Horizon Zero Dawn

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12419 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10,195 out of 12419
  2. Mixed: 1,140 out of 12419
  3. Negative: 1,084 out of 12419
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  1. leaveit
    Mar 5, 2017
    6
    THE GOOD:
    - Graphics are pretty impressive for a static-hardware machine; especially compared side-by-side with For Honor, another recent release on the same system, pretty much any metric except for on-screen actors is superior in Horizon.
    - Quests come fairly organically and there isn't much "rummaging around," other than in your inventory, which would otherwise interfere with the pace    THE GOOD:
    - Graphics are pretty impressive for a static-hardware machine; especially compared side-by-side with For Honor, another recent release on the same system, pretty much any metric except for on-screen actors is superior in Horizon.
    - Quests come fairly organically and there isn't much "rummaging around," other than in your inventory, which would otherwise interfere with the pace of the game.
    - The various tribal civilizations are unique and interesting to see and learn about.

    THE BAD:
    - Pretty much every gameplay mechanic has been done at least as well in the past 3-4 years. One migraine-inducing design is that Aloy needs a different satchel for every single item type, and you must craft progressively larger satchels out of irrelevant materials in order to avoid inventory management annoyance. This was done the same way, but slightly less annoyingly, in Far Cry 3-4.

    - The RPG elements feel tacked on, since, like Far Cry 3-4, they mostly consist of contextual actions you will use a handful of times throughout the game. Perhaps the most noticeable upgrades are the economical ones that will allow you to salvage more resources - and therefore engage in inventory management more often. None of the dialogue choices have any eventual consequence, there is one ending to the game, everyone's character eventually looks the same, and your character's background is entirely handed to you. There is no roleplaying save a pastiche of some "RPGs" from the past few years: dialogue wheels, leveling and experience, quests, etc.

    - If you're outside, the game pretty much boils down to using the extremely easy stealth system to one-hit enemies with your spear that never breaks, or using some traps to where you can nearly one-hit larger enemies. All of these things are accessible regardless of what abilities you choose (the beckoning call, probably the most useful ability in the entire tree, is available instantly). Basically Witcher 3 mixed with Far Cry 3-4 but worse than either.

    - The story is very predictable. Just combine Enslaved: Odyssey to the West with a handful of Bioware cliches and you've about had it. The characters are extremely generic, perhaps appropriate for a Nickelodeon cartoon. The main character is obviously inspired by Ygritte from Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones but played like a generic Jennifer Hale Commander Shepard.

    - The lack of risks taken is palpable, with game mechanics borrowed from Assassin's Creed (climbing longnecks = belltowers; focus = eagle vision, etc.), Far Cry 2-4 (collecting crafting materials for increasing carrying capacity and items, clearing out bandit camps, hunting animals for materials you shouldn't need, stealth executions from plain sight of the exact same variety: from cover, from below, from above, heavy execution, throwing rocks to asininely backstab 3 enemies in a row without them noticing somehow), Witcher 1-3 (setting traps to lure larger enemies into to make up for your inherently pathetically bad damage), and Mass Effect 1-3 (6-option dialogue wheels that ultimately don't affect anything). Basically imagine a successful open-world franchise in the past decade and its features are probably the core mechanics of this game. Here is the list of game mechanics in this game that I have never seen before in a triple-A title:

    None

    - The music is totally forgettable. I can't even remember a single tune. There are games like Mario or Hotline Miami where you can hear the music from across the room years later and know what that was. This is not one of those games.

    CONCLUSION:
    While the game is solid from a technical and - mostly - artistic standpoint, it is being massively overrated by critics. I'm not even a Zelda fan and I can tell the rationale for this game was to give PS4 owners some kind of kitsch Zelda open world game. It does not live up to that expectation. We have just about reached the limit of where character progression mechanics alone will carry the player retention, and now we just need a few games to take some risks to decide what cookie cutter mechanics will be used in the next decade. This is not one of those games, either.    … Expand
  2. whyamihere44
    Feb 28, 2017
    7
    While I do think the games story and graphics are nice, but the main draw back for me is the combat system and quest. The quest got really boring, with no variety in any of them. The combat system is fun at first but it gets boring later in the game. Plus with no weapon variety makes it even worse. I've been playing games for 15 years now and this game to me feels like a water down versionWhile I do think the games story and graphics are nice, but the main draw back for me is the combat system and quest. The quest got really boring, with no variety in any of them. The combat system is fun at first but it gets boring later in the game. Plus with no weapon variety makes it even worse. I've been playing games for 15 years now and this game to me feels like a water down version of monster hunter and not in the good way.… Expand
  3. goomshill
    Feb 28, 2017
    7
    HZD is a perfectly competent game, fairly well crafted with all the tropes of other open world games. It shines best when you're in jungle areas fighting robot dinosaurs, with a combat system that gives you multiple approaches to fighting, rewarding precision shots to take enemies out by targeting components, with some impressive static visuals. Its a real showcase of the power of the PS4HZD is a perfectly competent game, fairly well crafted with all the tropes of other open world games. It shines best when you're in jungle areas fighting robot dinosaurs, with a combat system that gives you multiple approaches to fighting, rewarding precision shots to take enemies out by targeting components, with some impressive static visuals. Its a real showcase of the power of the PS4 Pro. However, the game has some serious faults. Large sections of the game have you fighting human enemies in corridors similar to Uncharted, and with some mediocre AI and visuals, they get boring fast. Other sections dump exposition on you with audiologs, as much as a 40 minute stretch of playing Gone Home. Though the visuals are impressive for static pictures, once you interact with the environment or look around, the lack of motion in the environment, how plants and water don't react to you, how draw distances are obscured by fog in almost every area and many sections are low visibility to the point of resembling Silent Hill makes even the graphics unimpressive at times. What Horizon Zero Dawn does well is just a pretty routine affair of copying what other great games have done, and its a good showing for that, but what it doesn't do is add much to the genre or come up with any hook or innovation. If you've played Skyrim and Far Cry and Arkham and so on already, this game might get repetitive fast.… Expand
  4. fungz84
    Mar 1, 2017
    6
    This game is a hybrid of Rise of the Tombraider and Far Cry Primal. Other than the graphics, I don't know if it's offering anything new. It's over hyped. I think Nioh thoroughly, on many levels for gameplay, blows this game out of the Horizon.
  5. Xmadax
    Feb 28, 2017
    6
    So what happen to the 250+ negative reviews? when i first check on this game review it had a score of 6.9 with nearly 300 bad reviews and about 400 Positive. Then "magically" 200+ negative reviews all disappears "cough" paid. This game is OK at best, nothing new about it just a lot of running around collecting items. If you liked Fry Cry Primal then this is the game for you. But if you'reSo what happen to the 250+ negative reviews? when i first check on this game review it had a score of 6.9 with nearly 300 bad reviews and about 400 Positive. Then "magically" 200+ negative reviews all disappears "cough" paid. This game is OK at best, nothing new about it just a lot of running around collecting items. If you liked Fry Cry Primal then this is the game for you. But if you're after a Witcher 3 kind of game then this isn't for you. Just another AAA title that was way hyped, but the game still doesn't deserve a "0"… Expand
  6. Fireriku546
    Feb 28, 2017
    6
    All the positive reviews seem to be as a result of the 9/10 10/10 reviews that this game got before it even released. If a game can keep you entertained for a day or two that's something I suppose, but this game got boring the moment I left the tutorial and realized there was nothing to do but kill robot dinosaurs and progress through the story. Why wouldn't I just play Monster HunterAll the positive reviews seem to be as a result of the 9/10 10/10 reviews that this game got before it even released. If a game can keep you entertained for a day or two that's something I suppose, but this game got boring the moment I left the tutorial and realized there was nothing to do but kill robot dinosaurs and progress through the story. Why wouldn't I just play Monster Hunter instead which has way more creative ways of killing every single creature in the game; or something like Tekken where I can just get into the action straight away without having to go through a 3 hour tutorial?… Expand
  7. GarettGK
    Feb 28, 2017
    6
    i cant tell if the people here is joking or maybe they are paid to do this, because they describe a game that has nothing to do with what i played,
    Pros:
    -graphics they are really good for a console -robots Cons: -Ia, human and flying monsters IA is really bad, -stealth system (too basic, enter in bushes and become invisible) -combat you will be using bow 90% of the times shoot,    i cant tell if the people here is joking or maybe they are paid to do this, because they describe a game that has nothing to do with what i played,
    Pros:
    -graphics they are really good for a console
    -robots
    Cons:
    -Ia, human and flying monsters IA is really bad,
    -stealth system (too basic, enter in bushes and become invisible)
    -combat you will be using bow 90% of the times shoot, roll. shoot roll, shoot roll.
    -LONG cutscenes,
    -REALLY long loadings (3min+ for everything)
    story its okay i guess
    overall its not fun, this game is a generic western open world game, but looks better and plays worse, i wouldt recommend it, you will have more fun with shadow of mordor or far cry primal    … Expand
  8. caminojoe5
    Jun 22, 2017
    7
    Beautiful game but very empty open world. I guess playing the Witcher messed up all other RPGs for me but still. There was no side things to see. Hopefully this will be fixed with DLC.
  9. bulger_paul
    May 27, 2019
    7
    I’m not really sure how to rate this one. When Horizon Zero Dawn goes balls out on the robot dinosaur action and mayhem with some really intense battles, the game is a sold 9, often a 10, but the entire narrative and all of the world building is done through these massive, clunky exposition dumps, and the dialogue and voice acting can be hilariously bad, so while I was having a great timeI’m not really sure how to rate this one. When Horizon Zero Dawn goes balls out on the robot dinosaur action and mayhem with some really intense battles, the game is a sold 9, often a 10, but the entire narrative and all of the world building is done through these massive, clunky exposition dumps, and the dialogue and voice acting can be hilariously bad, so while I was having a great time when the game was at its strongest, the somewhat decent story is so poorly told I thought a 7 would be fair.… Expand
  10. lewis1992
    Sep 28, 2019
    6
    Horizon: Zero Dawn is a thrilling yet original action-packed open-world adventure with absolutely stunning 4K graphics. With a wide variety of weapons, side-quests and collectibles, there is surely something here for everyone. Despite this, I personally found the early-to-mid section of the story to not be very engaging, hence I found it hard to keep returning to the game through thisHorizon: Zero Dawn is a thrilling yet original action-packed open-world adventure with absolutely stunning 4K graphics. With a wide variety of weapons, side-quests and collectibles, there is surely something here for everyone. Despite this, I personally found the early-to-mid section of the story to not be very engaging, hence I found it hard to keep returning to the game through this stage, beyond interaction with the myriad of "samey" named NPC's and exploring the world for loot. It should be noted that the storyline does pick up later in the game, although Aloy's voice acting continues to be bland and lifeless.

    Definitely a must-buy for any PS4 owner, but when comparing this title to the likes of Uncharted 4 or Persona 5, one could say Horizon has been ever-so-slightly overrated.

    [Played for approx.. 60 hours, platinum trophy achieved.]    … Expand
  11. ATAR
    Dec 6, 2017
    7
    بهتین بازی PS4
    تا کنون
    ...............................................................................................................................
  12. Stonewallish
    Oct 22, 2018
    7
    HZD doesn’t bring anything new to the table and at times, it feels way too similiar to other generic open world games. What it does, though, it does well. Controls are tight and precise and moving Aloy around the gorgeous world feels great. The combat is on the simplistic side of things but, nonetheless, extremely fun. The real protagonist of this world though, is the beautiful artisticHZD doesn’t bring anything new to the table and at times, it feels way too similiar to other generic open world games. What it does, though, it does well. Controls are tight and precise and moving Aloy around the gorgeous world feels great. The combat is on the simplistic side of things but, nonetheless, extremely fun. The real protagonist of this world though, is the beautiful artistic direction. Simply put, it’s one of the best looking games that ever made it to console.

    HZD feels like the perfected experience of many other games we’ve already played before. The similarities with Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed are clear since the very beginning. That said, this game offers much fun to be had, and it does so with a complete open world experience, an enjoyable story to unfold, a charismatic character and a very tight combat system. It just fails to bring anything new to the table, rehashing mechanics we’ve seen time and again.

    It’s surely not the masterpiece that many make it out to be, but it is indeed worth a try.    … Expand
  13. ReubenIsAGod
    Sep 13, 2019
    6
    I took a very long break from gaming and only recently have been like 'yeah, games are cool again' So when this big hype beast of a game came out I wasn't really that interested. Now that I have played it YEAH! is a pretty fun game. I think after you kinda finish the main campain there really is little reason to go back and play it. The side quests are quite repetitive. Overall tho theI took a very long break from gaming and only recently have been like 'yeah, games are cool again' So when this big hype beast of a game came out I wasn't really that interested. Now that I have played it YEAH! is a pretty fun game. I think after you kinda finish the main campain there really is little reason to go back and play it. The side quests are quite repetitive. Overall tho the presentation is quite pretty, the story itself is one-note. take that as you may. fun game needed more variety and potentially a more unique interesting narrative. The ending of the game is kinda trash.… Expand
  14. MaximumD
    Feb 26, 2019
    6
    A cookie cutter open world game with a bland story and characters. The main character is uninspired and of course has a bow. Another action game where you use a bow, not very original. I guess I'm just over these formulaic open world games since playing RDR2.

    It's hard to go back to the old standard. The characters are thoroughly uninteresting and the mechanics are the same as just    A cookie cutter open world game with a bland story and characters. The main character is uninspired and of course has a bow. Another action game where you use a bow, not very original. I guess I'm just over these formulaic open world games since playing RDR2.

    It's hard to go back to the old standard. The characters are thoroughly uninteresting and the mechanics are the same as just about every open world game that's come out in the past couple of years, namely Far Cry. I found little reason to care for the characters or the mystery in the story. You also get the standard branching dialogue response, which basically gives you the option to be nice, mean, or smart. No idea where it all leads as it seems as though it has no effect on what happens. Instead it's fetch this and go kill this and then get x amount of this, ad nauseum.

    When the first mission in the game tasks you with "get x of this and y of this" you know your in for some lazy game design. The UI is a total mess and there is so much crap on the screen at once. Simply navigating is hard to do here and of course you can climb but only on pre approved surfaces in certain areas that have the necessary prompts. The upgrading is standard faux RPG action hybrid in the style of Far Cry. You can add things like slow motion aim and auto stealth takedowns. It's all been done before yet better. The stealth is barebones. Hide in tall grass or else you are seen, lol! The enemies are also pretty uninteresting and uninspired. The look cool though.

    Like I said, it's hard to go back to this archaic open world design after playing games like Witcher 3 and RDR2. This game does have some solid graphics though, which is to be expected since it's a platform exclusive. It also runs pretty smoothly and has a few interesting areas. I'm not too impressed by the rest though. It's a just carbon copy of AC/Far Cry games.    … Expand
  15. Alvelian
    Dec 15, 2022
    5
    Непонимаю всеобщей восторженности от игры, как по мне довольно проходной проект. Сеттинг с роботизированными животными очень интересный, однако по факту это чуть ли не единственный плюс игры. РПГ система полный провал, диалоги пустые выбора нет. К самому лору данного мира есть куча вопросов. Ближний бой просто посмешище, можно забыть про него сразу. Сюжет крайне душный и не интересный.Непонимаю всеобщей восторженности от игры, как по мне довольно проходной проект. Сеттинг с роботизированными животными очень интересный, однако по факту это чуть ли не единственный плюс игры. РПГ система полный провал, диалоги пустые выбора нет. К самому лору данного мира есть куча вопросов. Ближний бой просто посмешище, можно забыть про него сразу. Сюжет крайне душный и не интересный. Графон в целом не плохой но я бы не сказал что он впечатляет. Единственное что вытягивает игру это хорошо сделанная стрельба из лука и интересные противники. Играть с около 30 фпс бывает трудновато, но в целом норм.… Expand
  16. frinkL7
    Dec 24, 2017
    6
    The definition of a mediocre action adventure game. It doesn't do anything terrible per say (except bore me to death with it's writing and characters) but there was not a single moment playing through where i felt blown away by any one feature. Nearly every aspect of this game is borrowed from superior games like MGS5, Uncharted, or the newer Tomb Raider games. I couldn't wait for thisThe definition of a mediocre action adventure game. It doesn't do anything terrible per say (except bore me to death with it's writing and characters) but there was not a single moment playing through where i felt blown away by any one feature. Nearly every aspect of this game is borrowed from superior games like MGS5, Uncharted, or the newer Tomb Raider games. I couldn't wait for this game to be over.

    Side note: You need to jump through a lot of mental hoops to try and take your Robot dinosaur game this seriously. This game feels like it was focus-grouped to death by marketing execs that don't play many games.    … Expand
  17. angel_kat07
    Nov 18, 2018
    5
    Horizon Zero Dawn has a strong start to the game, but that's about it. It becomes tedious and repetitive. Story is predictable and honestly, a little boring. Not enough to keep me playing through the game. The machines on the other hand are quite cool and the graphics are top notch.
  18. LagJ
    Aug 24, 2017
    5
    The first few hours are a blast, presenting an intriguing story and exciting gameplay. Then HZD goes open world and everything falls apart. It's boring and it's derivative. Our archer prehistoric (post-historic?) caveman heroine (Brave, Hunger Games) has to harvest plants and hunt animals (every MMO) to craft a bigger pouch (Far Cry) to carry 5 more arrows. There are towers to climb thatThe first few hours are a blast, presenting an intriguing story and exciting gameplay. Then HZD goes open world and everything falls apart. It's boring and it's derivative. Our archer prehistoric (post-historic?) caveman heroine (Brave, Hunger Games) has to harvest plants and hunt animals (every MMO) to craft a bigger pouch (Far Cry) to carry 5 more arrows. There are towers to climb that will reveal the map (Assassin's Creed). She has a device to investigate crime scenes (Batman Arkham series) or to follow footprints (The Witcher 3) or to tag enemies in outposts (Far Cry again - they love Far Cry - it's ok I do too).
    And you say..BUT man it has giant robots! That it does. And nearly all of them can one- or two-shot you if you're not prepared. So Horizon's WIN button goes like this:

    Tag the robots, lay some traps, lay some ropes, stealth kill one robot from behind, get noticed by the others because you're not squatting in the grass anymore, try to target their weakspots with the bow and fail because it's slow and they're twitchy machines, frantically dodge roll as they come at you (Dark Souls - sorry DS) and lead them into the traps you laid. Finish the survivor with your spear. If there are two or more left run away from the area because you won't survive. And go gather more plants to make traps.
    That's it - for every single encounter.
    The writing is awful, it's childish and expository, no one has anything interesting to say and everyone has a fetch quest for you. These are deeply spiritual tribes who fear technology and civilization because it destroyed their world, who have to survive amidst dangerous killing machines. And all they care about is you bringing them a stupid plant.
    But hey, the game's very pretty. Yay.

    Edit: It also has possibly the worst level up skill tree I have ever seen in my life as a gamer. Highlights: shoot while on a rope (shouldn't Aloy know this already), ledge kills for the nonexistant situations where enemies are next to a ledge, gather more plants from resources. Last tier unlockable skills add a bit of damage to base moves. WOW. Just WOW. Reaaaally makes me look forward to levelling up.    … Expand
  19. InsidiaGaming
    Mar 14, 2017
    6
    It's a stunning and graphically stunning game with a nice backstory with a female protagonist which should keep some people happy.

    Unfortunatly if you've played games like Witcher 3 and other large open worlds (even concepts from Far Cry) you've played even horizon. The female lead also speaks like a normal 18 year old girl from today, not something I was expecting considering it's    It's a stunning and graphically stunning game with a nice backstory with a female protagonist which should keep some people happy.

    Unfortunatly if you've played games like Witcher 3 and other large open worlds (even concepts from Far Cry) you've played even horizon. The female lead also speaks like a normal 18 year old girl from today, not something I was expecting considering it's based hundreds of years in the future and humans are basically back in primative tribes. But yeah she speaks like a normal teenage American girl.

    For such a big budget why recycle NPC models? I'm not saying EVERY NPC has to look differnt but come on, at least make an effort surley they can do better than just altering skin tone and face painting?

    Other gripes include dropping you in the middle of a tough battle within any warning and without letting you prepare for it before hand first. I also dont' like picking up level 25 quests near the start of the game when I'm only around level 4.

    Quite a gripping story, but very few charactors actually leave a lasting impression. Also the mount handling is arkward, I'd probably have prefered not using mounts at all in this case.

    Like I said it's a stunning visual game but it's by no means a masterpiece.    … Expand
  20. Kenshiro13
    Mar 7, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Good premise, excellent visuals. Those are the only good things I can come up with.
    Because everything else falls flat in the end.
    Story, nothing new to be fair outside the premise I mean. "Plot twists" can be seen miles away, characters are forgettable, Aloy is not that interesting and her story feels like a copy of Naruto (The outcast who is motherless and fatherless, shunned while the protagonist doesn't understand why, wants to prove that they aren't a waste of space and to understand why they are shunned, goes to war to prevent end of the world, but admittedly that is where it stop)
    And let's not forget the sequel baiting ending, come on!
    And towards the end the combat started to breakdown, or I was extremely unlucky and had tons of bugs, arrows going through enemies, arrows not hitting the weak spot, human enemies not dying from a head shots from the strongest bow (sometimes it did kill but sometimes it didn't, both the "leader" enemies and grunts)
    Admittedly there is plenty of activities which prolong the game time, but I see no reason to play it again.
    People are hyping this game way too much, and in it's hurting the game.
    Don't get me wrong it is a good game but everyone gave it good reviews way too easily.    … Expand
  21. ludos78
    Mar 6, 2017
    6
    I bought this game because i have read so many good reviews. But after having played about 10 hours i am disappointed. The animals are awesome, the story is okish, the graphics are nice. But overall i am not really taken into it.
  22. TheGreekGeek
    Mar 10, 2017
    7
    Horizon Zero Dawn is a good game. It doesn't amaze as a whole but it in parts it does inspire awe. Technically it's truly impressive but there are certain things like graphically downgraded character models with outdated facial animations and some weird glitches while exploring the world that steal away from the overall experience. It also wants to implement RPG elements but it hasHorizon Zero Dawn is a good game. It doesn't amaze as a whole but it in parts it does inspire awe. Technically it's truly impressive but there are certain things like graphically downgraded character models with outdated facial animations and some weird glitches while exploring the world that steal away from the overall experience. It also wants to implement RPG elements but it has underdeveloped characters and repetitive combat/enemies as well as limited weapon and outfit customisations and skills.
    The story is interesting enough to keep you involved although mostly quite predictable. I did enjoy the way the story was outlined and Aloy is an enjoyable lead character but nothing more. I certainly don't agree that it is an iconic character for Playstation, especially when we are talking about a console that has produced some of the most iconic (in its literal term) protagonists that have marked video gaming history.
    The gameplay is very good. Combat runs smoothly and along with the graphical prowess of the game (especially if you play on Pro) it's truly remarkable. Unfortunately, there is a limited number of enemies and the game becomes boring half way through.
    The game's music is very good as well but it's not as remarkable as reviewers want to make it seem. While exploring the world I would expect to listen to the soundtrack constantly because the audio-visual combination of such a beautifully crafted world along with the really atmospheric music that accompanies the game would be an amazing duo. But what happens is that sometimes the music stops while exploring the world and that reduces the quality of the overall experience.
    All in all the game kept me interested. There is a lot of content here with fetch and side quests and even if you want to only focus on the main missions you can still have a full 20-hour playthrough, a rarity these days.
    Horizon Zero Dawn isn't the amazing game reviews present it to be but it does do a lot of things right. Partly.    … Expand
  23. Snyx
    May 25, 2018
    6
    Overall Guerrilla Games took a few Hollywood blockbusters from the past and mixed them with a stale blend of gameplay mechanics, poorly copied from other games. If there is one thing the developer exceeded at, it's making a mediocre game look good.

    Yes, this game has great graphics, but that's pretty much it. The story is a mix of rehashed movie plots and was seemingly written in    Overall Guerrilla Games took a few Hollywood blockbusters from the past and mixed them with a stale blend of gameplay mechanics, poorly copied from other games. If there is one thing the developer exceeded at, it's making a mediocre game look good.

    Yes, this game has great graphics, but that's pretty much it. The story is a mix of rehashed movie plots and was seemingly written in hindsight to accommodate the main idea of fighting robot animals. This wouldn't be a problem, if those fights were actually somewhat interesting. But for the most part, combat in Horizon Zero Dawn is a monotonous cycle of performing dodge rolls and shooting arrows, with a few melee attacks now and then.

    The sidequests are among the most boring I've ever seen in a video game. They only differ in the form of the cheesy story the quest giver will tell you. They all follow the same formula: Go to point A and examine the area, follow footsteps to point B and examine the area, follow footsteps to point C and...you get the idea. Eventually you find whatever it is you were looking for and can return to the quest giver.

    Weapons, customizations and perks are meaningless and arbitrary; a tacked on, low effort attempt to add some RPG flavor to a bland open world game. The only thing this game is rich in, is map icons. You will find a lot of locations that promise some sort of activity, too bad it will always feel like the exact same thing you did 10 minutes ago.    … Expand
  24. MacheteDontText
    Mar 3, 2017
    7
    Amazing world, great atmosphere and graphics, everything else is kinda ****

    The game is fun and worth picking up imo, but has every major setback of a console game, everything is dumbed down, holds your hand every step, horrible UI and AI. Story is interesting so far, but the characters are bland and one dimensional. Oh yeah and the stealth system :) Its hilarious...
  25. Dattwood7
    Mar 1, 2017
    7
    It's the Witcher 3 with robots. For some people, that's a dream come true (and that's totally cool, btw.) But for a SMALL number of people -- and this review is for them only -- this will be the same old open-world, fetch-questing, choose-your-diaolgue-answer-KOTOR-style, bland crafting and inevitable stealth mechanic snooze fest. Pros are the graphics and the combat, which is often a LOTIt's the Witcher 3 with robots. For some people, that's a dream come true (and that's totally cool, btw.) But for a SMALL number of people -- and this review is for them only -- this will be the same old open-world, fetch-questing, choose-your-diaolgue-answer-KOTOR-style, bland crafting and inevitable stealth mechanic snooze fest. Pros are the graphics and the combat, which is often a LOT of fun. The rest is too predictable to recommend. Again, if you're into games like the Witcher, then I think this is well made and probably worth your time.… Expand
  26. JackKasket
    Mar 4, 2017
    7
    Honest and unpaid review here. Firstly, is it worth buying? Yes, unless you have not played Witcher 3 and its DLC's. This is not a bad game by any means, but more like a bootleg version of Legos with the prettiest packaging known to mankind.

    The game looks stunning, that is for sure. However, for an action RPG, the story is remarkably uninspiring. Take, for example, that one NPC could    Honest and unpaid review here. Firstly, is it worth buying? Yes, unless you have not played Witcher 3 and its DLC's. This is not a bad game by any means, but more like a bootleg version of Legos with the prettiest packaging known to mankind.

    The game looks stunning, that is for sure. However, for an action RPG, the story is remarkably uninspiring. Take, for example, that one NPC could have blown the lid open on the whole plot within one hour of game play, but chose instead to say "This is a story for a later time". Jesus.... The writing is just too lazy, with plot holes the size of craters.

    It does not help that the NPCs and dialogues are completely forgettable, and to be honest kind of creepy.

    Combat system is OK, and interesting at first, but gets extremely repetitive later on. This is not alleviated by the low variety of weapons either, where you basically play with four arch type weapons with elemental effect modifiers, but still spend 90% of the time on your basic bow.    … Expand
  27. AudioJihad
    Mar 6, 2017
    7
    My first impressions of the game were originally of pure amazement. Amazement at the visuals, the character design, the voice acting (especially from the young girl) and the motion capture. Once the game opens up however, everything stagnated pretty damn fast. It's easy at first glance to assume there's more to the game than meets the eye, but the more time spent the sooner you realiseMy first impressions of the game were originally of pure amazement. Amazement at the visuals, the character design, the voice acting (especially from the young girl) and the motion capture. Once the game opens up however, everything stagnated pretty damn fast. It's easy at first glance to assume there's more to the game than meets the eye, but the more time spent the sooner you realise that everything the game has to offer has been done else where, bigger and better.

    Basic navigation and character control seem totally abstract from the world. For one, I didn't even realise there was a "climbing" mechanic, complete with animations and contact points until I was about 20 hours in. Since you can pretty much climb any structure if you jump into it for long enough. Wildlife even roam free underwater, and I'm talking the rabbits, boar and the occasional turkey.

    Although I'm inclined to stealth, the AI (even on hard mode) seems to be as daft as a brush. You can literally take out entire hoards of enemies from a single bush with stealth strikes, even when they are facing you and the indicator icon reads visible. Alternatively, hand to hand combat is something that definitely needs a bit of redesign. One weapon, one combo and no hit stun makes for some clumsy and slightly embarrassing battles with both human and mech. Human enemies even blocking or causing damage without actually animating.

    The RPG elements are mostly null, level scaling doesn't seem to exist and damage/resistance bonuses don't really mean anything in the long run either. Some XP and skill tree templates taken straight from the last Tomb Raider games. I'm around level 30 in only 6 story missions. Max level is 50 so I'm not expecting much out of it.

    The world does look fairly large as far as the maps representation, but you can run on foot from one end of the map to the other in only a handful of minutes. You can see fast travels points while standing at a fast travel point and can roll your way to them with a few slaps of the circle button, they're that close together. I haven't found a reason to use a mount besides limiting navigation with the poor horse mechanics.

    It functions well enough to be played and enjoyed but compared to other first party exclusives on the PS4, it pales in comparison.    … Expand
  28. evOlvedParasite
    Mar 10, 2017
    7
    Honest review:
    Horizon Zero Dawn was a game I was looking forward to play, but after recently finishing it I have came away disappointed. For me HZD is good but definitely not great as all these really high reviews have you thinking its a masterpiece.
    Good things I enjoyed were the cauldron side missions, the combat with robots and most of the main story. The graphics are beautiful, best    Honest review:
    Horizon Zero Dawn was a game I was looking forward to play, but after recently finishing it I have came away disappointed. For me HZD is good but definitely not great as all these really high reviews have you thinking its a masterpiece.
    Good things I enjoyed were the cauldron side missions, the combat with robots and most of the main story. The graphics are beautiful, best I have seen so far on PS4 Pro, but I don't give a game 10/10 just because its pretty to look at. The initial first hours of HZD are amazing but once it opens up, it starts to fall apart. This leads me to my criticisms.
    The side missions get boring quick because they are all basically fetch quests or something similar that has been done to death in open world games. Characters in general in this game are badly developed, you just don't care what they have to say. I only found interesting characters relating to the main story.
    Audio issues like lip syncing and when in surround sound dialog comes out of right side instead of center.
    The stealth is easily exploited and frustrating. I sometimes got spotted crouched behind solid cover but when hiding in the grass I am in god mode. Basically whistle to attract human enemy, silent kill, then repeat. The human AI is pretty stupid in this game and easy to exploit, sometimes with the robots as well.
    HZD seems very limited on rpg elements, it comes across as more of an action adventure game like Tomb Raider than a true rpg.
    Its strange, i expected more from this game. The creativity seemed to be lacking alot. The main story is cliche with cheesy ending, poor side missions that needed better writing/characters and more depth to weapons/customization. This game has lots potential to be amazing, if only they spent more time on the essentials instead of pretty to look at.
    Having played Witcher 3, games like HZD really to need to step up their game. Its not enough these days to just think of a cool premise and ham everything else. The end.    … Expand
  29. FooJones
    Mar 11, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm opening my review with a disclaimer. I'm a hardcore PC gamer who plays console games on the side, so take my review with a grain of salt. Onward...

    Overall, I'm very impressed with the game. To me, this feels like Skyrim (or maybe Assassin's Creed) meets Witcher 3 meets Rise of the Tomb Raider. You can definitely see elements where Guerrilla took things from each game (similar stealth mechanics, following trails and character building). The story itself is decent. You follow Aloy as she grows from a young girl into a young adult, who bent on winning The Proving and no longer being shunned by her tribe as an outcast. Things take a turn for the worst and Aloy ends up getting more than she bargained for. She becomes part of a larger picture.

    The combat feels pretty fluid and works well with the controller. Enemy motions do become predictable after awhile and it becomes easy to time your attacks and dodges. The combat difficulty fits well with each difficulty level. Aloy has a variety of weapons to choose from and they're easy to change on the fly. As far as I can tell thus far, each weapon has at least two ammo types, both of which you can craft at any time once you purchase a weapon that uses them.

    The world itself feels somewhat barren in terms of interactivity (bear in mind I'm only 20 hours in) but there are plenty of quests to do. These can be anything such as your typical fetch quests, go kill this, save so-and-so, etc. You do have the option to turn the quest markers off to add to difficulty and exploration (yay for old school gamers!).

    In terms of looks, I don't own a 4K TV or PS4 Pro, so I'm stuck playing this game at 1080p, and coming from higher resolutions on my PC, the quality takes a hit - to my eyes. I imagine this game looks great with the 4K upscaling. Overall, it's still not bad to look at. Your mileage may vary. The 60FPS is nice, but I definitely could use more.

    Crafting is a staple in RPGs anymore, and Horizon is no exception. The crafting is very well done and you will always have enough resources at your disposal to make most crafting bearable, avoiding a grindfest. You might need to spend time hunting wildlife for certain parts for your upgrades to satchels, but it goes quicker than it sounds. I honestly love the crafting system. The menus in the game are also very well done and pretty well organized.

    Character development is pretty much like ROTTR. You have three different trees to choose from, which are based on stealth, combat and foraging. These skills add to Aloy's utilities and combat prowess. These are things such as gathering additional herbs, doing more melee/ranged damage, being more stealthy, faster healing and more. There is definitely a lot of room for different builds and this is one of my favorite aspects of the entire game.

    So, you might be wondering why I gave the game a 7 if I like it so much? The reason for this is one reason only: The best weapons in the game. To earn these, you have to do different trials at different hunting grounds and finish them in absurdly short times. While the trials themselves are neat, I feel the times are ridiculous. I have always felt using time trials to unlock things like weapons is just lazy design. Finding secrets out in the middle of nowhere, quest chains, hard side missions, big boss fights...those are the ways ultimate weapons should be unlocked. The main reason that this is so frustrating is because every time you fail to finish at the top tier, you have to either huff it back to the quest giver or fast travel. I don't mind either overall, but constantly failing gets repetitive and the loading times are subpar to me. I'm all for a challenge, believe me, but racing against the clock to me is just a tedious notion.

    Overall, I'm very happy with the game. It definitely has a lot to offer both the casual and hardcore scene. You'll definitely have a lot of fun exploring, crafting and developing Aloy in the way that you want. Combat is great, crafting is great and the story is at least enjoyable. Personally, I find it better than enjoyable, but I won't go as far as to say it's anything original. I would definitely pick up this game. It'll keep you busy and satisfied for many hours to come.    … Expand
  30. robh404
    Mar 9, 2017
    7
    Horizon Zero Dawn is a decent game overall but falls far short of being good or above. What it has going for it is graphics, sound, and gameplay. It's undeniable that the game looks good and could be a great showoff piece for your PS4 Pro. The sound is excellent, nailing the deep bass of large robot creatures nearby to the satisfying sound of knocking off a weapon or weak point in anHorizon Zero Dawn is a decent game overall but falls far short of being good or above. What it has going for it is graphics, sound, and gameplay. It's undeniable that the game looks good and could be a great showoff piece for your PS4 Pro. The sound is excellent, nailing the deep bass of large robot creatures nearby to the satisfying sound of knocking off a weapon or weak point in an enemy. The gameplay is pure fun and hours in hasn't gotten old nor lost it's sense of challenge. Where the game falls short is pretty much everything else. The story is totally boring and I never cared to hear what anyone has to say or watch the cut scenes. Doing so anyway would only confirm my inner feelings that I should've just skipped it. The missions are boring and very tedious. Running from point A to B and back again felt like a drag and only seems to exist to artificially extend hours of playtime. The voice acting was bland which is partly due to poor storytelling and partly due to actor's inability to perform well. The open world, though beautiful, is also dry. It lacks one of the most important factors any open world needs, immersion. Outside of killing robot dinosaurs, running boring errands for random people, or picking up pointless collectibles, there's no living in the world. You don't build a home, you don't sleep, you don't interact with people outside of quests, and there's no everyday-like activities taking place that you engage in. There's not much here to justify the game being an open-world in the first place and could've just as easily been a linear game, where Aloy travels from one end of the map to the other on a path to find out about her true identity and purpose. This game feels like they created the gameplay concept, then tried to force a story and world to fit it, and at that they failed. If you just want to run around and take out robot dinosaurs, this is a must buy. If you want a great story and immersive open world, this is a pass. If you fall somewhere in between then wait for a sale.

    Gameplay: +
    Sound: +
    Graphics: +
    Voice Acting: -
    Open-World: -
    Story: -    … Expand
  31. lilkillpappy
    Mar 10, 2018
    7
    One of the more over-hyped games I have played in a while. It's kind of a mixed bag. The open world is there just so they can say it's an open world, not because it was good for the game. For the most part the world is empty and boring to explore. The side quests also have no point and aren't worth doing. The main story is good for a video game but the dialogue and voice acting aren'tOne of the more over-hyped games I have played in a while. It's kind of a mixed bag. The open world is there just so they can say it's an open world, not because it was good for the game. For the most part the world is empty and boring to explore. The side quests also have no point and aren't worth doing. The main story is good for a video game but the dialogue and voice acting aren't anything special, and a lot of the dialogue is cringe worthy. The game feels more like it was made for young adults and teens instead of adults, so keep that in mind if you are an adult. The characters look like shiny latex dolls. The draw distance on the open world is so bad that the world looks like a fake plastic model a lot of the time when looking into the distance. It seems like they put a lot of resources into making an open world when it would have been a better game if it was more linear and if they had spent more time on adding depth to the game play, combat, melee combat especially, and the dialogue and voice acting. Over all the game would have been much better if they focused more on quality instead of quantity. I like playing through the main story and the combat felt pretty good, even if melee combat is complete crap. The main point of the game is Aloy, her story and journey to discover the mysteries of the past, and fighting the robots. Other than that the rest is needless filler. I hope they give Guirilla studio more resources to make a more flushed out open world next time, and I hope they get more powerful hardware like PS5 or PC to realize the project completely. It could be amazing.… Expand
  32. Muze92
    Mar 16, 2017
    7
    What I like most about the game:
    - story, well-written and emotional especially towards the end
    - simplified RPG elements such as crafting and harvesting from plants - graphical prowess - BABY Aloy.. What I think the game could improve on: - camera angles! especially during combat.. often blocked by plantations when fighting flying machines. - have a switch shoulder option when    What I like most about the game:
    - story, well-written and emotional especially towards the end
    - simplified RPG elements such as crafting and harvesting from plants
    - graphical prowess
    - BABY Aloy..
    What I think the game could improve on:
    - camera angles! especially during combat.. often blocked by plantations when fighting flying machines.
    - have a switch shoulder option when taking aim.
    - hard to see rock climbing sections.. I occasionally walk around the whole mountain to find a climbing spot that's just literally in front of me from the beginning..
    - do more with plants! They're just used to make potions that I rarely need.
    - you can't call your overridden machines to fight for you in combat, they sit there doing nothing while you're being mauled to death by a bunch of machines.
    - only mountable machines could follow you, wished that an overridden Stalker, Thunderjaw, Stormbird, or Behemoth could also do such thing..    … Expand
  33. AngryShark92
    Sep 9, 2018
    6
    Horizon Zero Dawn is a fun game, at first, it is a vast open world with gorgeous graphics that the PS4 Pro can show off very well, it has well designed machine enemies and a fun, fair combat system on higher difficulties... What it does not have is great AI, well written characters, good facial animations, and enough plot twists and turns to keep me coming back.

    Horizon focuses on a    Horizon Zero Dawn is a fun game, at first, it is a vast open world with gorgeous graphics that the PS4 Pro can show off very well, it has well designed machine enemies and a fun, fair combat system on higher difficulties... What it does not have is great AI, well written characters, good facial animations, and enough plot twists and turns to keep me coming back.

    Horizon focuses on a motherless orphan named Aloy who was outcasted by the nearby tribe and finds herself forced to assimilate and acclimate herself to the surrounding factions and dangerous lands respectively. As she traverses through the world she learns about her past and present, and the mysteries they hold, as well as how to deal with and eradicate the machinist threat facing the human race.

    Booting up Horizon and embarking out on the tutorial sections to learn the lay of the land was an exceptional experience, the never ending vista of wilderness and trees and the graphics in which they are shown are truly remarkable. Learning about the different types of attacks and mechanics for combat, as well as traversing the land, had me excited to break out of the tutorial section.

    As I progressed through the game, levelled up, and assigned skill points to certain perks, I was truly enjoying the game... I didn’t really notice the flaws for a while, and I was solely focused on coming up with new strategies to take down the tougher enemies. I love this sort of combat system and how the focus allows me to pinpoint certain weaknesses to give Aloy a bit of an advantage going into a tough fight, although the track highlighting is making it a bit too easy, I have to say. But I was moving along and completing quests without looking back.

    Then I just hit a wall, I found myself wondering why every side quest was identical to the other, why the facial animations were absolutely awful, why the characters all seemed to look the same and have no motivations, why the human enemies became so boring to fight, why the enemy machines acted like braindead zombies with tripwires and traps, why I’m rambling to myself like a psychopath... It was because the game just got utterly repetitive and boring. The story slowed down and I had no idea why these certain characters were even part of the main quest line, the side missions were all way too similar, the hunter lodge trials got buggy and became more of a chore, and for whatever reason I was outputting so much damage and unable to sustain a minor slap from a grazer? Balance, anyone?

    The game did not implement enough new and exciting twists and turns or armor/weapons to upgrade and collect, and I just found myself sneaking around in tall grass, sneak attacking everything when the enemies should clearly see me. Reminded me of The Last of Us stealth mechanics, utterly broken and immersion breaking. I just hit a point where I no longer cared about any of the characters and it became a chore to finish the game.

    + Absolutely gorgeous and large open world
    + Lots of side activities
    + Good variation of enemies
    + Challenging combat on higher difficulties
    + Good skill set system
    + Great enemy designs (machines)

    - Nonsensical stealth system and poor AI
    - Abysmally written characters
    - Abhorrent facial animations & lip-syncing issues
    - Repetitive side quests
    - Awkward camera angles during combat
    - Story got a bit boring towards the end

    Overall, Horizon is a fun game, for a certain period of time, but it gets bogged down by repetitive quests, boring story and characters, lack of new gameplay elements through progression, and awful AI and animations. I have no doubt that if they make a sequel, and rectify these issues, it would definitely merit a score of 80 and up, but as it stands now, I can’t bring myself past a 60. It is sad because I really enjoyed the scenery and the design of all the machine monsters, hope they do better in a potential sequel.    … Expand
  34. Radoslavus
    Mar 27, 2017
    7
    Did I like it? Yes
    Was the gameplay fun? Yes
    Was the story interesting and entertaining? Yes, the main story. What about the sound and the visual effects? Probably the most beautiful game in terms of graphics on PS4. Sound also preety good. Did I have a lot of bugs, glitches, crasches? No, just one single crash, but didn't matter because the autosave system is preety good? So what's    Did I like it? Yes
    Was the gameplay fun? Yes
    Was the story interesting and entertaining? Yes, the main story.
    What about the sound and the visual effects? Probably the most beautiful game in terms of graphics on PS4. Sound also preety good.
    Did I have a lot of bugs, glitches, crasches? No, just one single crash, but didn't matter because the autosave system is preety good?

    So what's wrong with Horizon? And, why only 7/10 (7.5 to be precise)?

    It get's boring...
    The repetition, and dull side quests were a pain in the ass. I skipped most of the bland conversations, did the quest to level up, and went back to the main quest. Of course the stories of the side quests had some potential, but the weak narration efficiently reppeled me from being interested.

    The combat is really fun and solid, but the fun flies away after couple of hours. It lacks variation. Some weapons seem preety pointles looking at the entire playthrough. Stealth is good but a little shallow at the same time. I would like a little more options, more freedom, more sophistication.

    Don't get me wrong the game is really solid, even slightly above then just solid, but I feel it lacks something. That one element that would make this title great. Probably storytelling. I have a feeling they focused so much on the main story, that forgot about the side quests. Still a good game though.

    So why did it get such a high combined score on metacritic? Probably because of lack of good content and AAA games on really good level. That's why it shines so bright, because you don't see any "competition on the Horizon" (a joke - and a terrible one). :P    … Expand
  35. TheBraveFencer
    Dec 23, 2017
    7
    The plot of the game is engaging, my main gripes come from the characters, climbing mechanics, and small field-of-view.

    Keep in mind 7 still scores 2 points above average. It's good and worth any gamer's time.
  36. defix
    Mar 4, 2020
    5
    Men dumb! Men hit thing with stick!!!

    Funny how the credits are 90% male though. Good to see that Guerrilla are sticking to their fantasy principals in real life.

    Combat is awful.
    Graphics/world design is nice.
    Story (apart from the virtue signaling) is fine. Could have been great if it wasn't woke.
  37. Shimmeywill
    Feb 26, 2020
    7
    A gorgeous game with mediocre gamplay and story. Otherwise wonderful visual design and open world.
  38. theTRUTHson
    Jul 14, 2017
    6
    This is a new franchise that brings nothing new to the table. Absolutely nothing. Instead, it copies all sorts of games like Ubisoft open worlds, Tomb Raider, Witcher, and others.

    This is a mediocre game with good graphics. The hype was fake, caused by games media and fanboys. This is not what they told you it is, I am giving you a heads up. You have already played this a million    This is a new franchise that brings nothing new to the table. Absolutely nothing. Instead, it copies all sorts of games like Ubisoft open worlds, Tomb Raider, Witcher, and others.

    This is a mediocre game with good graphics. The hype was fake, caused by games media and fanboys.

    This is not what they told you it is, I am giving you a heads up. You have already played this a million times before by playing other games. And those games were probably more interesting too.    … Expand
  39. Devivre
    Mar 3, 2017
    7
    A fun action-adventure that takes a lot inspiration from Ubisoft and Witcher - but sadly the Quest design usually feels more like Ubisoft. Combat keeps it entertaining though and the visuals are pretty amazing. Storywise it's decent but not that much more.

    Overall I think "Horizon Zero Dawn" overrated but still an entertaining experience, so who cares,
  40. Sunykamey
    Mar 3, 2017
    7
    First things first, I really like this game. The atmosphere is immersive and the gameplay solid in general. But some of the missions/quests are just tiresome and can be an unbalanced experience. The game truly shines when you are free to engage the enemies/wildlife how you seem fit but if you have to "fight" them in an arena-style map it suffers really bad. It breaks the tension and isFirst things first, I really like this game. The atmosphere is immersive and the gameplay solid in general. But some of the missions/quests are just tiresome and can be an unbalanced experience. The game truly shines when you are free to engage the enemies/wildlife how you seem fit but if you have to "fight" them in an arena-style map it suffers really bad. It breaks the tension and is just frustrating.… Expand
  41. Toiletglasses
    Mar 12, 2020
    5
    I played the Complete Edition on PS4 Pro. I hated this game with such a passion. What you do at the start, is what you do at the end. No variation in enemies, excluding bosses. Completely uncharismatic protagonist. Almost as bad as the piss-poor Days Gone.
  42. bibsy007
    Mar 3, 2017
    6
    I couldn't believe I spent $100 for this game its just as bad as halo wars 2 even worst what I don't even get that other people believe it is a 10 out of 10, its ridiculous.
  43. captainkane
    Jul 10, 2017
    5
    Initially, Horizon Zero Dawn captivated me with its touching prologue, but that impression quickly faded. Horizon doesn’t break new ground. The story is full of exhausted tropes and needless obfuscations. Combat is unrefined. Visuals are impressive for a console game, but that isn’t enough to justify it as a system seller. HZD is essentially Far Cry Primal peppered with elements from otherInitially, Horizon Zero Dawn captivated me with its touching prologue, but that impression quickly faded. Horizon doesn’t break new ground. The story is full of exhausted tropes and needless obfuscations. Combat is unrefined. Visuals are impressive for a console game, but that isn’t enough to justify it as a system seller. HZD is essentially Far Cry Primal peppered with elements from other popular titles. Guerrilla Games proved that playing it safe is still the go-to strategy for developers.

    Visually, HZD is remarkable. Performance is smooth without any noticeable aliasing or texture popping. The long draw distances are impressive. There’s an option to turn down graphics from 2K to 1080p in order to boost performance. Regardless of which option is chosen, Horizon is always locked at 30fps. Players are not told which features are disabled. So it’s a pointless setting. At 2K resolution, HZD runs at 30fps. At 1080p, HZD runs at 30fps. So what exactly is the benefit?

    Combat would’ve been passable in 2007. We’ve seen dozens of popular games with exceptional combat since then, so I’m surprised by HZD’s simplicity and tedium. Running around will get Aloy stomped unless players pause every minute or so and activate their Focus scanners. Most skills are situational, so Aloy has few options if she’s caught off guard. Melee is clunky and suicidal. Generally, HZD pushes players to plan every attack using stealth and then take down enemies with ranged attacks or traps. Combat would be more fun if the enemy AI wasn't so dumb and Aloy had better mobility.

    At other times, Aloy is forced to engage enemies directly. After the prologue, HZD throws players into the fire with multiple lengthy, and rather difficult, boss battles. Players who didn’t stock up on equipment will be demolished. Difficulty spikes occur often. Boss battles can be inflexible encounters that affront HZD’s stealthy gameplay norms, similar to Dues Ex: HR. HZD just had to include absurd time trails that every forum seems to hate. In most games, trials are ridiculously contrived challenges that hold back average players. They’re shoe-horned in for the sake of content.

    The parkour elements are limited to set pieces just like Assassin’s Creed. If two ledges are the same height, Aloy can only climb the one with a colored indicator. Aloy is presented as a nimble, athletic warrior. Yet Guerrilla intentionally hamstrings her. Small boulders and 4ft fences are insurmountable obstacles. Guerrilla should’ve followed Dying Light's example with seamless parkour transitions. That would've radically enhanced combat diversity and added replay value. Many areas look traversable, but invisible walls keep Aloy grounded. It’s inexplicably stupid game design.

    Aloy's skill tree contains plenty of useless abilities. Most stealth skills suck because of the design issues mentioned above. Scavenging perks are redundant since resources are plentiful. The best perks are generally the first and last ones in each tree. Additionally, weapons in each class feel samey. Overall, progression isn't as rewarding as other combat focused games like Batman.

    The story was HZD’s big selling point. The first hour or so is solid. After that it quickly devolves. Much of the story is locked away behind obstinate characters who simply will it that Aloy remains ignorant. HZD injects “shocking” cut scenes to evoke emotional responses from players. But deliberately killing characters in ham-fisted fashion is not imaginative writing. HZD is set in an interesting world, but its story falls short. Aloy is given “choices” which have zero impact on events. They usually cue different dialogue, that’s it.

    The world is static until the story progresses. NPC’s hang around regardless of Aloy’s actions. I rode into a village on a deadly machine and everyone ignored it. Tribes are deathly afraid of machines, but I can bump into people with nary a problem. The human elements of HZD are flimsy and unconvincing.

    HZD travels well-worn roads paved by the other franchises. Most elements imitate Ubisoft’s playbook: climb something tall to unlock map, clear bandit camp, help hopeless locals with bandit/animal problems. Menu navigation, skill trees, combat, and survival features were lifted from Far Cry. The focus scanner replicates the witcher sense from The Witcher 3. Scripted parkour elements mirror Assassin’s Creed. The list goes on. Despite all that borrowing, nothing is improved. It’s like listening to a 90’s mixtape. Sure, most of the songs are catchy, but it’s always fun to experience something fresh. There’s nothing fresh here.

    Critics and gamers alike fell head over heels in love with Aloy. But she isn’t enough reason to give HZD such high marks. If anyone is thinking of buying a PS4 to play HZD, don’t. HZD is boring and generic. The threadbare story and stilted gameplay makes this a once and done game without much replay value.    … Expand
  44. Nastasia
    Mar 6, 2017
    6
    On the plus side: a beautiful picture, post-apocalyptic world, the ability to kill enemies silently.
    Of the minuses: the monotony of side quests, some mechanical creatures attack when you're just sneaking by, sometimes in dialogues Aloy says things that I would not talk if I could choose, there is no way to say no to the quest.
  45. CubaReynier
    Mar 2, 2017
    7
    Hey guys, first time doing a review for this website and i am pretty exited to do so i will tell you my experience with the game so far 7 hours into the game. i have to say personal experience i love the game graphic wise it is an astonishing game i liked how the game is compost of 40% movie cinemas that are gorgeous and 60% actual game i like this game mode fixes my needs and play styleHey guys, first time doing a review for this website and i am pretty exited to do so i will tell you my experience with the game so far 7 hours into the game. i have to say personal experience i love the game graphic wise it is an astonishing game i liked how the game is compost of 40% movie cinemas that are gorgeous and 60% actual game i like this game mode fixes my needs and play style why the cinema is running i get to enjoy my beer and watch and mind blowing graphical short clip i cant ask for more i do have to get real when it come to the game play normal mode is so simple the AI of the robots and human is very poor, when you turn it up to very hard get a bit better make the game play better, when it comes to open word it feels really liked Far Cry Primal a game that i expend liked 200+ hrs for that main reason i may feel some repetition to this game but overall the graphics makes me keep my mind off of it. when it come to the story i do going very slow and detailed listening to all the options etc for me is been very interesting, i see this game been boring if you a player that your liked to rush thru content and not enjoy the game for what it is, overall i am giving it a 7 because i know they could of done a bit better when it come to quests more main related and crazy driven but this is my opinion. i hope you guys enjoy my review.… Expand
  46. Memphizo
    Mar 6, 2017
    6
    I regret i bought this on release, to me its not worth 60$.
    The graphics and animations are great, but other then that here is nothing new. Just a regular openworld RPG.
    The skilltree had no depth, which to me was a disappointment. I wanted to choose a build for a my playstyle but all abilities is good for all playstyles, if there are more then one playstyle..? The biggest    I regret i bought this on release, to me its not worth 60$.
    The graphics and animations are great, but other then that here is nothing new. Just a regular openworld RPG.
    The skilltree had no depth, which to me was a disappointment. I wanted to choose a build for a my playstyle but all abilities is good for all playstyles, if there are more then one playstyle..?

    The biggest disappointment was the enemy AI. I remember i saw "gameplay trailers" where robots roamed the world and suddenly some smaller robots where scared away by a gigantic robot. THAT NEVER HAPPENS. The enemy have STATIC spawnpoints/areas where they just stand eating mud....    … Expand
  47. northernlad
    Mar 2, 2017
    6
    graphics excellent, robot dinosaurs behaviour and looks excellent, world areas green to snow to desert seem well done the gameplay against humans is terrible voice acting poor story poor at best the graphical models look plastic and the world seems very mmo this game feels like dragon age inquisition this game is a very light rpg adventure the best thing about it is the graphics.
  48. Voopydoopy
    May 3, 2017
    7
    An extremely uninspired open-world game with a weak story, forgettable characters, and bad RPG mechanics , However the core combat system and graphics are fairly good, probably worth picking up at a discounted price but not for 60 dollars.
  49. MarkyShark
    Mar 3, 2017
    5
    It's nothing near what was presented in the trailer. Seems rushed and incomplete all around, could earn a 8 if it was an indie game, but this game doesn't feel like coming from a great publisher at all.
  50. JaySilver
    Jul 17, 2017
    5
    Absolutely mediocre. The game really got me hooked at first, but it was sold as the "holy grail of gaming". Sadly, this is not the case. Although its very, very polished, the Quests are repetitive, the combat is boring and the gear looks very similar. The story was well done tough and the facial animations are pretty neat. To sum it up: this game is just as good as any other ubisoft game.Absolutely mediocre. The game really got me hooked at first, but it was sold as the "holy grail of gaming". Sadly, this is not the case. Although its very, very polished, the Quests are repetitive, the combat is boring and the gear looks very similar. The story was well done tough and the facial animations are pretty neat. To sum it up: this game is just as good as any other ubisoft game. It even has "towers" to cover up the map. After a few hours, I just wanted to finish it quickly, so I can put it back into my shelf. Just to be clear: if this game was actually made by ubisoft and not sony, it would've been probably torn apart by butthurt gamers. But thanks to the sony fanboys, thats not the case.… Expand
  51. ByYuxiSs
    Mar 5, 2017
    7
    I thought that this game was going to be something revolutionary in itself, the game is very ok but it is well done, the horizon is a game with very good graphics but in my opinion the story did not meet my expectations.

    Not a bad game but not a great game 7/10
  52. atomic_tomato
    Mar 13, 2017
    7
    I want to give this game a 9 but there are a few factors keeping me from doing so.

    Pros: First, its a great game. The mechanics are wonderful and combat feels really smooth. The story is pretty interesting and kind of original. Probably one of the best looking games I have played on the PS4. Lots of different enemy types and they match their environments. Cons: Dull protagonist.    I want to give this game a 9 but there are a few factors keeping me from doing so.

    Pros: First, its a great game. The mechanics are wonderful and combat feels really smooth. The story is pretty interesting and kind of original. Probably one of the best looking games I have played on the PS4. Lots of different enemy types and they match their environments.

    Cons: Dull protagonist. There is nothing interesting or unique about the main character. She just kind of sits there and plays the unsuspected hero role.

    I cant see myself actually being interested in exploring the world. There's really no reward (aside from some of the repetitive side quests). I want to be rewarded for exploring...

    Feminist agenda. Most of the males in this game feel like they undermine you just because you are a women while most of the females are buddy buddy. I kind of get that awkward "you go girl!" feeling while talking to the female npcs which pulls me out of the immersion of a world of humans struggling to survive a robot apocalypse.

    If you haven't bought Zelda or Nier and you are looking for a decent open world game to satisfy your craving... I would give it a shot if you have some extra cash. If you are looking for another Witcher 3... Its probably going to be a while for something as great.    … Expand
  53. 36thDisciple
    Nov 16, 2018
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bowww? Awww. Six year old Aloy is so cute! Still, I would've preferred another Killzone. I like the premise of Horizon Zero Dawn, namely the post-apocalyptic setting and robotic beasts, but I feel the execution is, well, meh - to put it bluntly. I was bored by this game and very early on. Based on the number of positive reviews, it's evident that plenty of gamers have found value in this title. But, I can't enjoy a game where the majority of time is spent either conversating or harvesting - both being necessities. The story unfolds across hours of tiresome dialogue, which means that conversations can't really be skipped. Harvesting, on the other hand, is unavoidable. You will need to harvest continuously in order to heal and forge ammo, among other things. It is for these reasons that I couldn't complete the campaign.

    A lot has already been said of the positive attributes of this game. However, I feel prospective players need also be made aware of the negative attributes - aside from the aforementioned necessities - which may or may not have gotten sufficient coverage.

    - Before playing, I read that this game has an underlying feminist agenda. While I personally wouldn't go to that extreme, I can see how some would describe it as such. That's because the only 'real' men are the bad or semi-bad guys. The good guys consist almost entirely of watered down versions of 'real' men, if not the polar opposite. Aloy's dad being one of the few exceptions, despite the fact that he's an outcast and hence considered a bad guy by the local [matriarchal] community.

    - There is an unrealistic overabundance of random critters sprinkled all over the place. You can't take two steps without bumping into a boar, tripping on a turkey, rubbing against a rabbit, falling across a fox or running over a racoon. They might as well be holding signs saying "Harvest me! C'man! I'm here! Do it now!".

    - There is an unrealistic underabundance of NPC models. This might not seem obvious right away, but you'll soon notice things such as the fact that Cren is just Teb with a beard and some lip injections. Or, that Mother's Heart village appears to contain an unusual number of identical siblings. Most other open world games also feature duplicates and doppelgangers, but they seem to be more noticeable here - for whatever reason.

    - For an open world game, the map is relatively small - even by pre-Assassin's Creed Origins standards. NPCs often speak of locations or events as though they exist or occured many miles away, when in reality they're only a couple hundred yards down the road. I do, however, appreciate that it's actually open world and not deceptively such, as in the Tomb Raider reboot series (of which this game reminds me A LOT).

    - Machines do not venture outside of their specified boundaries. And, because the map is so small, these boundaries can be unrealistically tight. This is most obvious with the largest of machines, which really just move around in circles or back and forth.

    - Mounts. They suck. The mechanics are so clunky, I'd rather run.

    - Weapons. They mostly suck. I found the Tripcaster to be the most fun and useful bow, except when machines sometimes charge through its trip cables and nothing happens. The Hunter bow does little damage unless you're eyeshotting raptor-like machines called Watchers, and its use is unsatisfying. The Sharpshot bow, which deals more damage, is an utter chore to use due to its low firing rate.

    - Gameplay graphics. They're good, but are they earth shatteringly so? No. Cutscene and dialogue sequences feature graphics similar to what you'd expect from the Mass Effect series, no doubt. However, the gameplay graphics are like those of any other modern, decent title. I wouldn't normally list this as a negative, although considering the hype I expected better.

    All in all, Horizon Zero Dawn feels like a demo, an unfinished or glorified indie product. Guerilla Games, you've had your fun. May we now get our beloved Killzone back? Please.    … Expand
  54. ArturoV
    Mar 8, 2017
    7
    So this game is eventually fun.
    There are eventually some futuristic,digital/industrial looking dungeon sort of areas that have real character and it starts to get really neat from there. I'm about halfway through it and it is a large enough game; you'll get your moneys' worth, lets put it that way. It looks amazing, visually, and sets a pretty cool benchmark for future games of the sort.    So this game is eventually fun.
    There are eventually some futuristic,digital/industrial looking dungeon sort of areas that have real character and it starts to get really neat from there. I'm about halfway through it and it is a large enough game; you'll get your moneys' worth, lets put it that way. It looks amazing, visually, and sets a pretty cool benchmark for future games of the sort.
    I was super excited for it since the Robot combat is super fun and pretty satisfying but if you expected a groundbreaking and deep story like Witcher 3 or Last Of Us, like me you will be disappointed. That's a high bar, I know, but it still seems silly that people are gushing over it like it's an amazing story because it does LOOK nice, that does not fix how terrible most of the acting is and the boring story that doesn't really reveal any interesting motivations for any other characters at all.
    Sure it's a video game, and probably powerful if you're between 12-18, but most mature adults will find the story elements pretty laughable. Basically we're in a distant future (1000 years? Really?). There are massive steel robot dinosaurs roaming the lands and it looks like human-kind has devolved into complete idiots, maybe because the last survivors were a couple burnt out hippie kids at a music festival that had to repopulate earth. Somehow these idiots mixed in with these nimble robo-dinos are still surviving by fire and spear, and employing ridiculous social rules that involve casting out anyone who sneezes the wrong way to live alone and not talk to anyone like it's a society of middle school girls.
    The protagonist is a nice idea and a step in SOME direction but not sure what. She and all of the characters and story come off as a parody of safe "liberal" storytelling while missing the point of what a nuanced and progressive story would do. It's like someone studied the approach of Naughty Dog and tried to copy it directly without thinking about why.
    It's almost offensive by trying so hard not to be offensive and screwing up the story because of it. (See Witcher 3 for the right way to do this.). The world is beautiful but the design of it doesn't seem to be motivated by any particular history, stories or encounters in the game you're playing. It starts to feel empty pretty fast. If you took say witcher 3 and Far Cry 4 and just mashed them together roughly, you'd have HZD. It controls smoothly, but that doesn't matter. The battles are easy enough to not really need most of the cool gadgets that are thrown at you immediately. The HUD feels a little cluttered and no mini-map which gets frustrating.

    I go on for a while since there are as many "wow" moments as there are "really?! that's the dumbest thing ever.." but suffice to say it's a fun enough game that I'll forget about as soon as it's done. It's reminding me I need to try Zelda and re-play Witcher 3.
    (Also if you genuinely like the story of either Watchdogs game then you might like this one. Predictable, corny, adolescent stuff; but entertaining for a while.)    … Expand
  55. RobJ665
    Apr 17, 2017
    5
    First things first. The visuals are simply stunning. Controls are well designed and easy to use. Although it's an open world, it is easy to follow the trail of quests from one place to the other without getting lost (which I often do in open worlds). The storyline seems well constructed, but to be fair I only played about 15 hours before deciding not to proceed any further.

    So why    First things first. The visuals are simply stunning. Controls are well designed and easy to use. Although it's an open world, it is easy to follow the trail of quests from one place to the other without getting lost (which I often do in open worlds). The storyline seems well constructed, but to be fair I only played about 15 hours before deciding not to proceed any further.

    So why only 5/10? First is the combat system. Now I may have been spoiled by the AI in Sniper Elite 4 a little bit, but these opponents are idiots. Straight up. I was really excited when I saw that you could do stealth kills. Far less excited when I saw that I could pull and stealth kill entire packs of mobs. Sometimes they'd crawl over the dead bodies of their companions to get to me so I could kill them. Next was, for most mobs, a 'sphere of influence' type AI. I was fighting several mobs who were nearly twice my level - and winning, just because I could shoot them a few times and then move away from them. They'd 'reset', but kept their lost health. Rinse, repeat, profit.

    Next problem was the traps. They were cool when they worked, but more often than not you either didn't get a chance to use them because you came up on them too quickly, or they'd refuse to follow you outside of their little domain. Worst of all, you were limited to the number of traps you could carry, and if you set a trap but it wasn't used, you couldn't recollect it. It was just lost.

    Essentially, the combat system makes the game feel very repetitive and boring.

    The other issue was with the storyline. There has been a lot of talk about the feminist agenda in here. I think there is some validity to that. Not because the story starred a female protagonist in a matriarchal world, I think that was done reasonably well; however, after a while it started to seem like all the bad people were men, and all the good people were women. Not exclusively, but fairly consistently, and when the men were 'good' they had a fairly severe character flaw, whereas the women didn't. I can't say if the game continued that way, though it's easy enough to find out if you google for it, but after a while it got tiresome. Personally, I'd like to see more female role models in these games (I have two daughters), but not at the expense of making men the bad guys.

    I'd be lying if I said the feminist overtones in this game didn't influence my choice to quit playing, but in truth it was the combat system that really did it. My last half hour of the game was playing it on the toughest setting, outnumbered and overmatched (by level) and still managing to kill off the enemies with little trouble. I just couldn't picture myself slogging through another 40 hours of that.    … Expand
  56. platguy4
    Mar 1, 2018
    7
    What was this game trying to achieve?

    Good combat; yes, it has it in spades. Graphics? Absolutely; the game looks incredible and the environments are stunning. Story? It is certainly interesting and has enough twists and tales for intrigue. But where is the character, the voice, and the "feel"? Sadly these things are missing here. Once I had put down my various arrows, I couldn't    What was this game trying to achieve?

    Good combat; yes, it has it in spades. Graphics? Absolutely; the game looks incredible and the environments are stunning. Story? It is certainly interesting and has enough twists and tales for intrigue.

    But where is the character, the voice, and the "feel"? Sadly these things are missing here. Once I had put down my various arrows, I couldn't care less about Aloy or her world. Because it had done its' purpose. It had entertained me.

    Were the developers just showing off what could be achieved with the PS4? It felt a litte like there was an open world and everything had to be ticked off. Great graphics: Check. Loads of stuff to do: Check. Random objects in every corner, expediting excessive exploration: Check.

    Unfortunately I felt the whole expedition, while enjoyable, lacked a hook to fully pull me into the world. It is a fantastic display of the developers and the hardware, but not the experience I had hoped for.    … Expand
  57. stefan1985
    Nov 15, 2017
    5
    I know i'm a little late getting to HZD but i can say the wait wasnt worth it imo. First off i have no idea why people are saying this is such a great looking game, its average at best. The devs havent moved on from Killzone at all. The world is bland and got a boring palette of colors that just didnt pop on screen. The story was boring enough that in parts i just sped up the story or iI know i'm a little late getting to HZD but i can say the wait wasnt worth it imo. First off i have no idea why people are saying this is such a great looking game, its average at best. The devs havent moved on from Killzone at all. The world is bland and got a boring palette of colors that just didnt pop on screen. The story was boring enough that in parts i just sped up the story or i was going to fall asleep. Not one character was interesting enough for me to care what was going to happen to them in their story arc. The one redeeming quality was the sound and to be honest i cant fault the voice acting or the sound of the machines in battle. In conclusion the story drags on way past its welcome and great sound effects and enemy design cant save a boring game world, boring story and a flat final act. Could have been so much better with a better game engine to make it look less like a cartoon.… Expand
  58. SofaTrooper
    Mar 27, 2017
    7
    By far one of the best looking games to be made with great attention to detail. large open environments to explore and discover. The skill tree is limited with only a few moves to unlock, however what is there has been done very well. The game is a little outdated with its side missions being generic fetch quests and pointless collectables. It's acted well however and the main storyBy far one of the best looking games to be made with great attention to detail. large open environments to explore and discover. The skill tree is limited with only a few moves to unlock, however what is there has been done very well. The game is a little outdated with its side missions being generic fetch quests and pointless collectables. It's acted well however and the main story is good and gameplay that is challenging.. This is a good game and deserves a play but gets boring after a while.… Expand
  59. JediMosEisley
    Apr 8, 2017
    5
    Great concept and the game can be fun for awhile but eventually, I hit a brick wall with the game. Too much narration and dead end scenarios. I tried using social media to find solutions but there just was not enough people to help out. I hope the game goes through an update but I doubt it will.
  60. TheEnglishNerd
    Apr 28, 2017
    6
    Whilst the graphics are attractive and the A.I are well programmed, the story severely lacks any depth and the missions are quite basic and by the numbers. The game perhaps suffers most from its very poorly written, bland and boring protagonist; Aloy, the character lacks any emotional depth and her voice acting is somewhat passable. One of the only redeeming qualities of the game itself isWhilst the graphics are attractive and the A.I are well programmed, the story severely lacks any depth and the missions are quite basic and by the numbers. The game perhaps suffers most from its very poorly written, bland and boring protagonist; Aloy, the character lacks any emotional depth and her voice acting is somewhat passable. One of the only redeeming qualities of the game itself is the size of the map and the various 'cauldrons' dotted around it. I found the game to be severely over-hyped it makes an attempt to something very fresh and new but ends up being a very by the numbers action game, the game also makes an attempt to be an RPG, the various times you act based on options based on personal choice feel practically meaningless as they may hardly affect anything in relation to the story line. Overall the game makes a valiant attempt to be something 'hip' and new but falls flat and ends up being what i can describe as a boring version of 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt', if you think of playing this game and haven't played the Witcher 3, please take my advice and play that instead and whilst this may sound spiteful (take it as constructive criticism), anyone who give the game a 10 out of 10 is clearly blind to any of its many flaws.

    If you have bothered to take any of this into account, you have my thanks, I appreciate anyone who took the time to read by opinionated racket of a review, i suppose that's really what review is to be quite honest.    … Expand
  61. Mikeb86
    Apr 9, 2017
    7
    Good game, it's just I found it struggled to find its own identity, it's taken a lot of what has been done in other games and not brought much new to the table, still done very well it's just it didn't pull me in like I hoped, I felt like while the open world was very beautiful that's all there really was to it, it felt very empty to me, it didn't make me want to explore everywhere likeGood game, it's just I found it struggled to find its own identity, it's taken a lot of what has been done in other games and not brought much new to the table, still done very well it's just it didn't pull me in like I hoped, I felt like while the open world was very beautiful that's all there really was to it, it felt very empty to me, it didn't make me want to explore everywhere like say fallout or the witcher. Good game just not great in my opinion, still worth a try though if 3rd person open world rpgs are your thing or if you want to play a 3rd person game in the vein of far cry… Expand
  62. Waldmari
    Apr 2, 2017
    6
    Мир красивый, разнообразный и не чувствуется пустым, а битвы против роботов сделаны как битвы против боссов. Но к сожалению на этом плюсы и заканчиваются.
    Во первых, квесты и диалоги. Второстепенные квесты скучные и не запоминающиеся прям совсем, а порой и глупые(например квест на поиск Эрзы - т.е. приходят дядечки такие смотрят на место происшествия и ничего не могут найти и тут бац,    Мир красивый, разнообразный и не чувствуется пустым, а битвы против роботов сделаны как битвы против боссов. Но к сожалению на этом плюсы и заканчиваются.
    Во первых, квесты и диалоги. Второстепенные квесты скучные и не запоминающиеся прям совсем, а порой и глупые(например квест на поиск Эрзы - т.е. приходят дядечки такие смотрят на место происшествия и ничего не могут найти и тут бац, приходит Элой и такая - о смотри следы от телеги пойдем по ним o_0). Основной сюжет ... давайте скажем честно среднячок. Задумка, идея хороша, но его очень мало, если б не эта беготня по разным локациям, то от силы на часов 5-6 там сюжета.Так еще и дали его совсем ниочем и после прохождения складывается ощущение, что делали при расчете уже на 2ю часть минимум.
    Во вторых,рпг составляющая. Ну здесь все понятно, этот подводный камень был заброшен в любую игру и трудно чем-то удивить в играх подобного жанра, но ничего нового я здесь не увидел. Хотя они пытались, но получилась смесь среднячковая смесь rise of tomb raider и far cry primal.
    Не понял я этого ажиотажа вокруг этой игры ничего нового нет, подача основного сюжета,пусть и интригующего, плоха. Возможно ажиотаж вызван тем,что это эксклюзив на ps4 и выйдя эта игра на все платформы, то итог был бы другой. Но как я писал выше игра создавалась с расчетом на 2ю часть, а возможно и на 3ю , что никак хорошо не скажется. (вспомните игры ,которые штампуются).    … Expand
  63. Topazar
    May 7, 2017
    6
    Игра меня сильно разочаровала. Сюжет отличный но кривая режиссура диалоговых сцен и скупые тексты самих диалогов не дают поверить в него и влиться в мир. Доп квесты откровенно ужасны и скучны. Боевка крайне однообразна и надоедает на 3-4 час игры. Мир пустой исследовать его не интересно. Сильно не хватает эпичный скриптовых сцен. Впечатлила только пролог и финальная миссия . Скомканный иИгра меня сильно разочаровала. Сюжет отличный но кривая режиссура диалоговых сцен и скупые тексты самих диалогов не дают поверить в него и влиться в мир. Доп квесты откровенно ужасны и скучны. Боевка крайне однообразна и надоедает на 3-4 час игры. Мир пустой исследовать его не интересно. Сильно не хватает эпичный скриптовых сцен. Впечатлила только пролог и финальная миссия . Скомканный и недосказанный финал.… Expand
  64. jptiamzon
    Dec 27, 2017
    7
    If you played any games with the same genre like this one (The Witcher 3, etc.), the game will not be that immersive or should I say "not that good". I suggest playing this before playing any open world rpg games because it will ruin your experience.

    NOTE:
    The game is good I can recommend it right away however, it just feel generic to me.
  65. the80srobot
    Apr 9, 2018
    6
    There's a fun game in there, but Horizon Zero Dawn wastes my time more than I would like. Some parts of it feel like they were an after-thought (human enemies, busywork) or barely tested (many of the sidequests). The story element is mediocre, voice acting and camerawork almost laughable, and the open world mechanics exist mainly to kill time.

    Parts that work: fighting the dinosaurs,    There's a fun game in there, but Horizon Zero Dawn wastes my time more than I would like. Some parts of it feel like they were an after-thought (human enemies, busywork) or barely tested (many of the sidequests). The story element is mediocre, voice acting and camerawork almost laughable, and the open world mechanics exist mainly to kill time.

    Parts that work: fighting the dinosaurs, discovering the different types of robot dinosaurs, other things to do with the robot dinosaurs.

    I wish studios would stop padding their games with mediocre content. If Horizon Zero Dawn were a little more focused on the parts that, after all, are the selling point, it would be a good game. As it is, it's 10 minutes of fun for every hour you play - I can get a better grind/fun ratio out of watching David Letterman.    … Expand
  66. bbandit925
    Jun 25, 2020
    6
    Very overrated game. After I was 8 hours, I just wanted it to end.
    Graphics were great, if it weren't for the graphics, I wouldn't have played it through.
  67. PotHeadSteve
    Jun 28, 2020
    5
    I am truly disappointed in this game. I heard this was supposedly hyped before it came out, but i didn't pay attention to it at the time. I got this for 25 bucks and i am glad i didn't spend 70 dollars on this. It started off really fun, but by hour 5 i got so tired of it. The game doesn't know what it wants to be. If it wants to be an RPG like Witcher 3 or an open world action game likeI am truly disappointed in this game. I heard this was supposedly hyped before it came out, but i didn't pay attention to it at the time. I got this for 25 bucks and i am glad i didn't spend 70 dollars on this. It started off really fun, but by hour 5 i got so tired of it. The game doesn't know what it wants to be. If it wants to be an RPG like Witcher 3 or an open world action game like RDR2 or far cry. It has lots of elements there. Like stealth, action, RPG elements, dialogue wheels and crafting. But none of those elements are done well. Stealth is so bare bones as to be laughable(Hide in tall grass, rinse repeat), dialogue wheel choices don't matter to the story, action is bland, enemies have bullcrap long attack animations that can home in and hit you from across the map. It loses its tactics when they break their own rules and set you up in situations that you can't stealth or study the enemy(Which is what it has been teaching you all game). The open world is also completely empty of any life, save for useless collectibles that i couldn't care less about. Also one thing i really can't stand is all the busy work, even getting health herbs for the next fight is a chore. There is also no options to buy health herbs at a vendor making it infuriating. WTF do i also have to buy a whole new bow to use shock arrows, like seriously tell me why? It is such a pointless way of forcing players to change out weapons unnecessarily. The story is also extremely bland. The relationship with Aloy and Rost is not very well developed, it never gets to a charming moment between them or anything. Which i thought we were going to have, it is her adopted father after all. Not like in God of war. It isn't completely bad but it never rises above a slightly above average in terms of writing. The character of Aloy is really cool looking in my opinion i even based a TTRPG character off her and Senua. But in game Aloy is not very well fleshed out and the voice actor is not that great. A different voice actor and a better script could've gone a long way, as games like the Witcher 3 came out around this time. I have also heard of some kinda agenda pushing, while i haven't gone far enough to see it, if it is true. It has nothing to do with why i think this deserves a 5/10. It is no system seller, it is a painfully average open world action stealth game. I think the developers should have tried something new with the game. Added some kind of new mechanic like the nemesis system from shadow of mordor and make the players use whatever ammo they can craft to flesh out the systems they implemented better.… Expand
  68. MartinAZ
    Apr 11, 2022
    7
    Martin A. - You had me at "Robot dinosaurs."

    Horizon Zero dawn is an open world sand box filled with robotic dinosaurs to hunt, mount and hack. Do I need to say more? What I hated, I fail to see why someone hasn't figured the mechanics out. Why is it that the main character is always the only one with access or just so happens to be of blood. I would rather bump into someone like    Martin A. - You had me at "Robot dinosaurs."

    Horizon Zero dawn is an open world sand box filled with robotic dinosaurs to hunt, mount and hack. Do I need to say more?

    What I hated, I fail to see why someone hasn't figured the mechanics out. Why is it that the main character is always the only one with access or just so happens to be of blood. I would rather bump into someone like Aloy and try to figure it out why she is special. I also find it hard to believe that robotic dinosaurs do not just instantly kill or why the game doesn't bother to explain regeneration which is a pet peeve of mine with any game that doesn't bother to explain it. Why are there levels in this game? Aloy seems to be wearing the same leather clothes and she faces creatures that can shoot missiles. Is it because she's level 80?

    It also would have helped to have more merchants selling ammo that didn't run out (they could have balanced this out by limiting the amount of money a player can carry) or at least had the material to make the ammo and how about a place to live because this game has saved points modeled after camp fires, why not a home? Also, don't expect to climb or parkour because you have to look out for climbing rope or bright yellow hand holds because reasons.

    All death animations are the exactly the same. Also, It would have been interesting to find people who ride normal horses and listen to their reasons why horses are better, such as being able to cross a river or encounter tribes that prefer robot horses because they can stand the cold, where horses can't.

    What I loved. All the details aside, the world of Horizon Zero Dawn is beautiful and the robot dinosaurs are well designed. I just can't help thinking this would have been better as a horror game. I mean dinosaurs are already deadly, put missiles and guns on them, would only make them horrifyingly deadlier.

    This is still a game worth experiencing but at a rental price or discounted price. The game is not hard by any sense. With all that said, 7 out of 10.    … Expand
  69. rompobteryx
    Mar 12, 2022
    7
    It took me two tries to actually like the game. In my first try, which was 3 years ago, I quit after two hours because I hated the story and its open world mechanics. I started the game again last month, hyped by the sequel being released, and I promised myself I would be more patient this time. Once the combat clicked, it was hard to put down.

    Taking on a Thunderjaw with everything in    It took me two tries to actually like the game. In my first try, which was 3 years ago, I quit after two hours because I hated the story and its open world mechanics. I started the game again last month, hyped by the sequel being released, and I promised myself I would be more patient this time. Once the combat clicked, it was hard to put down.

    Taking on a Thunderjaw with everything in your arsenal on 'hard' difficulty level...Targeting parts, using tearblasters to strip it off its weapons and armor, anticipating where it would go and setting traps before the combat begins, the way the machine staggers and flinches every time you hit it with a blast bomb, the way it collapses dead at the end... Such an incredible joy. Word can't even describe it. Or taking on an invisible Stalker... Managing to nail the mofo down with ropecaster, and stripping it off its armor and stealth module, then dotting it with sticky bombs... OMG what a rush. The combat in this game is pure joy.

    The visuals are dope as well. A half-ablaze stormbird filling your entire vision in slow motion, especially when you're fighting at night with black sky in the background, with all its glory and detailed parts and modules and wings and angry face with red eyes, is a sight to behold. I caught myself many times just admiring the design of the machines mid-combat instead of actually fighting lol.

    But everything else feels like a chore. Here's what didn't work for me:

    The story. OMG the story. It was worse than cliche, so much that I was unable to watch the cutscenes from all the eyerolling I had to do, and I ended up skipping them totally. Great voice acting etc. but the story just didn't work for me.

    The main quest forces you to go to some indoor locations such as the ruins where you have to find and watch holograms for story progression. They were all copy-paste mazes with nothing interesting in them. Can developers please stop using holograms for exposition already?

    Because of the story and the dreadfully boring interiors, I was actually begging the game to let me be and go hunt machines in the wild.

    Cauldron dungeons, even though the boss fights at the end are great, and even though the color palette in the dungeons are pretty to look at, were boring and full of childish environmental puzzles. I wish they offered something unique.

    Using the spear wasn't fun at all. Not sophisticated enough for full engagement. It doesn't break or malfunction, there are only a few kinds, there are limited number of attacks and animations etc. I heard it's better in the sequel, and I hope so.    … Expand
  70. LEXTAKA
    Mar 2, 2017
    6
    Let Me say this is Too Plastic to a 5 generation game, oh yeah is a 7 gen GAME so How in da HELL the skin look like a Baby all clean skin , EVEN a JRPG your Cloting get Dirty but here , well good history 1950's Flash gordon called what all the plot back .
  71. zelzah
    Mar 9, 2017
    6
    to all the **** don't think I'm saying this game is trash. I'm going to recommend it. let me explain how my scores work. 0 = terrible never play, 5= its average and ok for what it is i.e. syndicate reboot or something like bfhardline. 6=good. so don't get pissed just yet!

    so before anyone blasts me for not bowing to sony or what not, I actually own a ps4 and the game. the game is great    to all the **** don't think I'm saying this game is trash. I'm going to recommend it. let me explain how my scores work. 0 = terrible never play, 5= its average and ok for what it is i.e. syndicate reboot or something like bfhardline. 6=good. so don't get pissed just yet!

    so before anyone blasts me for not bowing to sony or what not, I actually own a ps4 and the game. the game is great in theory. What could have stood as a robotic dinosaur themed monster hunter turned into a lackluster game that failed to capture what it sold itself as. first ill start with the gameplay. It's a lot of fun when you are fighting dinosaurs that is, not people. the gameplay against people is boring at best and glitchy and terrible at worst. But nobody cares about people right? well guess again cause a lot of story missions aren't dinosaurs, it's about fighting boring people who are boring. The dinosaur gameplay though is awesome, and they give you so many options. trouble is a lot of it is THEORETICALLY good. but every person has their favorite method of fighting, and you will pretty much stick to whatever method that is. Also, the lack of variants and special dinosaurs to fight makes for very lackluster gameplay. I wanna fight a giant robot t-rex who has a spike tail, or maybe has cannons, or can make use thunder strikes or what not. Not the same one. there needed to be more variants, or maybe even more dinosaurs as a whole. but the worst is your melee staff. it does the same combo with no different variations and has insane reach. You can glide across rocks, water, ice, trees or whatever stands in your way when you combo. This may sound like a small gripe, but it makes melee too good. It leaves your melee skills to be found wanting and instead feels like sloppy design on an otherwise pristine combat system. But to end this part, the combat is very good. Taking down dinosaurs with your chosen form of combat or tactics is very satisfying if not a tad too easy.

    Graphics:. Graphics are great. nothing really to add there

    story: boy howdy this is pretty dumb. it starts off really promising but quickly falls apart. I won't spoil because well I think someone else who is more linguistically gifted can better describe what happens. I will just say the ending is very much a damned if you do damned if you don't and very, well, anticlimactic.

    Characters: Aloy is great. during story, and what not. However, and this is where I drop some points. SHE DOES NOT SHUT UP. I'm sorta used to this. I've played the uncharted, the reboot laura croft and what not. But Jesus aloy does not shut up. say what you will about how she's cool, or an icon, or a strong role model. but she is making quips non-stop, talking non-stop, and never fails to have something to say. That gets very annoying very fast when it happens too often. I want aloy to learn the Nathan drake type of bants. You get nathan who bants when other people are there (as in companions), or after or before a boss fight. Or during set piece or sequence. it belongs with his character as a smartass. Aloy is an inquisitive person who is always ready to voice her thoughts and opinions, especially when it comes to discovering new things and better understanding the world. She is curious basically. That does not mean she is going to talk every 5 seconds with a line. it gets super **** annoying. the npcs are dumb. LIke holy crap their dialogue is either really good, with certain side missions. I won't say which ones cause you need to either watch em or play em for yourself. And other times it's very poorly acted or written *cough cough The forgotten cough cough*

    the rest i guess: animations: animations are poorly done. Every time you enter a cutscene that isnt part of hte main story (well for the most part those are fine, there are some that are very noticeable) you are met with what i like to call robot mode. robot mode is where characters in the ingame cutscenes or dialogues forget how to act like people and you can see them turn and react like robots. LOOKING AT YOU THE FORGOTTEN. people act so unnaturally stiff and robotic that it comes across as though these people were suddenly made into puppets, at the whim of a puppeteer who doesn't exactly know what its like to see a human talk or react. the animation is so off-putting sometimes its emersion breaking. again the forgotten is my main gripe. Seriously bad all around and probably one of the most notable moments of "we stopped caring".

    I like this game, but its simply not up to snuff. It's great points shine like a diamond freshly polished. But it's unfortunately, the smudges of the above problems that also dim that shine down quite a lot. It's these small problems that very soon turn from a small pile into a very overtly large hill. It's definitely not a mountain of problems because I still recommend the game. but these issues shouldn't have been issues had guerrilla cared enough to take the time to polish. horizon gets a 6/10    … Expand
  72. Cask_Fix_Sir_Us
    Mar 18, 2017
    5
    This game is just Farcry, it's got an interesting story but nothing inspired. Unfortunately, the left-wing regressive, politics in this game is sickening. It's third wave feminism anti-man propaganda. All the men in the game are half-wits, criminals, slavers, murderers, etc.
    The funny part, in the game a woman designed the destruction of the Earth, nice going chick. But of course,    This game is just Farcry, it's got an interesting story but nothing inspired. Unfortunately, the left-wing regressive, politics in this game is sickening. It's third wave feminism anti-man propaganda. All the men in the game are half-wits, criminals, slavers, murderers, etc.
    The funny part, in the game a woman designed the destruction of the Earth, nice going chick. But of course, Aloy, gets to use good old right-wing efforts of hunting, fishing, and shooting to save the day. I love that all of her outfits essentially have a sweater tied around her waist like all the fat chicks in high school.    … Expand
  73. kitsura
    Jun 4, 2017
    6
    Roll and shoot or sneak and attack aka MGS. Apart from the graphics i don't see how this is GOTY candidate. Game gets repetitive fast.

    Would i replay this or but the DLC? Absolutely not. 0 replay value.
  74. kenmil
    Apr 18, 2017
    6
    The graphics are beautiful, and the open world is huge. Combat is sufficiently difficult (in parts) to make it interesting and the game mechanics are very good. So why did I only rate it 6 ? Two things; First the repetitive nature of quests which is the downfall of most of these open world games. Second the rampant feminist agenda which is on display everywhere you go in the game. All theThe graphics are beautiful, and the open world is huge. Combat is sufficiently difficult (in parts) to make it interesting and the game mechanics are very good. So why did I only rate it 6 ? Two things; First the repetitive nature of quests which is the downfall of most of these open world games. Second the rampant feminist agenda which is on display everywhere you go in the game. All the male characters are either intensely evil, or downright feckless wimps. The females are all strong and dominant. It got the better of me eventually and I quit playing the game at about the 70% mark. I could not recommend it.… Expand
  75. Forneray
    Mar 1, 2017
    6
    Excellent graphics but poor gameplay. Excellent graphics but poor gameplay. AI is also weak. The game can not be just graphics. The characters have no charisma. Lack of freedom. It is an open world but the player can not do what he wants.
  76. jkuras08223
    May 24, 2021
    5
    This game in a sentence is over rated in my opinion. The RPG elements are poor in the game and the voice choices you can choose from are useless and create nothing for the linear main story. There isn't any cool open world locations on the map to explore there is just packs of the same machines over and over again very poor built combat system and bad voice acting and in cut scenes theThis game in a sentence is over rated in my opinion. The RPG elements are poor in the game and the voice choices you can choose from are useless and create nothing for the linear main story. There isn't any cool open world locations on the map to explore there is just packs of the same machines over and over again very poor built combat system and bad voice acting and in cut scenes the characters have no emotion what so ever. the only thing good about the game is good environments and graphics and Aloy is a good character… Expand
  77. VDS
    Mar 17, 2017
    7
    It feels like they've really tried, but it's not a classic. It's good, but not great. Beautiful to look at, but something's lacking. The flow isn't quite even, the cuts scenes and the game seem at odds. Aloy is beautifully rendered, but do I care what happens to her (and by default me) - no, not really. I feel like it's standing on the shoulders of giants, building on what others have doneIt feels like they've really tried, but it's not a classic. It's good, but not great. Beautiful to look at, but something's lacking. The flow isn't quite even, the cuts scenes and the game seem at odds. Aloy is beautifully rendered, but do I care what happens to her (and by default me) - no, not really. I feel like it's standing on the shoulders of giants, building on what others have done and riding on their coat tails. There's nothing new here, not a single iota of original thought. If the game was suddenly wiped from my PS4 would I be bothered/concerned? Not in the slightest. Will I carry on playing it - sure, it's a perfectly playable game.… Expand
  78. heckz
    Mar 30, 2017
    6
    This will be a straight to the point review from your standard gamer. Ultimately it comes down to - Is your 60$ worth the time and experience you will receive from playing this SINGLE player game? - the answer...yes, but BARELY. Here's why:

    Graphics/Environment: [ B ] Compared to most games now the environment in Horizon Zero Dawn is fairly vast and consists of different types of    This will be a straight to the point review from your standard gamer. Ultimately it comes down to - Is your 60$ worth the time and experience you will receive from playing this SINGLE player game? - the answer...yes, but BARELY. Here's why:

    Graphics/Environment: [ B ] Compared to most games now the environment in Horizon Zero Dawn is fairly vast and consists of different types of zones which help keep the excitement level up while wandering the game space. You will see many areas once you get down into detail that are definitely slacking (glitched feet placement, NPC's, plants not on the ground) however from the broad view as a player the game's feel and view are definitely good enough.

    Combat Game-play: [ B+ ] Quest taking/farming/finding collectibles aside. This is about you and the combat experience. Guerilla games is definitely on to something here. The core of the combat system is fun and inviting, however that is only the core. Some weapons abilities are clearly overpowered and as you progress it's hard to keep the game challenging...with a few exceptions. Ultimately the combat is fun enough; where you can limit yourself and make each fight a challenge.

    Main Character Development: [ D- ] Anyone else that has played the game, you can't possibly disagree with this rating. Guerilla had said they wanted to focus on the main character entirely, hence why there is no multi-player and they absolutely bombed. Aloy is in no way a character to like, even if you try. She is too conceited and nothing about her is humble or adventurous...mysterious or even confident. The thing i think we all love about famous character's is their quest/struggle/learning to overcome/desire to succeed/repeated victories in doubtful situations...Aloy has none of this. From the get go she has a crappy attitude and commands respect from everyone, she is on top all game and there is no 'challenge' or 'doubt' about her. (This part plays into the next rating)

    Dialogue/NPC Interaction/Questing: [ D } You cannot possibly rate this any higher. The dialogue and interactions are cancerous. Not once, twice, ten times, or thirty times, but EVERY single SECOND the game makes it a point to put men down - Whether its a audio collectible, a side quest, the main quest, or anything that exists in this game. The game/Aloy will go out of it's way to put down men, directly...not people...men. This game is saturated with feminism and it ultimately ruined a potentially amazing game. Aloy lacks HUMANITY entirely, the game lacks humanity because of how 'out of their way' the developers went to make it about feminism.

    Can anyone here name me one game where a man protagonist puts down and makes women as a whole look stupid for an ENTIRE main quest, all side quests and all everything? No. Master Chief, Lara Croft, Ellie, Commander Shepherd, Sam Fisher, Cortana, Geralt, Nathan Drake - all main or prominent figures of games and NONE crap all over women this game does with men. They crap on the BAD guys, as a team. Most main male character's have a female side kick as the way female main character's have a male side kick. These character have friends of both genders. They are involved with both genders bad or good...my point...THEY'RE HUMAN, unlike Aloy/Horizon Zero Dawn.

    In the end this game is too cancerous dialogue and story wise. The game play is fun enough for a few hours of combat and if you have the money check it out. It is just so sad to see a game with such potential miss important features and plague their core with such nonsense. Not to mention it now puts paid critics in a tough spot if they don't like the game for many other reasons, they could be labeled.

    The fact Guerilla had to make this entirely about a gender issue is pathetic. They would have made much better character/game core if they just cared about making a good game and building Aloy as a character and developing her. Instead they have no real regard for Aloy or the gameplay, they just want to have a girl who is entitled to everything she touches and never needs to learn anything ever. Yet, she still doesn't seem confident...it's bad.    … Expand
  79. CardinalStorm
    Mar 12, 2017
    7
    I've not written a review on Metacritic for some time now - it's probably because this site has become a place of zero's and ten's in the "User Reviews" and ridiculous, overbloated scoring from inexperienced "Critics". No doubt my review will be swamped by the plethora of crap that resides within Metacritic these days, but hey, who cares?

    So, onto to Horizon: Zero Dawn (HZD), a supposed    I've not written a review on Metacritic for some time now - it's probably because this site has become a place of zero's and ten's in the "User Reviews" and ridiculous, overbloated scoring from inexperienced "Critics". No doubt my review will be swamped by the plethora of crap that resides within Metacritic these days, but hey, who cares?

    So, onto to Horizon: Zero Dawn (HZD), a supposed GOTY contender. Heh, really?

    Let's get the visuals out of the way first, as they seem to be the main pull. They're good when you consider it's an open world being run at an almost consistent (30fps) frame rate on a console. Lighting is well done, shadows are good for the most part and textures are more than adequate. For me, the brown filter is horrible (I've always hated brown filters in games) and the whole thing looks so fussy at times, I struggle to differentiate one thing from another.

    CGI moments are good, but nothing that makes them stand out nowadays. Voice acting is good, but often characters will finish talking and the camera will linger on them for a few seconds for no apparent reason. Camera direction in general is a bit odd, on several occasions, the CGI production, i.e. how it's presented, looks amateurish and/or rushed.

    I very rarely enable music in my games (I prefer to NOT feel like I'm a character in a film) so don't care to comment on the musical score. Ambient sounds are OK, but levels can be way out of whack, meaning you'll often not hear anything Aloy is muttering, because some small stream nearby is banging away like Niagara Falls. Speech from NPCs will often playover Aloy's constant mumbling, rewarding you with a mess of audio, and spatial awareness can be hit and miss. Audio is therefore adequate but needs patching.

    The lauded gameplay and RPG elements are where I find other reviews very alarming. I'm seeing "Unique" banded around for HZD quite a bit; have these people been living under a rock? Are they new to gaming? If somebody could tell me ONE feature in HZD that hasn't been done elsewhere better, do please let me know. Within a couple of hours I'd witnessed direct rip-off's of FarCry 2/3/4/Primal, The Witcher 3 and Assassin's Creed; albeit none of these rip-off's are anywhere near as well implemented as they are in their respective game. They all just feel bolted on and clumsy.

    HZD plays like a simple action game, but tries to pretend it's some kind of profound game, with RPG elements stuck all over the place in a failing attempt to stop things become stale quickly. The story is boring, the characters are boring, the meat of the game is repetitive and...boring. I'm actually bored of writing about HZD already. It's basically an open world game that's not as much fun as The Witcher 3, or FarCry Primal, or Skyrim, or Assassin's Creed, or, or, or...

    ...do you see the pattern here? It's obvious that many gamers here are happy with what is a very simple open world game. I can only presume they've not had much experience with other similar games that are far better in all areas. HZD is a technically OK open world game, but surely (especially these days) games of this ilk need to provide a lot more to justify a 8+ score...don't they?

    As far as I'm concerned (a gamer for over 30 years), everything HZD is, has been done before, and that's because HZD has blatantly copied everything that has been before, but failed to equal any of it, let alone improve on it.    … Expand
  80. jpacor
    May 4, 2017
    6
    I must say, I was very disappointed by this game considering the reviews and hype around it. I will say that the graphics are AMAZING, some of the best that I have ever seen in a console game to date. However, the gameplay itself is lacking. Very dull melee combat, and while the concept of strategically using traps to take down your enemies is cool (especially mechanical dinosaurs!), theseI must say, I was very disappointed by this game considering the reviews and hype around it. I will say that the graphics are AMAZING, some of the best that I have ever seen in a console game to date. However, the gameplay itself is lacking. Very dull melee combat, and while the concept of strategically using traps to take down your enemies is cool (especially mechanical dinosaurs!), these opportunities are rare and do not usually go according to plan. For example, the game has a trip wire that must be placed between two rocks, but enemies usually occupy flat spaces where this isn't possible. The story is ok, it is interesting and intriguing at first but quickly becomes dull. I would only recommend this game if you enjoy games like Far Cry, if you aren't a fan of open world games this game won't change your mind.… Expand
  81. emj2010
    Feb 24, 2021
    7
    I’d mostly give it 7,5/10. The game is very good, but really has many flaws. The dialogue, animations etc. really feel cheap as well as most characters which are simply bland. Expect for Aloy and Sylens which are both great. The game’s beginning is great, then it stumbles for a good while until the last third where the game is really interesting. However, the game doesn’t do anything thatI’d mostly give it 7,5/10. The game is very good, but really has many flaws. The dialogue, animations etc. really feel cheap as well as most characters which are simply bland. Expect for Aloy and Sylens which are both great. The game’s beginning is great, then it stumbles for a good while until the last third where the game is really interesting. However, the game doesn’t do anything that haven’t been done in any other open world game. Side quest are so generic that they feel pointless even doing. The combat with the robots is awesome though.… Expand
  82. DikkeLuL
    Feb 28, 2017
    5
    Horizon Zero Dawn's gorgeous graphics may lure you in, but underneath hides a game with some very shallow and repetitive gameplay, driven by a poor story. Crap art style. Totally forgetable soundtrack..
    For me it's all way too generic.
    After playing for 5 hours I don't see myself enjoying the rest of the game.
    One big let down, don't get fooled by the high rankings!!
  83. Malef
    May 9, 2021
    5
    The game is flawed in its core mechanic - fighting system. Aloy is too slow in all her actions (spear attack, standing up after knocked down, waiting something after critical strike etc.). Enemies spamming attacks, moves randomly (inertia? no, never heard.) and constantly, they are always locked on Aloy (but player don't have such a luxury). Even the slow motion is not helping much. ArrowsThe game is flawed in its core mechanic - fighting system. Aloy is too slow in all her actions (spear attack, standing up after knocked down, waiting something after critical strike etc.). Enemies spamming attacks, moves randomly (inertia? no, never heard.) and constantly, they are always locked on Aloy (but player don't have such a luxury). Even the slow motion is not helping much. Arrows flies by curved (horizontally) trajectory. When core mechanic is not enjoyable, nothing else matters.
    Only on "easy" this game is fun.    … Expand
  84. karahangke267
    May 30, 2021
    5
    It was merely a good experience. But it would be much better if it was in the hands of a bigger company. Dodge mechanics are the worst and weapon, armor, etc. variety too. The storytelling was good but mimics of the characters are very bad.
  85. TeaFan556
    Dec 19, 2021
    6
    [RU]
    Ну... хорошая игра для тех, кто в своей жизни наиграл несколько проектов. А так, ну очень проходная игра. Если вы не графодрочер, а любите НАСТОЯЩИЙ геймплей, тогда проходите мимо. Здесь лишь красивая обёртка.
  86. MauroFeilhaber
    Apr 14, 2017
    5
    Very repetitive combat system, dialogue is boring , side missions are all the same. Ai is stupid. Only positive things are graphics and sound effects. I really dont understand why this game is so praised
  87. MTC001
    Mar 15, 2017
    6
    This game is a mixed bag, it has incredible graphics but also relies on an overloaded quest system, you have so much to do that it most likely will overwhelm you. Gameplay is fine, interaction with the environment non existent, it looks like the developer spent most of their resources to create the best possible visuals instead.
  88. jmendez
    Mar 4, 2017
    5
    It has so many glitches during the game. It needs to be patched.
    After all, the game it's pretty good. But it needs some fixes. :V
    Well... That's my review. :V
  89. JWilliamJames
    May 14, 2017
    7
    The visuals are often stunning and the concept interesting, but the gameplay is quite vacuous. It verges on boring: lots of trekking about, item collecting, and killing things simply because they antagonise you. This is the type of game I feel you're supposed to praise just because it is a feat of artistry and programming, rather than for it being a fun and engaging experience. I playedThe visuals are often stunning and the concept interesting, but the gameplay is quite vacuous. It verges on boring: lots of trekking about, item collecting, and killing things simply because they antagonise you. This is the type of game I feel you're supposed to praise just because it is a feat of artistry and programming, rather than for it being a fun and engaging experience. I played about 25 hours and it didn't feel like I was getting closer to unravelling the mystery of the story, and as the hours went by I became less invested. I got a sense the game has quite good feminist and race politics, it was definitely made by a leftist team, but it wasn't enough to make me want to play more: I'll go watch Mad Max Fury Road if I want to be stunned by a feminist sci-fi action adventure?

    Technically good but actually bad.    … Expand
  90. Critical_Fun
    Mar 27, 2017
    5
    Some of my favorite games are GTA, Far Cry, and Fallout. This game is nothing like those despite some comparisons by reviewers. 2 days in and I am bored and ready to wipe the game from my hard drive.

    Pros - Excellent graphics, hunting is a lot of fun for a day or so Cons - Skill tree small and lacking, also lacking weapon variety, game play becomes extremely repetitive, story,    Some of my favorite games are GTA, Far Cry, and Fallout. This game is nothing like those despite some comparisons by reviewers. 2 days in and I am bored and ready to wipe the game from my hard drive.

    Pros - Excellent graphics, hunting is a lot of fun for a day or so

    Cons - Skill tree small and lacking, also lacking weapon variety, game play becomes extremely repetitive, story, dino-bots are either very under-powered or very over-powered, archaic save system that will have you repeating yourself and wasting a lot of time, map seems large enough, but everything looks the same.

    Ignore the children rating the game a 10. They've probably never used anything other than 10 or zero. This is an over-rated game that gets old really fast. Wish I bought it from Steam so I could get my $70 back!    … Expand
  91. ShaMana
    May 21, 2017
    6
    Incredibly over rated game. To be honest when i started playing it i felt its gonna be something different but it very quickly turned out not to be. The game title that comes to mind is Far Cry 3. It feels like a carbon copy of it with just more restricted level design and slightly different world theme. Almost all mechanics are there plus some shared from other games for good measure.Incredibly over rated game. To be honest when i started playing it i felt its gonna be something different but it very quickly turned out not to be. The game title that comes to mind is Far Cry 3. It feels like a carbon copy of it with just more restricted level design and slightly different world theme. Almost all mechanics are there plus some shared from other games for good measure. Dont get me wrong, that is not a completely bad thing. It makes for a perfectly functional game but it doesn't create this exceptional title that all the reviews are raving about. When i played Far Cry 3 the first time i was incredibly impressed by it, no its just another free roamer and this one lacks something for me. And the graphics albeit impressive for the console ... well im not gonna start this topic. So overall not a bad game, but we've all played it many times and that makes it duller on start and thats why probably i wont even finish it, but will try never the less. I do enjoy a mystery now and then. And who knows what moved humanity to revert back to basic tribalism ... that i would like to find out… Expand
  92. SaigonBrit
    Sep 26, 2020
    5
    The science fiction elements of the story are excellent, beautiful visuals and some great set pieces. However, there is an insulting level of misandry and cultural Marxism that permeates the narrative to the point of pure cringe. i.e. Pretty much all the male characters are either evil, incompetent or jerks. All the female characters bar none are perfect individuals. Such as shame, whyThe science fiction elements of the story are excellent, beautiful visuals and some great set pieces. However, there is an insulting level of misandry and cultural Marxism that permeates the narrative to the point of pure cringe. i.e. Pretty much all the male characters are either evil, incompetent or jerks. All the female characters bar none are perfect individuals. Such as shame, why spoil a good story with social justice nonsense. Main character Aloy is acceptable but there are lots of annoying dialogue moments pushing extreme 3rd wave, anti-male feminism throughout. Terrible shame.… Expand
  93. MadAlf
    Apr 21, 2021
    6
    Boring game, dead open world. It has it's bright moments, but mostly it feels very common.
  94. MrMiggins
    Oct 23, 2020
    5
    Horizon Zero Dawn is a beautiful game, no doubt. And it has an awesome premise. But it really lacks in the world building, and some of the voice acting is really, painfully awful. It is a real chore to get through it, sometimes. That said, it is lovely to look at, the combat is also very solid, but the side quests are on the whole very boring and full of cringe-worthy dialog that in theHorizon Zero Dawn is a beautiful game, no doubt. And it has an awesome premise. But it really lacks in the world building, and some of the voice acting is really, painfully awful. It is a real chore to get through it, sometimes. That said, it is lovely to look at, the combat is also very solid, but the side quests are on the whole very boring and full of cringe-worthy dialog that in the end I preferred to ignore. It is a game that I have struggled to complete through boredom and eye-rolling incredulity. It's OK-ish.… Expand
  95. gud1
    Feb 21, 2021
    5
    Interesting game with fresh setting but a lot of wasted potential.

    Overall, because of the factors below , the game worth the try and i would say worth AAA amount of money spent. However, it frustrates a lot as well, some things should be done better in order to not to break the immersion , gameplay and atmosphere ((. - The game has an insanely cool engine with pristine way of    Interesting game with fresh setting but a lot of wasted potential.

    Overall, because of the factors below , the game worth the try and i would say worth AAA amount of money spent. However, it frustrates a lot as well,
    some things should be done better in order to not to break the immersion , gameplay and atmosphere ((.
    - The game has an insanely cool engine with pristine way of procedurally generated big an small object locations (watch engine technical presentation on youtube to see how technically beautifully it is done).
    - The combat system with monsters is fresh and variative.
    - Monster sound effects are gold, if I would be asked how these creatures would like for real , i would never come with this kinda strange sounds Gorilla made.
    - The whole story is insane and keeps you under emotions for couple of days after you finish the game.
    - Desing of technical elements in this game (monsters, cauldrons, NPC clothing) is unforgettable and deserver all possible praise.

    Sad things :
    Because they have no prev experience of doing quests and RPG, Gorilla hired 2 guys as key development people : one who was doing Skyrim and another one ,
    who was doing Fallout. As an outcome , we got boring and repetative quests like in Skyrim and crazy Fallout economy ,
    where money is an amo.
    If you are not a good in shooting, - you are always in constant grind for amo cause y need a money.
    I`ve spent 80+ our in this game and 60 hours i was grindind to buy needed suppplies or to refill my amo.

    Another thing that frustrates : epic moster encounters. There are epic first time monster encounters that are presented
    like something ordinary : you are easily facing thunderjaw in the middle of the day , when bidrs are
    chirping and butterflies are flying around. This completely destroys the tension and the whole danger
    mood. What was the problem with develop these encounters like a missions with forced switch of time of the day ,
    so you can face them only at night in complete silence to maximise uneasiness and horror atmosphere?

    Music is another boring factor : it is always the same violin squealing motives , like they are intended to keep your
    eyes wet the whole game. It works first couple of hours , but after that this constant whining makes you tired.

    Alloy personality is blank. There is not enough emotional tension in cutscenes face animations and body language, considering complexity and drama of the entire plot.
    Alloy reacts llike she is do not give a F in most of the cases, she does not express any feelings most of the time , her answers are
    flat and "i-do-not-care-lets-finish-this" kinda attitude. It is very hard to be emotionally invested in such kind of dry and blank protagonist.

    The story is shockingly good , the only problem is that in order to unwrap it all and understand , you need to turn each stone in order to find these stupid
    markers that will complete the storytelling. This activity is so boring , that i droppped it and after end of the game i just went on youtube and watched
    complete expanation fo the plot. I repeat : the story is amazing , but the presentation and merging the plot into the game is very bad.

    The map is overcrowded for the size of the monsters , pretty often "creatures" from different biomes are next to each other like in a subway rush-hour.
    This breaks game immerse a lot. They should either reduce amount of monsters on the map , or increase the map size x2.

    NPC are blank wooden decorations. They are emotionless wooden dolls.

    The game is very overhyped, on my oppinion though, i really hope that Gorilla will do better with second part.    … Expand
  96. Faustfrank13
    Jan 10, 2021
    5
    Avevo alte aspettative quando ho iniziato Horizon Zero Dawn... Che dire, sono rimasto molto deluso al punto da non averlo voluto finire. Non spenderò tante parole per questo gioco, ma posso riassumere il mio giudizio in poche parole: è un open world vuoto, la narrativa è piatta, la trama per buona parte del gioco è senza un punto, una meta, la telecamera è irritante e il gameplay troppoAvevo alte aspettative quando ho iniziato Horizon Zero Dawn... Che dire, sono rimasto molto deluso al punto da non averlo voluto finire. Non spenderò tante parole per questo gioco, ma posso riassumere il mio giudizio in poche parole: è un open world vuoto, la narrativa è piatta, la trama per buona parte del gioco è senza un punto, una meta, la telecamera è irritante e il gameplay troppo noioso per i miei gusti... Insomma, un gioco bello per il concept ma anonimo nella realizzazione… Expand
  97. Prans
    Apr 22, 2021
    7
    7/10
    There are some cutscenes that are buggy, glitchy and awkward moments like the movement of each character. Fighting mechanics is sometimes weird and unfair too, there are some machines and bandit that attack and doesn't make any sense because they attack you quickly even if they are not going to attack yet, like it's lacking a rhythm in fighting. Mounting nor riding machines    7/10
    There are some cutscenes that are buggy, glitchy and awkward moments like the movement of each character. Fighting mechanics is sometimes weird and unfair too, there are some machines and bandit that attack and doesn't make any sense because they attack you quickly even if they are not going to attack yet, like it's lacking a rhythm in fighting. Mounting nor riding machines especially when the machine is running is not really easy to control. The game is fun, enjoyable and challenging too, it's worth it.    … Expand
  98. sgt-lohr
    Aug 18, 2020
    6
    Stop making games where all the guy's are either stupid, helpless, or evil, and pushing all the political opinions on gamers.
  99. AltumSilentium
    Apr 20, 2021
    5
    Невероятно переоцененая игра, на самом деле ничем не должна выделяться из списка других Action RPG
  100. Alloygasosa
    Apr 21, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I found the game very tiring. and with a totally bland ending. the crudest boss battle I've ever seen in the history of exclusives. overcame uncharted 2 in the worst boss battle. out this is a good game… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PS4 Game of 2017
1
#1 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
1
#1 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 115 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 110 out of 115
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 115
  3. Negative: 0 out of 115
  1. Quarter to Three
    May 22, 2017
    60
    The unfortunate fact of Horizon is that most of what it does well, other games have done better, and they did it with a compelling who and where. This is the game you play after you’ve finished The Witcher 3, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, and Far Cry: Primal. It is the greatest hits compilation of open-world games. Yeah, sure, you might want to own it, but the real connoisseur has the original albums.
    Read full review
  2. App Trigger
    Apr 21, 2017
    95
    Horizon Zero Dawn has an unforgettable protagonist, world, story, visuals, soundtrack and gameplay. Due to minor issues with inventory management and quest selection, I cannot call it perfect but I can say it is absolutely worth your time.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Apr 10, 2017
    75
    There is enough spectacular action to keep you occupied for a couple of weeks, but Horizon is not the hot new killer app for PS4.
    Read full review
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