be able to call a bombing run from one of the Pterodactyl-inspired machines or tell a machine to attack a settlement, enemy or even a group of other machines to cause a stampede. Not to mention, the game is centred around bow-and-arrow gameplay; why not have it be possible to take over machines with an arrow instead of requiring proximity? There are many possibilities under the surface of this game mechanic, and I think that this iteration of the series only touches the surface.
I also would have liked to see more variety in the basic combat functions. There is a good variety of projectiles available, but the game could use more depth away from the projectiles. In particular, melee combat felt like an afterthought with the exception of some of the typical stealth takedowns. But even excluding other forms of combat, more projectiles would always be nice to see: perhaps, a confusion dart that confuses human enemies? Or a sleep dart that allows a more pacifist playstyle if the player wants?
Overall, the gameplay was good fun and a great start, but it lacked in the places where it could have been turned in to a fuller experience.
STORY
The story and world-building that takes place in Horizon: Zero Dawn was perhaps my favourite aspect of the game. The concept that we would have no true means of saving the world from a species of conscious mass-murdering robots built by an overzealous entrepreneur other than to build a system capable of regenerating the human species hundreds of thousands of years in the future hits home pretty hard in the age of Climate Change, Global Warming, and (not to name any names!) entrepreneur’s sending themselves to space for the simple purpose of a joyride. In fact, not only does it hit home, but some more familiar with the growth of the AI and Machine Learning space may even consider such an outcome believable.
What is interesting is that even though I had never played the game to completion before, I found myself filling the gaps in Aloy’s knowledge before she actually became aware of it and this is a great way that the game keeps the player interested in the story: you sort of know what is coming, even though you hope you’re wrong. This is a very impressive achievement on the part of the narrative team.
There is one caveat to this. The game sets up some really interesting cultures in the Nora, Carja, Oseram, and Banuk tribes but it fails to really develop them in a distinct way. Little is shown of the customs and cultures of these groups, and it would have been nicer to see more work on that side of the game: developing more side-quests that relate to the specific history, origins and religions of these peoples.
In fact, aside from the different art style to each culture (Nora living in wooden huts, Carja in a dessert, and Oseram in the mountains) little is done to really flesh out what the individual differences are between the tribes. For example, the game refers to the ‘Red Raids’ when a mad Carja king invaded the Nora and other tribes. This occurs only a few years before the start of the game, yet little is done to show the effect of this war on the mentality of the Carja and Nora – in fact, the Nora seem to hate the Carja for one scene then without hesitation become allies on the word of Aloy, who herself was an outcast of the tribe for most of her life. This happens without much of a fuss and with her being ‘the All Mother’s child’ as the only seeming justification. It was a little hard to believe.
That noted, this was a really minor issue that I had with the story, and while I’m sure the game might have explored this a little further in side-quests and readable objects in the game, the lack of clear difference between the tribes was, at times, confusing.
It’s hardly surprising that the game was nominated and won a long list of awards.
AUDIO
The game had a full OST released alongside it. It was mainly done by Joris de Man with several features. It has a good atmosphere and certainly adds to the feel of the game. It is clear that a great deal of work went in to making the OST fit both the tribal aspect and the cold, machine infested aspect of the world – a feat not easily done given the high level of originality to the concept and lack of pre-existing stories or similar concepts to draw inspiration from. The team also did well to avoid falling into any potentially offensive caveats by appropriating instruments or musical styles that relate to real-world tribes – though this does make the music a little harder to place in the mind of the player.
Julie Elven’s haunting voice does a great job of getting across much of the sorrow of Aloy’s story. I did sense that the team may have been a little hesitant as to how Julie’s style of throat-singing on ‘Aloy’s Theme’ might come across for players, but I personally thought it was great and hope to hear more of this kind of music in the sequel.
The game’s artbook is as incredible as the art in the game itself!
ART
The artwork is, like many of the story elements of the game, very creative and clearly inspired. The attention to detail on the minutia of some of the machines is incredible. This even filters into the gameplay aspect of the game where certain parts of the machines are vulnerable to certain types of attack. The machines and character models are really where the artwork is at it’s very best. Similarly, the games UI is inventive and incredibly easy to use. The spin wheel to choose arrow / weapon types is simple, effective and looks great.
Unfortunately, the animation leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, the poor facial animations – particularly during the cutscenes – make the story hard to appreciate at times. Any time Aloy looks downward the motion is clunky, uncomfortable, and distracting. This was the largest reason that art ended up being the lowest scoring aspect of the game for me. That noted, it’s clear that the team was aware of this issue as – judging from early looks at the new Horizon game, they have attempted to remedy these issues.
ROUND UP
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a great game to replay even now. It is full of interesting concept and allows the player to explore a truly unique world and follows a story that has direct relevance to the modern age. The art and animation do look a little outdated, but that is to be expected in a game that is nearly five years old. I sincerely look forward to getting my hands on Horizon: Forbidden West next February so that I can get more lost in the world of Horizon and see the improvements that I’m sure Guerrilla have made to the game!