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
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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

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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.
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  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.
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  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.
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