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. Fgote
    Apr 12, 2021
    10
    One of the most beloved games on PS, along with the Uncharted series!
    10/10, waiting for the Forbidden West!)))
  2. Jeri85
    Apr 25, 2021
    10
    Perfect story, graphics and world! I had a lot of fun with the game. I'm looking forward to the second part.
  3. svensenk86
    Apr 21, 2021
    10
    I mean I just have 4hrs on the clock and strive around in the beginning before the journey starts, getting used to the mechanics and the world itself - just this let me give 10 points. I have enough gaming experience to say this will be a great game. Just the idea is awesome, I am excited to learn more about this world. Shame on me that I have waited until it was free in the game store.I mean I just have 4hrs on the clock and strive around in the beginning before the journey starts, getting used to the mechanics and the world itself - just this let me give 10 points. I have enough gaming experience to say this will be a great game. Just the idea is awesome, I am excited to learn more about this world. Shame on me that I have waited until it was free in the game store. Anyways, looking forward, thanks Sony to put it in the store, great game, great graphic, great mechanics, great setting, great idea!… Expand
  4. DyylaaN_501
    Feb 4, 2021
    9
    El juego es increíble , es muy divertido , y es muy dinámica su jugabilidad
    Para mí me pareció raro que el juego después de instalarlo no me apareciera para descargar algún parche o actualización Y eso me da a entender que no tuvo la necesidad de arreglar nada
    Aunque me equivoque en un mínimo detalle el juego al inicio lo vi con ciertos bugs pero tampoco para tanto La historia es    El juego es increíble , es muy divertido , y es muy dinámica su jugabilidad
    Para mí me pareció raro que el juego después de instalarlo no me apareciera para descargar algún parche o actualización Y eso me da a entender que no tuvo la necesidad de arreglar nada
    Aunque me equivoque en un mínimo detalle el juego al inicio lo vi con ciertos bugs pero tampoco para tanto La historia es buenísima 10/10
    Los gráficos son muy buenos 9/10
    Su jugabilidad es muy buenos 9/10
    La IA es un poco mensa pero tampoco para tanto 7/10
    Algunas misiones secundarias son muy buenas y entretenidas , pero otras soy algo aburrida (y hasta tal punto puede parecer repetitivo) 7.5/10
    Los personajes son entrañables 9/10
    El mapa abierto es increíble y está lleno de cosas que hacer (desde máquinas que cazar , cuellilargos que trepar , zonas que liberar etc .) 10/10    … Expand
  5. soahknam
    Apr 25, 2021
    10
    Horizon zero down is impressive, its visuals, its story is a masterpiece in its entirety, it is one of the best games of the ps4 era, do not hesitate to play it.

    Story: 10
    Gameplay: 10
    Music:9
    Visuals: 10

    Personal score: 10 >>> A MASTER PIECE
  6. ErickSvieira
    Feb 22, 2021
    10
    um dos melhores da geração, top 5 pra mim. excelente jogo. PlayStation não tem igual,desculpa xbox desculpa nintendo,mas vcs não chegam aos pés.
  7. Goofgb
    Jan 15, 2021
    10
    Spectatular World with a lot of things to do...................................
  8. HAKUMA
    Jan 17, 2021
    9
    Игра очень хорошая, советую пройти. Очень понравилась концепция мира. Затёр всю до дыр.
  9. nasty_nec
    Feb 6, 2021
    9
    Only minus comes from the fact that I would've enjoyed a bit "clearer" worldbuilding. Some stuff was left a bit too open and unexplained for my taste, I didn't always feel like part of that world.

    Otherwise one of my top ten games!
  10. Mouhannad
    Feb 11, 2021
    10
    What a great game. A massive open world with a lot of activities and missions.
  11. ElTemperados
    Mar 16, 2021
    9
    Horizon Zero Dawn is an excellent action adventure with an intriguing story well told, although infusing a little bit more humor and occasional self-irony would have made it even better. Aloy and Sylens are great and interesting characters, but others feel a bit flat sometimes.

    The open world is gorgeous and the robot animations are terrific. So are the gameplay, its controls and the    Horizon Zero Dawn is an excellent action adventure with an intriguing story well told, although infusing a little bit more humor and occasional self-irony would have made it even better. Aloy and Sylens are great and interesting characters, but others feel a bit flat sometimes.

    The open world is gorgeous and the robot animations are terrific. So are the gameplay, its controls and the battle mechanics. Figuring out the best strategies for hunting the various machines doesn't get old for quite a while. The game also features a very enjoyable soundtrack.

    While the game and character animations look great, transitions and cut-scenes sometimes lack a bit in cinematic quality. This is particularly apparent in interactions with simple quest givers or side missions: Characters just stand across each other for a while talking, with the camera cutting (and jump cutting) between them in a very simplistic way. The side missions generally fall a bit flat compared to the great main story, at least they never quite captured my attention to the same degree.

    To me it is a rather challenging game at its standard difficulty, although a rewarding one. Also, the game offers what they call the "story" difficulty level, which is great for players who just want to experience the story and prefer not to worry too much about the combat.    … Expand
  12. Moover
    Mar 18, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Шикарный сюжет, крутая боёвка, интересная идея машин и апокалипсиса. Шикарно. Бывали баги с текстурами. Жду очень 2 часть. Надеюсь оформлю предзаказ. 10 не поставил через мелкие баги и лумаю что 9 ей прям как раз… Expand
  13. ushafi
    Apr 8, 2021
    10
    The game was phenomenal, from the graphics to the story. Has some minor flaws but easily overlookable because of how good the game is. No game is perfect and in my opinion minor issues shouldn't change the outlook on a game.
  14. ForTheAlliance
    Apr 15, 2021
    10
    Horizon is still my favorite game by far. I don’t even know how to describe the feeling I got when I processed through the amazing storyline. Hearing the audio fragments you can find in the buildings of the old ones absolutely gave me chills. The voice acting is imo really good which made it sound so realistic. Had to pause for a moment to process some of these fragments due to theHorizon is still my favorite game by far. I don’t even know how to describe the feeling I got when I processed through the amazing storyline. Hearing the audio fragments you can find in the buildings of the old ones absolutely gave me chills. The voice acting is imo really good which made it sound so realistic. Had to pause for a moment to process some of these fragments due to the horrible events that happened back then. Combat is a lot of fun and through practice you can become really good at it. The machines design are really cool. Nice mix between story, action and even climbing!… Expand
  15. Abdulazizal690
    Apr 16, 2021
    10
    Game is amazing and amazing world and amazing gameplay I give the game 10/10
  16. DanteStation
    Apr 21, 2021
    10
    Lo mejor que hay en su género y sin necesidad de homosexualidades inecesarias.
  17. RomulKing
    Apr 27, 2021
    10
    Simply a masterpiece. Outstanding graphics quality and storyline at the level of the best sci-fi books in the history of humankind.
    Просто шедевр. Запредельно красивая графика и сюжет достойный лучших фантастических произведений в истории человечества.
  18. aeffear_arg
    Apr 26, 2021
    10
    It's just incredible. The story, the map ambientance, the character. Sorry if my english is bad xd.
  19. sinashokri
    Apr 29, 2021
    10
    The game has a very beautiful landscape that I have been staring at for a long time...I love exploding cars when we hit their weak point (
  20. avishay50
    Apr 28, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In horizon zero dawn we play Alloy. A girl in the middle of an apocalypse whose robots and plants have invaded her world. Alloy's tribe banishes her from her tribe without understanding why. Without making spoilers I assure you that the story is immersive and fun. In short Ofek Zero Shahar is a very fun game and in my opinion one of the best games for the PlayStation 4 console !!!… Expand
  21. SuperDuck23
    Nov 8, 2017
    10
    Horizon: Zero Dawn is easily one of my favourite games on the PS4. Challenging combat, stunning graphics and clever story mould together seamlessly to create a near-perfect experience.
  22. kivanc07
    Mar 1, 2017
    10
    Amazing story telling+ best graphics +good combats = Masterpiece! Another amazing Ps4 exclusive game, We always say Naughty Dog is flagship company for Sony, now we can add Guearilla to this category. Some xboys and pc boys give 0 , how pitty you are guys, do not cry too much :(
  23. Baconlord
    Mar 1, 2017
    10
    Horizon is beautiful, the AI are intelligent, crafting is solid and similar to Farcry. The camera/ movement animations are very close to Uncharted 4. Controls are very smooth and combat is effortless. Voice acting is fantastic, especially for Aloy. Truly a top notch game.
  24. cojaba
    Mar 2, 2017
    10
    Amazing game, probably one of, if not the best, I've played in years. Great characters, cool story, stunning graphics (especially on PS4 Pro!), excellent controls and combat, music is fantastic too! I don't usually yell at people for giving negative reviews to what I think are good games... but to people who have said this game is bad, boring, stupid - whatever... you're soooooo wrong.Amazing game, probably one of, if not the best, I've played in years. Great characters, cool story, stunning graphics (especially on PS4 Pro!), excellent controls and combat, music is fantastic too! I don't usually yell at people for giving negative reviews to what I think are good games... but to people who have said this game is bad, boring, stupid - whatever... you're soooooo wrong. It's clear then that RPGs are not for you as Horizon is one of the best and is an instant classic. Go back to playing to Donkey Kong and Mario Kart.… Expand
  25. LeeGuy
    Mar 7, 2017
    10
    Just a good fun game. Put in 30+ hours in the first two days. Great world building, great combat system. The game is just downright fun. Don't really have anything bad to say about it.
  26. manny123
    Jul 21, 2017
    10
    I literally just made an account on Metacritic 5 mins ago, just so i could leave a positive review for this astounding game.

    The Pros: breathtaking visuals, amazing soundtrack, fun and interesting game play mechanics, and a story line that has been well thought out and carefully written. The cons: The disappointment knowing you'll have to wait for Horizon 2 because Horizon was such    I literally just made an account on Metacritic 5 mins ago, just so i could leave a positive review for this astounding game.

    The Pros: breathtaking visuals, amazing soundtrack, fun and interesting game play mechanics, and a story line that has been well thought out and carefully written.

    The cons: The disappointment knowing you'll have to wait for Horizon 2 because Horizon was such an amazing game!

    If you haven't bought this game yet then buy it now, highly recommended.    … Expand
  27. reaperff7
    Mar 3, 2017
    10
    It's pretty good. Lots to do, and the world is rich and interactive. Its really amazing that a console game an look like this while managing to bring the level of interactivity that this game has as well. what i expected from the killzone team but very welcome. I curious to see if they stick to this or if they continue with the new properties. Either way im sure whatever they do will be great.
  28. CuttlefishJones
    Mar 2, 2017
    10
    This is Guerillas first ever venture into the open world RPG gaming genre and for a debut game it's pretty much nailed every aspect. Comparing it to other, established, open world RPGs is pretty disengenuous. Skyrim is iteration 4, the Witcher 3 and so on. Comparing this to their original debut versions would be more apt approach.

    If you like this style of game you'll be very well    This is Guerillas first ever venture into the open world RPG gaming genre and for a debut game it's pretty much nailed every aspect. Comparing it to other, established, open world RPGs is pretty disengenuous. Skyrim is iteration 4, the Witcher 3 and so on. Comparing this to their original debut versions would be more apt approach.

    If you like this style of game you'll be very well served by the lushly immersive graphics and the relatable characters that populate the, very pretty, post apocalyptic world. The worst aspect is that it doesn't push boundaries in anyway. Give it a few more iterations and things could be very different indeed.

    Most of the negative reviews I've seen focus mainly on the reviewers own burn out with, or being desensitised to, open world games. Which is a shame as they're missing out on the potential genesis of something special here.

    Buy it and play it. And don't forget to enjoy it whilst you're there!    … Expand
  29. Juhiz
    Mar 1, 2017
    10
    Lovely Game. It borrows all the good elements and mechanics from other open world games. Still it´s unique. Story is good and the world is something never before seen in "post apocalyptic" games. A technical masterpiece.
  30. rrafemi
    Mar 13, 2017
    10
    Tremendo. No tengo palabras.
    Una de las mejores experiencias que he tenido en mucho tiempo. La historia del pasado y presente están muy bien hiladas, es una historia sólida y tremendamente interesante.
    Uno de los mejores mundos abiertos que existen, lleno de vida. Cada paso es un peligro, la sensación de peligro y riesgo es constante, da igual el nivel. El equilibrio es perfecto.    Tremendo. No tengo palabras.
    Una de las mejores experiencias que he tenido en mucho tiempo. La historia del pasado y presente están muy bien hiladas, es una historia sólida y tremendamente interesante.

    Uno de los mejores mundos abiertos que existen, lleno de vida. Cada paso es un peligro, la sensación de peligro y riesgo es constante, da igual el nivel. El equilibrio es perfecto.

    Los controles sensacionales, variedad de opciones, armas y movimientos. Lo tiene todo para ser el mejor exclusivo de PS4    … Expand
  31. Otakool
    Mar 3, 2017
    8
    I have been looking forward to this game since it was first showcased at E3. Now that I am about 20 hours into the game and I am far from being disappointed. The combat is fun, polished and responsive. The world is vast and BEAUTIFUL. I personally have found the game to have some Withcer 3 and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor elements. Cant really complain as both those games wereI have been looking forward to this game since it was first showcased at E3. Now that I am about 20 hours into the game and I am far from being disappointed. The combat is fun, polished and responsive. The world is vast and BEAUTIFUL. I personally have found the game to have some Withcer 3 and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor elements. Cant really complain as both those games were outstanding themselves.

    Like any other RPG/ open world game, I find myself very easily distracted by side quests and farming to level up. The story has been compelling so far. Hoping it stays that way. All in all, Its a pretty solid game and the strongest contender when considering PS4 exclusives.

    If your the kind who likes a good story, good combat and of course anything RPG then this games for you.
    It does nothing new or fresh. The game just executes classic RPG elements beautifully and thats why Horizon Zero Dawn is a must play for RPG fans.    … Expand
  32. elyh
    Mar 6, 2017
    8
    A solid 8 everything is very formulaic but the production values are extremely high.
    Graphics are amazing, and the open world is beautiful. Game takes allot from the Witcher 3 but it's much simpler, it takes away some of the complexity that makes some open world games a bit pedantic. Some will disprove this choice saying it "dumbs down" the game but I appreciate the streamlined    A solid 8 everything is very formulaic but the production values are extremely high.
    Graphics are amazing, and the open world is beautiful. Game takes allot from the Witcher 3 but it's much simpler, it takes away some of the complexity that makes some open world games a bit pedantic. Some will disprove this choice saying it "dumbs down" the game but I appreciate the streamlined experience. As a result the game offers a shorter experience than other open world games but the content is really well executed and scripted.

    I don't really care too much about stories in video games but i found the one in Horizon pretty well told.

    Game is very much a "monster hunter" open world game. If you like that type of game you should definitely check it out.    … Expand
  33. Code2ILL
    Mar 2, 2017
    8
    Horizon Zero Dawn is a spectacular game. Anyone who is willing to give it a 0 score are clearly trolls. The game mechanics, the world design, the characters, the story and lore are all done extremely well. The main characters development is well paced and the combat and movement are both top notch.

    The story is well paced and entertaining. It draws you in and at the same time slowly    Horizon Zero Dawn is a spectacular game. Anyone who is willing to give it a 0 score are clearly trolls. The game mechanics, the world design, the characters, the story and lore are all done extremely well. The main characters development is well paced and the combat and movement are both top notch.

    The story is well paced and entertaining. It draws you in and at the same time slowly uncovers a mystery that will leave you wanting more.

    The game is surprisingly smooth and I have not encountered a bug that threatened to kill the immersion, although there are some minor clipping and pop in, it is nothing short of a technical masterpiece.

    Oh and the sound in this game is amazing.

    The developers clearly took the best parts of open world games of the past and melded them together while also improving on those game mechanics and features.

    The only cons I have are that there isn't a legend on the map or the option for a New Game +, other than that it is perfect.    … Expand
  34. Felice_Enellen
    Apr 17, 2017
    10
    Okay, to be clear, I'd prefer to give it a 9.5, but MetaCritic only does whole numbers and it deserves better than a 9, so I'm rounding up. This especially feels fair, considering all of the fake 0 votes. I just reported SEVEN duplicate 0 reviews, and who knows how many 0's are written by people who aren't so lazy to cut-n-paste?

    I've platted and 100%ed the game. That means that,    Okay, to be clear, I'd prefer to give it a 9.5, but MetaCritic only does whole numbers and it deserves better than a 9, so I'm rounding up. This especially feels fair, considering all of the fake 0 votes. I just reported SEVEN duplicate 0 reviews, and who knows how many 0's are written by people who aren't so lazy to cut-n-paste?

    I've platted and 100%ed the game. That means that, unlike a lot of reviewers, I've seen all of the lore and had a lot of opportunities to put 2+2 together and figure out the more subtle aspects of the story, not to mention recognizing a lot of the real-world mythos the author(s) drew from and the skill with which I believe they did so. I think the story is far deeper than most people realize, but if they don't know all of the details, I won't fault them for thinking it's shallow and even a bit nonsensical at times.

    For instance, there's all this extreme ethnic diversity that just seems like an SJW agenda, but it turns out there's a very real and convincing reason for it. If you don't play far enough to learn about it, you're going to have a very different opinion about the game, I'm sure. But I assure you, whether it was done as an SJW move or just part of the story and seemed to be one, I think it won't bother you when you understand it. And, trust me, such SJW moves bother ME and this DID bother me until I understood.

    There's also a reason why Aloy, voice acted by the talented Ashly Burch, seems to have a very flat affect. You would expect better from her, and it turns out you're right to expect better, and indeed you got better than you realized. You just don't realize it until you understand why from the later parts of the story.

    I take off that half point for two reasons.

    One is this business where the lore is too back-loaded and people are going to drop the game sometimes long before they understand what's really going on. Some might never really even think about the lore enough to realize what I think makes it so good. So that's a storytelling failure. I don't think the story itself is flawed, but in some respects the storytelling is.

    The other is the extremely-inconsistent lipsync and the far-too-subtle expression of emotions. There are times when the lipsync and the expressions are excellent and you can tell they were capable of very good work, but most of the time you get the distinct impression that it was just left to automation to try to sync and infer emotions, and the results can be really dismal and immersion-breaking.

    Really, though, I feel the combat is excellent, the story overall is excellent, the world-building (meaning the universe, not the physical world) is excellent, the graphics are stunningly-well-executed, the option to be an explorer and ignore the story is there, and some of the characters are hilariously memorable (I give you the name "Brin" and leave discovery to you). I can't realistically honor all that with less than 9.5, so 0.5 is all I'm willing to take off for the bits I mentioned above.

    As an aside, I own all consoles and I have no allegiance to manufacturers or publishers. I wouldn't tear down, e.g., Breath of the Wild, to make HZD seem better. Both are great games with a few minor flaws, and that's the worst I'd say of them. I think people who tear down this game to do the opposite, to make their favorite sound better, are the cancer of game reviews, and I hope I've justified my scoring enough not to seem like one of them.

    Anyway, try it. I hope you'll like it as I do, because I'm very happy to have played it. So much so that I cranked up the difficulty, turned off the UI, and immersed myself as well as possible for a second playthrough.    … Expand
  35. eppleptar
    Mar 3, 2017
    9
    I'm not usually great at video games, but when I saw the trailer I absolutely had to see where this would go. I do not regret. The gameplay combat is extremely versatile, offering great play for both myself, a beginner, and my boyfriend, an expert. The graphics are absolutely lovely, and the open world experience is great without being tedious. The story line is absolutely enthralling, andI'm not usually great at video games, but when I saw the trailer I absolutely had to see where this would go. I do not regret. The gameplay combat is extremely versatile, offering great play for both myself, a beginner, and my boyfriend, an expert. The graphics are absolutely lovely, and the open world experience is great without being tedious. The story line is absolutely enthralling, and as someone who is on and off with games, I am hooked on Horizon z.d.… Expand
  36. JonathanSBE
    Mar 6, 2017
    8
    PROS: Best graphics since Uncharted 4, most engaging story and most immersive open world since The Witcher 3, most likeable protagonist and most unique enemys since Doom 4, most variety in an open world action game so far (Just Cause 3, Far Cry Primal etc).

    CONS: A bit unfair battles with extremely aggressive enemy AI, voice acting ranging from good to meh. Not for those who hate    PROS: Best graphics since Uncharted 4, most engaging story and most immersive open world since The Witcher 3, most likeable protagonist and most unique enemys since Doom 4, most variety in an open world action game so far (Just Cause 3, Far Cry Primal etc).

    CONS: A bit unfair battles with extremely aggressive enemy AI, voice acting ranging from good to meh.

    Not for those who hate open world action games, but definetley for those who like such games and want something TRULY fresh and reinvigorating... watch out for Stormbirds.

    8/10    … Expand
  37. Boomshackalacka
    Mar 6, 2017
    10
    Well what can i say, i gave in and purchased this game the day after i bought my switch. This has kept my sparkly new console vitually unused thats how good this game is. Im about 10 hpurs in and loved every minute of it.
    You must play on the hardest difficuly to make every encounter a nerve jangler. Great story great graphics (playing on a standard ps4) gameplay second to none and sound    Well what can i say, i gave in and purchased this game the day after i bought my switch. This has kept my sparkly new console vitually unused thats how good this game is. Im about 10 hpurs in and loved every minute of it.
    You must play on the hardest difficuly to make every encounter a nerve jangler. Great story great graphics (playing on a standard ps4) gameplay second to none and sound is great too.
    I would give this a 9 but because some people vote it down because its exclusive to ps4 ill give a 10 to even things up.    … Expand
  38. Stonecutterkid
    Mar 6, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Top notch AI and the combat is sooooo satisfying, I just got to motherheart and I am very interested to find out what happens next, the opening really sets the tone!… Expand
  39. jordysli
    Mar 7, 2017
    10
    One of the Best Games I've Ever Played.
    This is the best looking game I have ever played on a console.
    I play alot of games and alot of open world games and this is by far one of the best that I have ever played. With an open world similar to Skyrim, Cafting system similar to Far Cry, Climbing similar to Drakes Uncharted. There is a vast array of amazingly detailed animal replicated    One of the Best Games I've Ever Played.
    This is the best looking game I have ever played on a console.
    I play alot of games and alot of open world games and this is by far one of the best that I have ever played.
    With an open world similar to Skyrim, Cafting system similar to Far Cry, Climbing similar to Drakes Uncharted. There is a vast array of amazingly detailed animal replicated machines in this post apocalyptic thriller.
    Amazing graphics, great gameplay, fun boss fights, good voice acting with a stunning amount of detail to every landscape, weapon, machine and human alike. Quality game that will now be turned into a franchise. As a sony fan, I am more than pleased with this game, especially after such high reviews (leading me to raise my expectations) This game still far surpasses my expectations and should be on everyone's list of games to pick up if you enjoy Open World games or Third/First person shooters.    … Expand
  40. Frankjack77
    Mar 7, 2017
    10
    HZD is an great new game for everyone who loves adventure. I knew it would be ok to try. But when I started playing I grew to love it. The graphics on it are the best I've seen for me playing on a PS4 pro with a 4k hdr tv. I finally got my money's worth out of the tv. Since it's exclusive to PlayStation I feel like people should buy one just for this game. This has got to be game of the year.
  41. HydroRayz
    Mar 7, 2017
    10
    This game is obtuse, so unconventional, you really haven't seen it before, this is the game you want, but don't know you need. This game will blow your mind, Sony's biggest hit of 2017 so far, it's simply a masterpiece.
  42. Lamplight
    Mar 8, 2017
    9
    The thrill of the hunt is alive in this game, the feeling of stalking your pray and traps or dodging from within a snapmaws jaw never gets old.

    Overall the gameplay is super refined and enjoyable but not the most unique as it borrows heavily from other games. However it does take these borrowed elements and refine them. The story is compelling and mysterious, filled with an    The thrill of the hunt is alive in this game, the feeling of stalking your pray and traps or dodging from within a snapmaws jaw never gets old.

    Overall the gameplay is super refined and enjoyable but not the most unique as it borrows heavily from other games. However it does take these borrowed elements and refine them.

    The story is compelling and mysterious, filled with an interesting main cast and upon completion I wanted to delve deeper into the world and discover more of its mysteries.

    Graphics are a masterclass, especially for me in the lighting. Ive never experienced such moody moonlit adventures, the rays of light shining through the trees is quite breathtaking.

    For me this is close to perfection and is only held back by its lack of originality in gameplay.    … Expand
  43. astarothzohar
    Apr 28, 2017
    10
    The Witcher 3 was my favorite game until I started playing HZD.
    Great gameplay, great IA(I played it on VeryHard), brilliant story. The pace of the game to me was way better than The Witcher. I don´t understand it´s comparison with FarCry (I really hate that **** game).
    HZD it´s a must-to-beat for a PS4 owner.
  44. jamesdallimore
    Apr 4, 2017
    9
    Will try keep this short and to the point.

    Have just finished the main story of this game and was very pleasantly surprised. I personally didn't have any hype for this game and kind of just dismissed it thinking it would be too much like Far Cry, which is a series I have always found a bit weak. I found both the story and characters compelling, Aloy is already one of my favourite    Will try keep this short and to the point.

    Have just finished the main story of this game and was very pleasantly surprised.

    I personally didn't have any hype for this game and kind of just dismissed it thinking it would be too much like Far Cry, which is a series I have always found a bit weak.

    I found both the story and characters compelling, Aloy is already one of my favourite video game characters, she is so bad ass but believable and extremely likeable.
    The world is large but without feeling too large and feels a like real place where people live albeit a hostile environment.
    The visuals are stunning including the character animations and voice acting to coincide with.
    Some side quests are generic and sometimes relies to heavily on Arkham Asylum Detective Mode-like Trails but all in all gameplay is really satisfying helped by excellent and addictive combat.

    All in all this is yet another amazing PS4 exclusive everyone with a PS4 should try!    … Expand
  45. hammygas
    Dec 12, 2017
    10
    Absolutely superb.

    This feels like the culmination of open world mechanics to create something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. The story is absolutely enthralling, and the combat is built in a way that I always felt as if every challenge was reasonable, but if I went in without preparing, I would have almost no chance to make it out alive. Truly FANTASTIC combat    Absolutely superb.

    This feels like the culmination of open world mechanics to create something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. The story is absolutely enthralling, and the combat is built in a way that I always felt as if every challenge was reasonable, but if I went in without preparing, I would have almost no chance to make it out alive. Truly FANTASTIC combat balance and incredibly intriguing enemies.

    As a side note: I feel that Ashly Burch's performance was not quite as good as it is currently getting credit. Don't get me wrong, it is high quality, but I don't feel it is quite award worthy. She is an excellent voice actress, and I've seen better performances from here.    … Expand
  46. Natedrake1994
    Apr 15, 2017
    9
    You can tell Metacritic just wants to cause trouble. HZD had a score of 8.6 (a fair, natural score for a game so highly praised) and within the past day it's now been changed to an 8.2 for no good reason whatever. And strangely enough, this happened right at the time a load of troll reviews from Breath of the Wild were taken down, resulting in that game's score changing from 7.6 to 8.3.You can tell Metacritic just wants to cause trouble. HZD had a score of 8.6 (a fair, natural score for a game so highly praised) and within the past day it's now been changed to an 8.2 for no good reason whatever. And strangely enough, this happened right at the time a load of troll reviews from Breath of the Wild were taken down, resulting in that game's score changing from 7.6 to 8.3. Fair enough, Metacritic removing a lot of the bad, pointless "reviews" was the right thing to do, but when you then remove a load of positive reviews at the same time for another game that's just something else entirely and smacks of some sort of favoritism.

    You can tell it's those reviews praising the game that have been removed because a, there's been no new written negative reviews since I last looked before the score change happened and b, unless there's been some sort of planned influx of troll's giving negative reviews in so short a time (and at 576 negative reviews since its release, I highly doubt that), it's clearly those with good things to say about the game that have had their scores taken down.

    Seriously, HZD's score has fluctuated from 9.3 from when it was first released, to 7.0 as a result of downvoting its score with 0's within it's first few days, then Metacritic removed a lot of the troll scores so it became 8.6, then to suddenly remove a lot of the good scores so it changes to 8.2... What's the point? It's really quite dumb and pointless...    … Expand
  47. clokverkorange
    Apr 12, 2017
    9
    As exclusives go, Horizon: Zero Dawn makes a very strong argument in favor of PS4 Pro.

    Though it has some (VERY slight) technical issues, Horizon: Zero Dawn is a masterpiece. Aloy is a compelling character with a non-cliche mystery to unravel, and the world Guerilla Games has built around her is fascinating. It's post-apocalyptic, but not in the way Fallout 4 or Wasteland are. It's    As exclusives go, Horizon: Zero Dawn makes a very strong argument in favor of PS4 Pro.

    Though it has some (VERY slight) technical issues, Horizon: Zero Dawn is a masterpiece. Aloy is a compelling character with a non-cliche mystery to unravel, and the world Guerilla Games has built around her is fascinating. It's post-apocalyptic, but not in the way Fallout 4 or Wasteland are. It's actually quite a hopeful outlook on the Apocalypse, should it ever happen - humanity has progressed onwards in a mostly peaceful, creative, and social way, not fallen apart into complete anarchy like Fallout or Mad Max or Wastelands. It's encouraging and in a way refreshing to see a post-apocalyptic future that suggests the majority of humankind will progress onward in a pretty normal way.

    The level of detail that went into the various tribes and their motivations is jsut astounding. They put a LOT of work into this game. I mean a LOT. The stunning thing is the game lets you discover all of this mostly on your own, through side quests and "found information", little data points sprinkled throughout the world. None of these are essential to the storyline, but they expand on the world and paint a picture of what happened to the "Old Ones". Without saying too much, the storyline is one of the best in an open-world game in recent memory.

    I highly, highly recommend spending some time with this game. Also give it time - the first few hours are slow but build, and build, and build, as more and more of the world slowly reveals itself to you, like a metal flower slowly blooming in the distance. There are layers here to discover if you invest the time, and I'm highly anticipating a sequel.    … Expand
  48. dynamoJones
    Mar 16, 2017
    10
    This game is absolutely incredible, i can't get enough of it. The story is amazing, i love how it slowly unravels revealing the truth of this utterly beautifully crafted world. It's without a doubt my all time favourite ps4 game.
  49. Ghoster
    Oct 24, 2017
    10
    Almost perfect game. If you like open world games with awesome story this is perfect game for you. Great story with huge amount of side missions and nice upgrade and combat style in some mixture between Assassins Creed, Tomb Raider And Far Cry. OK, side missions are repetitive, but it's same in all open world games. Must play title!!!
  50. JAGUAR10
    Mar 25, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Slight spoilers! This game does not deserve a zero at all! I'm loving it and the scenery is amazing. Am almost at the end and plan on replaying it. My only gripes are some of the voice acting and parts of the storyline are blah, the vendor comments in Meridian are annoying, some quests are redundant, can't upgrade spear very much, but overall a very good game. I enjoyed hunting animals to make bigger carrying pouches, learning to take down machines, finding loot, crafting and never knowing what might be around the next bend. Taking down your first big machine is thrilling! The other thing is there are too many outfits and weapons with different features which could have been combined into one or two. Don't like having to switch bows all the time - love the different arrows but it would have been better to use them with one bow. Some weapons are crappy like the slings and rope - never used those much - but the tripcaster is a blast. I'm a fan of Far Cry, Tomb Raider & the Witcher so I don't care if it's similar to those games - everything's pretty much been done already so it's pretty hard to come up with anything really original. I was playing Nioh but got stuck on the second boss so it was great when Horizon Zero Dawn showed up a week or so later. The gameplay mechanics are great and very responsive, combat is fun and the machine AI is so good I was constantly having to manuever and figure out how to fight them, The human enemy AI, however, sucks and their comments are really stupid. Mostly they just stand around and don't even try to find you. Other than that I looked forward to playing it every day. Hope there's a sequel!!… Expand
  51. Mallenlane
    Apr 11, 2017
    9
    The visuals are excellent. I liked the story and gameplay quite a bit. It could've had a bit more character progression as far as equipment but that's being nit picky.
  52. Twinblade
    Mar 25, 2017
    9
    This game is simply amazing, however I just cannot give it a perfect 10 and I will try to explain why the best to my knowledge. Just remember this is my review and you may think differently than my own.

    The graphics are amazing, with such amazing details, you can see reflexion in Aloy's eyes, you can see the water evaporate, Sun set in game looks amazing and the story was good, but was    This game is simply amazing, however I just cannot give it a perfect 10 and I will try to explain why the best to my knowledge. Just remember this is my review and you may think differently than my own.

    The graphics are amazing, with such amazing details, you can see reflexion in Aloy's eyes, you can see the water evaporate, Sun set in game looks amazing and the story was good, but was kinda predictable once you find out about a certain event in story mod. The sound and music was great, when you hear a machine in the distance "roar". Amazing.

    What I didn't like about the game was the simple jumping/climbing, this is where some of you may end up disagreeing, but I was annoyed when I couldn't jump over and climb over small mounds, specially when you trying to escape and you can't jump over a hump that is only half your height.

    I like it that you can turn machines to your side, but I didn't like the fact that they don't follow you, I think it would be amazing that you got a Thunderjaw and lead towards a bandit camp.

    That's my short and simple review and I tried not to contain spoilers.    … Expand
  53. Turbodowg
    Aug 28, 2017
    9
    Horizon. is a fantastic game. It combines brilliant story telling with beautiful graphics, heart stopping action and a good sound-score. Combat works very well and the machine designs are interesting and unique.

    The main protagonist Aloy has a solid backstory that powers her narrative. She is a great example of how to do a female protagonist right. She is believable as a strong warrior    Horizon. is a fantastic game. It combines brilliant story telling with beautiful graphics, heart stopping action and a good sound-score. Combat works very well and the machine designs are interesting and unique.

    The main protagonist Aloy has a solid backstory that powers her narrative. She is a great example of how to do a female protagonist right. She is believable as a strong warrior because we witness what she has gone through to become a strong hero. There are no skimpy outfits and big boobs in this game, Aloy is to be taken seriously. although she still has personality, weaknesses and a sense of humor. She often has to use intelligence to fight the many robotic beasts that hunt in the wild.

    The map is large with many unique areas to explore. The rpg elements may seem a little light for hardcore rpg veterans but they suit the games style. There are no complex skill trees, the skill system is simple and easy. Items, weapons and armor can be buffed but again it's all very accessible to gamer's unfamiliar with rpgs. The weapons used all fit within the lore of the universe and feel authentic.

    There's not many downsides I've experienced. Frame rates seem to hold nicely with little in the way of drops. Quests seem varied at this point (20 hrs in). The only downside to me is that the constant gathering can be a bit of a pain, as it distracts from looking at the scenery. The HUD at first was way to cluttered until I discovered the dynamic HUD which is much better. And the night, day, rain cycle appears to be quite fast. But small gripes that in no way spoil a brilliant game.

    I'm looking forward to completing the game and unraveling some of the interesting mysteries.    … Expand
  54. amstans
    Apr 3, 2017
    9
    I tried watching a stream to see if it was something I could get into and thought maybe there was too much dialogue. Now that I've been playing it I don't notice the dialogue. You can skip through some of the more boring parts. After playing Breath of the Wild it was hard to learn a new control scheme for basically the same mechanics. Solid story and great graphics. The music is seriousI tried watching a stream to see if it was something I could get into and thought maybe there was too much dialogue. Now that I've been playing it I don't notice the dialogue. You can skip through some of the more boring parts. After playing Breath of the Wild it was hard to learn a new control scheme for basically the same mechanics. Solid story and great graphics. The music is serious most of the time. My only issue is that some of the lighting effects are a little too orange sometimes.… Expand
  55. HaloFever
    Jan 9, 2018
    10
    Horizon Zero Dawn is simply perfect. It has all the very best this console generation has to offer and shows other us what a story driven, open world game looks like. The easiest way for me to explain it is to say it is The Witcher 3 with robot dinosaurs and tighter gameplay. Don't read the rest of this review. Spend you time playing Horizon instead.

    The strength of the story was the    Horizon Zero Dawn is simply perfect. It has all the very best this console generation has to offer and shows other us what a story driven, open world game looks like. The easiest way for me to explain it is to say it is The Witcher 3 with robot dinosaurs and tighter gameplay. Don't read the rest of this review. Spend you time playing Horizon instead.

    The strength of the story was the biggest surprise for me. I've seen the screen shots and a few gameplay videos. I knew the game would look great and that I would enjoy fighting robot dinosaurs. I had no idea how much story the game had from the smallest errand quest to the final main story finale. As you play through Aloy's story, you also learn about the world Aloy lives in and how it came to be the way it is. This is original trilogy Mass Effect levels of story. Even better, the voice acting is amazing.

    Even without a story, the world is amazing. You can climb mountains and delve into ancient ruins. You come across packs of robot dinosaurs and animals of all types. You visit the homes of different tribes, each with a unique and memorable flair. Best of all, the world is mercifully finite, and I found myself checking boxes off the map that I would have never attempted in other games. (I'm looking at you, The Witcher 3).

    The gameplay finishes the trifecta of perfection for Horizon. The movement of the bow, sling, and spear attacks are well animated but if you prefer to be more strategic, you set up traps or take over animals and then spectate. The crafting in the game is well done, even if the inventory system could use some help. (Aloy often says "I should have brought a cart". Well, why not a robot dinosaur cart!) You can hunt for the crafting items you need, and often I found myself enjoying the hunt more than the rest of the game.

    Horizon pleases me at many levels and I hate to say this to non-PlayStation owners because I used to be one, but this game is one of the reasons people should buy a PlayStation.    … Expand
  56. AndreRLZ
    Apr 3, 2017
    9
    La quantitá di altri giochi da cui questo prende spunto é infinita. Non sto neanche a fare l'elenco, non avrebbe senso: infatti quello che fa Horizon non é mai copiare ma mettere assieme in maniera naturale e armoniosa. É un action adventure in cui controlliamo uno dei personaggi che piú mi hanno soddisfatto di sempre: Aloy. Divertente, carismatica, tenace, sa sempre rispondere nellaLa quantitá di altri giochi da cui questo prende spunto é infinita. Non sto neanche a fare l'elenco, non avrebbe senso: infatti quello che fa Horizon non é mai copiare ma mettere assieme in maniera naturale e armoniosa. É un action adventure in cui controlliamo uno dei personaggi che piú mi hanno soddisfatto di sempre: Aloy. Divertente, carismatica, tenace, sa sempre rispondere nella maniera piú soddisfacente ai personaggi piú antipatici e non cade mai nell'imbarazzante. Il gameplay é validissimo: si tratta di un gioco veloce, in cui é richiesta una buona dose di managing delle risorse, bisogna avere tempismo, saper mirare , saper sfruttare tutte le meccaniche di gioco. Non é un titolo molto facile, sa tenere impegnati. Ricchissimo di missioni secondarie, commissioni, personaggi con cui interagire. Il mondo di gioco é vastissimo e meraviglioso, con deserti, montagne innevate, foreste gigantesche e viste mozzafiato. I nemici sono tanti, diversi e sempre fighissimi. Un po' "alla Monster Hunter" diciamo. Le armi sono abbastanza e potenziarle regala soddisfazioni. É un gioco che sa emozionare non solo per la storia (che ho trovato molto interessante!) ma anche per il semplice gameplay free-roaming. Occorrerá spesso nascondersi nei cespugli poiché in vicinanza di branchi di gigantesche macchine fortissime, oppure assassinare nemici da dietro in maniera furtiva per non far scattare l'allarme. Ha una grossa componente stealth, che peró non é indispensabile. Il bello di Horizon é che lascia tantissima libertá al giocatore in termini di gameplay. La colonna sonora poi é veramente validissima. Uniche pecche sono il doppiaggio italiano (a tratti, nel complesso non é scandaloso) e il fatto che puó diventare un po' "disorientante" in certi momenti, vista la vastitá. Inoltre credo che potrebbe a volte, all'inizio, raggiungere dei picchi di difficoltá leggermente sproporzionati rispetto al resto del gioco. Nel complesso titolo estremamente valido: libertá immensa lasciata al giocatore, aspetto tecnico superlativo, ottima trama, fantastico personaggio principale, bel gameplay veloce e dinamico. Pochi cazzi, un'esclusiva di peso importante per PlayStation… Expand
  57. Baddawg865
    Apr 1, 2017
    9
    Horizon Zero Dawn is a masterpiece. Game play and story fit hand in hand. I can not wait for the DLC! I really thought i would get bored with this game fast, but that never happened. It kept me hooked. I recommend this game to everyone.
  58. Wardrobechaos
    May 7, 2017
    9
    i just finished the game after 53 hours with 100% achievements unlocked. what a game it was, the thing that will make it really memorable for me is the GREAT STORY, did not expect that. I really liked the world, what an incredible feeling to walk, run, climb and explore in it. graphics were amazing, i played on ps4 pro with HDR TV. the combat can be a bit frustrating and chaotic sometimes,i just finished the game after 53 hours with 100% achievements unlocked. what a game it was, the thing that will make it really memorable for me is the GREAT STORY, did not expect that. I really liked the world, what an incredible feeling to walk, run, climb and explore in it. graphics were amazing, i played on ps4 pro with HDR TV. the combat can be a bit frustrating and chaotic sometimes, but i got used to it. i liked the different weapons and the fact you have to chose your weapons carefully for each of the machines/humans you fight. in my opinion its a MUST BUY for everybody who owns a ps4.… Expand
  59. 2019amisany
    Jan 26, 2018
    10
    Utterly fantastic gameplay and a technical marvel, Horizon Zero Dawn completely flipped Guerrila Games’ image in the best way possible. Every part of this game was crafted with love and care evident from the attention to detail and vivacity of the gorgeous world. Pick. This. One. Up. ASAP.
  60. Azeriel
    Mar 31, 2017
    9
    Far from a flawless game, but definitely a strong contender in an open world RPG.

    It is especially even more impressive considering that this was Guerilla Games first attempt at an Open World RPG game. Beautiful graphic, captivating story, unique gameplay (I absolutely loved that they managed to combine both futuristic and ancient tribal theme without too much of a clash with each    Far from a flawless game, but definitely a strong contender in an open world RPG.

    It is especially even more impressive considering that this was Guerilla Games first attempt at an Open World RPG game.

    Beautiful graphic, captivating story, unique gameplay (I absolutely loved that they managed to combine both futuristic and ancient tribal theme without too much of a clash with each other), and the main protagonist that you will undoubtedly care about. The Witcher 3 influence is pretty apparent in this game as they also managed to make every single side-quest a self-containing story. You actually care about the side quest as much as you cared about the main story.

    The gameplay is amazing. I love the whole machine parts hunting and that you have different ways or methods to kill a machine. The game encourages you to be creative with your hunt by giving you a wide array of tools and abilities to hunt down a machine. Furthermore, your focus (HZD version of a WItcher's Sense) allows you to identify a machine weak point. Which can further be broken down based on what kind of elemental arrows/ammo you are using. It has depth without being too cumbersome, and it definitely works for the setting. Just wait till you get the feeling of taking down your first Thundermaw ever.

    Voice acting was excellent, music was great (the world felt alive because of it) with an excellent fade in and out between a calming music in town, and adrenaline pumping one during a boss fight.

    It does suffer from any other open world RPG though, in which the map can be littered with icons and activities that can feel overwhelming. However, if you're getting an open-world RPG game, you should know what you're into. And like The Witcher 3, HZD managed to make those side activities interesting enough that you actually want to do them.

    This is a definite buy. There is more than enough content in this game to last you for a while, and if you missed The Witcher 3 after completing that game, this is a strong replacement for the genre.

    Way better than that mass-effect wannabe game we shouldn't talk about. It's a no-contest.    … Expand
  61. badgerryan19
    Jun 19, 2017
    9
    Guerrilla's new IP is a home run. With fantastic graphics and a breathtaking world to discover. The machines in the game are so unique and the story is so fascinating. Even the side content of the game is better than most campaign's.
  62. antzware
    Nov 3, 2017
    10
    As a sci-fi fan for me this is probably the best story ever. It kept me engaged the whole time and wanting to find out more and more it also got me reading every side note I could find trying to get a complete picture of what has happened.
    Visually the game looks stunning and even better when played on PS4 Pro with HDR, and the music completes the amazing atmosphere. I also enjoyed a lot    As a sci-fi fan for me this is probably the best story ever. It kept me engaged the whole time and wanting to find out more and more it also got me reading every side note I could find trying to get a complete picture of what has happened.
    Visually the game looks stunning and even better when played on PS4 Pro with HDR, and the music completes the amazing atmosphere. I also enjoyed a lot the diversity of the open-world, snowy plains, snowy peaks, desert, jungle, forest, lakes.
    When I first saw trailer of the game I thought I will hate it thinking it is a very methodical and technical combat game like Dark Souls/Bloodborne which is not really my taste but I was proved otherwise and actually the game can do both using the difficulty level. With its diversity of weapons and enemies there are many approaches to a fight and on normal difficulty it is a perfect balance between casual and strategic fighting, and once you get a certain piece of equipment you can go all out even if you are the kind of player who wants to stay at full life all the time.
    The gameplay is very smooth and polished and really fun and the voice acting is really good.
    With The Witcher 3 and The Last of Us this game is in my top 3 games I ever played.    … Expand
  63. Valkysas
    Nov 5, 2017
    10
    This game is the REASON to own a ps4 this year hands down GOTY.

    Horizon: Zero Dawn PlayStation 4 Horizon: Zero Dawn PlayStation 4 Horizon: Zero Dawn PlayStation 4 Horizon: Zero Dawn PlayStation 4 Horizon: Zero Dawn PlayStation 4 Horizon: Zero Dawn PlayStation 4

    Do to the 150 charecers long
  64. IONOSGAMES
    May 9, 2017
    9
    Esto es una obra maestra en todos los sentidos, mas de 20 horas de historia principal, sin contar misiones sencundarias, graficos superiores a Uncharted 4, un mundo abierto gigante y lleno de vida, una obra maestra, ademas de una buena historia interesante, si os gusta el rollo The Witcher esto es para vosotros,
  65. Jesburger
    Mar 26, 2017
    9
    This game just set the bar exremely high for modern AAA titles, with stunning graphics, a beautiful open world and an engaging story. Add to that genuinely fun and challenging gameplay along with believable characters and supreme attention to detail you've got yourself the most polished and immersive game up to date.
  66. Jkaotic
    Mar 2, 2017
    10
    Amazing game, the main character is amazing, you really feel connected to her is, she is one of the best characters I have seen.
    Game story starts slow and i was thinking it will be very simple, but then everything changes and now you really don't know what to expect which is awesome.
    Graphics are just incredible for being an open world, and even more incredible when performance is    Amazing game, the main character is amazing, you really feel connected to her is, she is one of the best characters I have seen.
    Game story starts slow and i was thinking it will be very simple, but then everything changes and now you really don't know what to expect which is awesome.
    Graphics are just incredible for being an open world, and even more incredible when performance is incredible good.
    Master piece.    … Expand
  67. HTGamer
    Aug 15, 2017
    9
    Horizon: Zero Dawn is a really fun open world game developed by Sony's Guerilla Games studio for the PS4.

    Its gameplay is much inspired by the likes of the recent Far Cry games, Tomb Raider 2013, The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption, yet somehow Guerilla managed to produce a well-rounded and cohesive gameplay experience that doesn't feel just like a collection of borrowed ideas from    Horizon: Zero Dawn is a really fun open world game developed by Sony's Guerilla Games studio for the PS4.

    Its gameplay is much inspired by the likes of the recent Far Cry games, Tomb Raider 2013, The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption, yet somehow Guerilla managed to produce a well-rounded and cohesive gameplay experience that doesn't feel just like a collection of borrowed ideas from other successful, competing games.

    You play as Aloy, a girl who has been cast out from her tribe for mysterious reasons, who also lives in a post-apocalyptic world where various dinosaur-like machines roam the lands, while the once great human civilization has fallen. In this world the remnants of humanity, having lost access to technology and knowledge from times past, have re-organised themselves into various tribes. The player's mission is to discover what happened in the distant past, gain the acceptance of their people, and ultimately save the world from the robots and their masters.

    Just like other open world games, there are many things to do and collectables to pick up. Complete main missions and side quests, explore dungeons, climb towers, clear bandit camps, perform errands, collect audio logs, pick up flowers, craft arrows and potions, you name it. However, all these are part of a cohesive experience and whatever you may do at any given time, you will rarely get bored or have a sense of fatigue (which is a problem with many other open world games).

    Despite the heavy gameplay borrows from other games, Horizon's world, lore, storytelling and main characters are original, if not quite spectacular and memorable as, say, The Last of Us. Other than Aloy, only a few other human characters are developed well enough. The various machines however are mostly excellent and very well-animated, ranging from the little Watchers and Scrappers, to the mid-sized Ravagers and Longlegs, to the fearsome Thunderjaws and Deathbringers. Fighting the robots is pretty challenging (although it's not Souls-like difficult) and thanks to the robust combat system and all the tools at your disposal (weapons, traps, potions) you can beat them quite easily after you learn how to fight effectively. The game's story is clearly built around the concept of fighting robotic dinosaurs in a post-apocalyptic world and not the other way around, so (even though the developers have tried their best to come up with something great) it lacks the magic and punch of other successful story-driven game series such as Uncharted, The Witcher, Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, Metal Gear or The Last of Us.

    Horizon: Zero Dawn is the most beautiful game currently available on PS4, easily surpassing Uncharted 4. The game's world is so pleasing to the eye that I don't mind walking from mission to mission instead of mounting a machine or fast traveling (which of course I do if I have to go a really long distance). Aloy's voice acting is great and the music is subtle but fitting.

    My only gripes with the game are these. 1st, having to pick up flowers from the world can become a bit frustrating, because you need to pick up a lot of them, and this can affect the game's pace. 2nd, the AI is somewhat inconsistent, with human enemies feeling less intelligent and competent than the machines. For the record, I am playing on the Hard difficulty setting, and I have played the game through to its very end. 3rd, most of the characters other than Aloy and Sylens are bland and uninteresting.

    All in all, Horizon: Zero Dawn is a great game and a joy to play through. It's easily one of the best PS4 games out there. It's gonna receive a DLC expansion soon enough named The Frozen Wilds, and I hope that the post-credits scene means it will get a proper sequel at some point.    … Expand
  68. Winko
    Dec 6, 2017
    8
    Good:
    - Fantastic facial animations and great graphics in general
    - The fast paced action of hunting machines never really gets old - Biodomes transition seamlessly into each other, which make the world feel expansive and natural - Familiarizing yourself with the different machines and learning how to deal with them effectively is a very rewarding experience and leaves the player with    Good:
    - Fantastic facial animations and great graphics in general
    - The fast paced action of hunting machines never really gets old
    - Biodomes transition seamlessly into each other, which make the world feel expansive and natural
    - Familiarizing yourself with the different machines and learning how to deal with them effectively is a very rewarding experience and leaves the player with a real sense of accomplishment when they take out a tough enemy
    - It’s very interesting to see how the beasts interact amongst themselves and with the environment
    - Fighting through Cauldrons was always a nice change of pace
    - There are a ton of customizable outfits and weapons that allow players to choose what they want to prioritize and how they want to play

    Mixed:
    - While taking down machines is fun and interesting, fighting human enemies is usually tedious and boring
    - The story unfolds in very interesting ways, but there are pacing problems throughout and some parts feel very disjointed
    - The ending sequence is a little sloppy, but the final scene wraps up the story nicely while also alluding to a sequel
    - The moral system is strange. Choices don't seem to affect the story in particularly impactful ways, but being able to choose how Aloy reacts in certain situations is a neat feature (even if it really didn't need to be included)
    - Side missions are hit or miss

    Bad:
    - Hunting down animals (boars, turkeys, rabbits, etc.) to craft inventory expansions is tedious and breaks the flow of the game when you have to go out of your way to grind
    - The villainous leader of the Eclipse was so melodramatic that it felt like he was pulled straight from an anime. His dialogue was some of the worst in the game and felt very foreign compared to the other characters
    - For an open world game, the platforming felt very limited and is only properly unitized while playing through some story missions and side quests
    - Selling items is a chore and managing inventory in general isn’t very user friendly
    XXX    … Expand
  69. venomlocke
    Mar 22, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Horizon Zero Dawn is the pinnacle for Sony's current gen-gaming. You play as Aloy an outlander seeking to explore the mystery behind the machines and the old ones.

    Pros
    1) Great graphics. It fully utilizes the basic playstation 4 and the pro.
    2) Great gameplay. You choose your approach of gameplay whether direct combat, stealth, or both.
    3) Variety of enemies. Each enemies have their own unique behavior.
    4) Decent story.
    5) Interesting story

    Cons
    1) Collectibles.
    2) No mini games?
    3) Music needs some improvement.
    4) The quests should have better impact aside from the characters showing up at the final battle.
    5) The main villain needs more presence and the final boss happens to be a rehashed enemy.    … Expand
  70. Nikosphere
    May 9, 2017
    9
    One of the most fun video games I've played in literally (yes, literally) decades.
    • Visually it is stunning. The environments are varied, beautifully detailed and deeply atmospheric.
    • The sound is spot on; your characters footfalls, the spitting rain, the distant birdcalls, the roar of machines, all of it accompanied by a sound track that knows how not to be distracting or annoying. •    One of the most fun video games I've played in literally (yes, literally) decades.
    • Visually it is stunning. The environments are varied, beautifully detailed and deeply atmospheric.
    • The sound is spot on; your characters footfalls, the spitting rain, the distant birdcalls, the roar of machines, all of it accompanied by a sound track that knows how not to be distracting or annoying.
    • Gameplay is top notch. New players will struggle with the difficulty of the larger enemies but level up and modify your equipment and you'll be (somewhat) comfortably taking on whatever this game can throw at you. And it throws a lot. Enemy variety is large and their AI near perfect.
    • The story is deep and interesting without being overly confusing. The characters are fully fleshed out and rarely fall into predicable stereotypes.
    • Voice acting is wonderful with one or two exceptions, I rarely skipped a character interaction (which is rare for me).

    Cons: I would have loved more rpg elements (stats, abilities, dialogue options with consequences) and a more interactive environment. I often found myself wanting to be rewarded for exploring the brilliant world by finding unexpected treasures, enemies or secrets. The human enemy AI needs work, they are not very smart or challenging.

    Overall, a near perfect game. I envy people playing it for the first time and greatly look forward to future DLC.    … Expand
  71. LetsGoBucs09
    Mar 6, 2017
    8
    This game is a lot of fun, but can get repetitive pretty quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 7-10 hours I put into this game, but became bored. While you can upgrade your bow and there is a skill tree, it becomes monotonous over time. I probably at 15 hours have had my fill with this game. You will not find a game with better graphics on the PS4 at this time. I do have the PS4 Pro, itThis game is a lot of fun, but can get repetitive pretty quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 7-10 hours I put into this game, but became bored. While you can upgrade your bow and there is a skill tree, it becomes monotonous over time. I probably at 15 hours have had my fill with this game. You will not find a game with better graphics on the PS4 at this time. I do have the PS4 Pro, it is stunning. This game deserves an 7.5-8, but is lacking that "hook" element that the great ones have.… Expand
  72. NerdEnt_Net
    Mar 4, 2017
    10
    Excerpt from Nerdent 'dot' Net
    Overall Horizon Zero Dawn is an amazing game that I enjoyed and appreciated playing and is a game I will continue to play and continue to enjoy. I recommend this game to anyone that likes exploring, creating they own adventure and trying things in new and different ways.
  73. josei1985
    May 28, 2017
    9
    Receta para Horizon Zero Dawn, un jugador

    Preparamos un motor gráfico que nos permitirá movernos por todo el mapa sin tiempos de carga. Unos gráficos que sacan todo el jugo de la PS4 sin ningún tirón, añadimos un mundo abierto sin bugs y un salpimentamos todo con un modo foto. Mezclamos aparte mecánicas de otras sagas como los cuellilargos al puro estilo Ubisoft, escalada a lo Tomb    Receta para Horizon Zero Dawn, un jugador

    Preparamos un motor gráfico que nos permitirá movernos por todo el mapa sin tiempos de carga. Unos gráficos que sacan todo el jugo de la PS4 sin ningún tirón, añadimos un mundo abierto sin bugs y un salpimentamos todo con un modo foto.

    Mezclamos aparte mecánicas de otras sagas como los cuellilargos al puro estilo Ubisoft, escalada a lo Tomb Raider, etc.

    Añadimos a la cazuela una cantidad aceptable de armas (arcos, trampas, aturdidoras,.. que nos permitirán enfocar como queramos el combate) y atuendos (para el sigilo, contra elementos, para el cuerpo a cuerpo,…) divididos en tres niveles; varias cucharadas de máquinas enemigas, con posibilidad de domar alguna de ellas y de enemigos humanos.

    Sacamos la misión principal, de primera calidad aunque tiene alguna manchita en ciertos puntos por los diálogos y la casi nula toma de decisiones. La rellenamos con un buen contenido secundario marca The Witcher y condimentamos con abundante farmeo a riesgo de parecer excesivo y una pizca de Focus, sucedáneo de la visión de Geralt de Rivia. Introducimos en la cazuela.

    Cocinar todo durante más de 60 horas. Dar vueltas de vez en cuando. Presentamos.

    Un plato delicioso de la cocina tradicional con algunos toques amargos en forma de combate cuerpo a cuerpo donde no podremos fijar objetivo y los siempre presentes coleccionables. Un guiso imprescindible para los amantes de la cocina que debería estar presente en todos los hogares.    … Expand
  74. Lordziito
    Mar 4, 2017
    10
    Claramente um dos melhores exclusivos do PlayStation 4! Guerrilha Games está de parabéns!

    Gráficos lindos! Comparáveis ao de Uncharted 4. Jogabilidade perfeita e história sensacional! Além das muitas horas e horas de missões secundárias e principais.
  75. Mediocrates10
    Jun 12, 2017
    9
    I don't know what else to say other than this game is utterly fantastic.I'm going to break this review up into a few sections: Appearance, Interactions, Combat, "Feel", and Story.

    APPEARANCE: From the get go, you're presented with a stunning graphics and an interesting setting that makes you ask yourself, "Hmm, I wonder what's going on here?". Although the facial animations can be a    I don't know what else to say other than this game is utterly fantastic.I'm going to break this review up into a few sections: Appearance, Interactions, Combat, "Feel", and Story.

    APPEARANCE:
    From the get go, you're presented with a stunning graphics and an interesting setting that makes you ask yourself, "Hmm, I wonder what's going on here?". Although the facial animations can be a bit off sometimes (one of the few reasons why I don't give this game a perfect 10), the full body animations are fluid and flawless. Guerrilla Games makes excellent use of lighting and shaders to create a stunning picture no matter where you turn, leaving you in awe at the beauty of this strange world. The machines themselves are done in a way that allows you to recognize their real life counterparts pretty quickly, yet still admire their uniqueness.

    INTERACTIONS:
    The voice acting is phenomenal, and more than makes up for the sometimes-wonky facial animations. You learn a little more about the world with each "little" side mission and errand you do, each of them consisting of multiple quests and incredibly deep dialogue. Horizon does a fantastic job at making quests more of an experience with the characters and the world around you rather than just a tedious task.

    COMBAT:
    Unlike most RPGs, playing as Aloy feels incredibly intuitive and fluid. You aren't bogged down by a sluggish character with minimal movement mechanics. The movement is designed so that you're free to evade, jump, slide and attack without having to worry constraints such as cooldowns and stamina. Crafting can be done on the fly and time is slowed slightly so that you can still craft ammunition without having to pause the game. Each time you encounter a new enemy, you're faced with a period of trial and error that makes you wonder "How on earth am I going to beat this thing!?" My only complaint about the combat system is that it becomes relatively easy to take down machines once you figure out how to effectively destroy them. The game counters this by throwing more of them at you, which makes for some very intense, frantic moments of evading, hiding, attacking and outsmarting the AI.

    FEEL:
    Awe. Playing Horizon: Zero Dawn fills you with a sense of awe. With dozens of hours into the game I still find myself saying "Holy ****, what is THAT? That's amazing! (and terrifying!)". Very few other games have made me want to explore for the sake of just exploring. The world is both incredibly large and incredibly dense, ensuring that you never have to travel more than a couple minutes before you encounter enemies you have to sneak by, a new location to explore, or NPCs to interact with. Even if you do find yourself in a large stretch of walking/riding, the beauty of the landscape is more than enough to keep you entertained and admiring the scenery.

    STORY:
    Horizon: Zero Dawn captivates its audience from the very get go with an atmosphere of mystery. Who is Aloy? Who is this man taking care of her? Why are they outcast? Who is this tribe? What are these machines and why are they here? What happened to the old world we're familiar with? This game does an incredible job of satisfying all of your burning questions about the characters and the world, rewarding you for exploration and curiosity. It's always exciting to find text logs, voice recordings and holograms that each explain bits and pieces of Horizon's backstory through individuals' experiences.

    The main story line itself is incredibly deep and complex, balancing faith with science and history with legend, with Aloy at the centre of uncovering the truth about not only herself, but more importantly the world.

    Accompanying the main story is a plethora of side quests that each have their own story to tell, making them feel like their own "mini story modes". I'm glad that they're not just an afterthought, but an integral part of making the game what it is.

    CONCLUSION:
    HORIZON ZERO DAWN HAS MADE ITSELF ONE OF MY FAVOURITE VIDEO GAMES OF ALL TIME, RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE LAST OF US. I FOUND MYSELF INSTANTLY FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD AND THE CHARACTERS, MAKING THIS GAME A TRUE STORY-FOCUSED EXPERIENCE WHILE STILL MAINTAINING THE ENGAGING ASPECTS OF EXPLORATION AND ACTION.    … Expand
  76. Iamagamer
    Oct 21, 2017
    9
    Horizon Zero Dawn, a game that admittedly didn't believe would live up to its hype and honestly, it's pretty boring game when I think about it. So why do I give it a 9? Because it's amazing to play. When you look at it broadly it is just another game with its unique twist to the open world and a good story but for 90 bucks hell no. But as I played the game I couldn't put it down. WhileHorizon Zero Dawn, a game that admittedly didn't believe would live up to its hype and honestly, it's pretty boring game when I think about it. So why do I give it a 9? Because it's amazing to play. When you look at it broadly it is just another game with its unique twist to the open world and a good story but for 90 bucks hell no. But as I played the game I couldn't put it down. While Aloy is a boring character I think of her as me. As I played the game it felt like a small reminder of Dark Souls. It WAS HARD I know some people say there is no challenge but this game involves alot of thinking and majority of the time you think of ways to get thinks to your advantage. With fast-paced combat and intense stealth. The music was there but not as frequent or maybe It blended so well with the background I didn't realise or maybe I spent more time shooting down huge robots. The graphics are amazing. It's so good I honestly spent a lot of times taking screenshots and it has its own photo mode. The game about thirty hours long but if you finish it in that time period I feel sorry for you. This game is best experienced by walking around and falling in love with practically everything. I loved this game loved it more than Zelda BOTW must play for ps4 fans.… Expand
  77. BeyondLogic
    Apr 21, 2017
    9
    I would go into detail on what makes this game amazing but in reality there is only a few words that need to be said. Robot dinosaurs. Post-post apocalyptic setting is a nice change of pace and the combat mechanics are phenomenal. The hidden audio and text logs paint a fantastic picture of what led to mankind's downfall and do a great job at fleshing out the history and lore. My onlyI would go into detail on what makes this game amazing but in reality there is only a few words that need to be said. Robot dinosaurs. Post-post apocalyptic setting is a nice change of pace and the combat mechanics are phenomenal. The hidden audio and text logs paint a fantastic picture of what led to mankind's downfall and do a great job at fleshing out the history and lore. My only complaints are a level cap that is too low and lack of side quests. The combat is so addicting that after just a week you can be max level. Basically my only complaint is that the game is too good. So go buy it. Do yourself a favor.… Expand
  78. Zero_dark91
    Mar 22, 2017
    9
    Un gameplay unico nel suo genere , curva di apprendimento buona e gestione delle armi maniacale. Graficamente pazzesco , nonostante giri su PS4 . A livello di trama davvero bellissimo , non è da dieci perchè le armi sono poche , da un open word cosi mi aspettavo armi leggendarie e armature divine, invece tutto cio si puo contare nel palmo della mano . Per me è un 9.5
  79. alphaelice
    Mar 24, 2017
    9
    Horizont Zero Down es un juego que rompe la barrera de jugabilidad y te engancha para conocer su historia,personajes y antagonistas. Es un juego partidario de la marca Sony y puede considerarse como un heroe de renombre en el Olimpo de los Videojuegos.Recomedado.
  80. furikake
    Mar 26, 2017
    9
    I don't understand people creating multiple accounts and writing the same thing to give a 0 rating. Are you getting paid to do that ?

    I have like 45 hours but haven't finished this game yet, but so far the game is great! - The battle gameplay is quite good, I hope it gets better like a little more balancing in weapons to make me want to try more combinations. So far, once you have    I don't understand people creating multiple accounts and writing the same thing to give a 0 rating. Are you getting paid to do that ?

    I have like 45 hours but haven't finished this game yet, but so far the game is great!

    - The battle gameplay is quite good, I hope it gets better like a little more balancing in weapons to make me want to try more combinations. So far, once you have every type of weapon, using the same 3 or 4 weapons 90% of the time is good enough.
    - The gameplay in general has it's flaws but it isn't bad. The grinding, limited inventory and crafting system is tedious. The climbing isn't very good when you compare it to other games. It is hard to tell when you can climb, or when your jump can make it.
    - The story is pretty generic. It would make a mediocre SciFi movie, but acceptable for a game.
    - SubQuests could be better, but still, they are 10 times better than what we had in FF XV.
    Although it has some mediocre animations here and there, It has one of the best graphics in consoles so far. It's almost unbelievable that Mass Effect is going to be released in the same year.    … Expand
  81. gregorius
    Mar 30, 2017
    9
    With an epic story, gorgeous open world and engaging protagonist. Horizon is probably one of the best open world released in this generation. The robo dinosaurs are challenging and smart forcing you to swap weapon elements, target it's weakness and experiment different ways to hunt this machines. One of the strong points of this game is the epic ending, this is one of the games that IWith an epic story, gorgeous open world and engaging protagonist. Horizon is probably one of the best open world released in this generation. The robo dinosaurs are challenging and smart forcing you to swap weapon elements, target it's weakness and experiment different ways to hunt this machines. One of the strong points of this game is the epic ending, this is one of the games that I don't want a sequel but then again it's business and we'll probably get one in the future.… Expand
  82. BSchwarz95
    Jul 9, 2018
    10
    Without a doubt, one of my absolute favorite gaming experiences of all time. I beat the game on normal difficulty, then went back and beat it on Hard in 6 hours, then beat it on Ultra Hard in 4 hours, and then started it on Story difficulty again to get 100% in the game and Frozen Wilds DLC. After putting in nearly 70 hours, I still think about this game everyday and wish that I didn't letWithout a doubt, one of my absolute favorite gaming experiences of all time. I beat the game on normal difficulty, then went back and beat it on Hard in 6 hours, then beat it on Ultra Hard in 4 hours, and then started it on Story difficulty again to get 100% in the game and Frozen Wilds DLC. After putting in nearly 70 hours, I still think about this game everyday and wish that I didn't let my friend borrow it so that I could still play it. Aloy is amazing, the world she explores is breathtaking, the gameplay is captivating, the exploration is endless, and the overall experience will have you hooked for weeks. If I had to describe the game with references... think of a badass female protagonist like Lara Croft, but in Red Dead Redemption's western landscape exploring ancient ruins like in Skyrim, but the ruins are futuristic like Halo and you have to unlock parts of the map by taking control of tall areas like Far Cry, using stealth like Assassin's Creed and climbing like Uncharted, with the help of technology that allows you to see what's not there like Arkham City's detective mode. Oh, and huge beasts like Monster Hunter but I haven't played that so I can't really comment. Anyways, there you have it, the perfect video game made up of only the best parts of all other amazing games. Horizon Zero Dawn is immaculate.… Expand
  83. Balbontin
    May 8, 2017
    9
    El juego es un espectáculo visual, desde el principio engancha. Es un juego para los amantes de las aventuras tipo assassins, tomb raider, etc Mucha acción combinada con una trama principal espectacular. Subes de nivel y puedes ir merando el personaje. El doblaje al Español es muy bueno. Como punto regulero tal vez las misiones secundarias son un poco repetitivas.

    Para los amantes de    El juego es un espectáculo visual, desde el principio engancha. Es un juego para los amantes de las aventuras tipo assassins, tomb raider, etc Mucha acción combinada con una trama principal espectacular. Subes de nivel y puedes ir merando el personaje. El doblaje al Español es muy bueno. Como punto regulero tal vez las misiones secundarias son un poco repetitivas.

    Para los amantes de los trofeos es un caramelito pues no es difícil sacar el platino    … Expand
  84. Kenshinkaeru
    May 12, 2017
    9
    Otimo Jogo , mas com um certo grau de facilidade e falta de impacto nas cenas dramaticas . Graficos maravilhosos , jogabilidade facil e divertida , concorrente ao goty facil , parabens Guerrilla games
  85. cappy2895
    Oct 26, 2017
    10
    What a game! Credit is due to the producers because not only is the story gripping it is original as well. From the fantastic soundtrack to the wonderful scenery and textures this game is a straight 10/10. The gameplay is unique, challenging and incredibly fun. This is well worth the money and I am pleased they did not try and rinse us. I am looking forward to the DLC and hope it adds toWhat a game! Credit is due to the producers because not only is the story gripping it is original as well. From the fantastic soundtrack to the wonderful scenery and textures this game is a straight 10/10. The gameplay is unique, challenging and incredibly fun. This is well worth the money and I am pleased they did not try and rinse us. I am looking forward to the DLC and hope it adds to this great game. Really hope they don't spoil it with a rushed sequel though… Expand
  86. Septimus132
    Dec 30, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For me Horizon: Zero Dawn is The Witcher 3, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, and Far Cry: Primal all roll into one game with a bit of Metal Gear Solid (excluding the cardboard box part) sprinkle into the mix and is one of the few game of 2017 that doesn't blow itself up to be bigger than it actually is. The story of HZD is set after the end of the world via Terminator scenario except these one "eat" organic as food (literally) instead of competing for survival, it's not all doom and gloom as the story, side quests, and characters add a bit of humor here and there as well as providing a bit of context as to what each location was once were.

    Graphic is as good as possible on the current generation of the Playstation console, there is an incentive to finish the game on the hardest of difficulty, craft and equip on the go or adapt to the changing circumstance, story and its conclusion wrap up pretty well (may want to do those side quests), a living world (actions and their consequences are visible as the NPCs will discuss events following the conclusion of story and side quests), lootboxes (there are no microtransaction involve), certain collectibles can be used as currency for loot as well as providing a bit extra to the overall storytelling, and lastly the machines, the bigger, meaner, and generally more dangerous machines carry with them a very big payday but taking them require a bit more finesse and if necessary improvisation.

    The game overall storytelling and experience is very enjoyable for me (is there a 9.75 option here?) but loading screen could be a bit faster (ignorable for some) and that is the last 0.25 for a 10. I would recommend this game as it is one of the few "gems" of 2017 that doesn't built itself around microtransaction.    … Expand
  87. CyberRobotnix
    Dec 20, 2017
    10
    It’s beautiful, emotional, full of surprises and nostalgia, and just flat-out enjoyable to play at every moment. While I have played open world titles before, Horizon Zero Dawn gave me a new sense of control over how my adventure played out, offering me a steady flow of chosen objectives and paths to them without overwhelming me with unnecessary information or bogging me down inIt’s beautiful, emotional, full of surprises and nostalgia, and just flat-out enjoyable to play at every moment. While I have played open world titles before, Horizon Zero Dawn gave me a new sense of control over how my adventure played out, offering me a steady flow of chosen objectives and paths to them without overwhelming me with unnecessary information or bogging me down in sidequests. Mechanically sound, aesthetically pleasing (often breathtaking), challenging but rewarding, Horizon Zero Dawn is a joyous journey you won’t want to put down, just so you can see what’s on the other side of each new hill.

    It is a stunning achievement in terms of gameplay, technical detail, and world building, making the overall experience just fantastic.

    This game is undoubtedly one of the best games on Playstation.    … Expand
  88. eruciform
    Mar 8, 2018
    9
    ** OVERALL 9/10 ** Gameplay 10/10 - Creativity 9/10 - Music 9/10 - Visuals 10/10 - Characters 7/10 - Plotline 9/10 - Emotional Engagement 9/10 - Replayability 10/10 - Difficulty */10

    This was a real hit out of the park for me. I haven't gone back to do the DLC yet, as I'm in the middle of some other games and other things, but I played the crap out of this for months straight - only    ** OVERALL 9/10 ** Gameplay 10/10 - Creativity 9/10 - Music 9/10 - Visuals 10/10 - Characters 7/10 - Plotline 9/10 - Emotional Engagement 9/10 - Replayability 10/10 - Difficulty */10

    This was a real hit out of the park for me. I haven't gone back to do the DLC yet, as I'm in the middle of some other games and other things, but I played the crap out of this for months straight - only Skyrim has compared to it.

    Gameplay 10/10

    The controls on this game are impeccable. You really have to be top-notch engaged in order to not die. And yet, while that can be frustrating from time to time, it really is a matter of practise and skill. It's not hard because it's unfair, it's hard because it's a challenge, and the controls do not fight you, they are just right.

    Creativity 9/10

    The peoples, locations, weapons, enemies, armor, background, and story are all really creative. They stand out as unique and exemplary in the genre.

    Music 9/10

    While also not quite a set of songs that are each specifically memorable, all the music, and sometimes jsut atmospheric background noise like babbling brooks, dripping caves, and blowing wind, are really engaging.

    Visuals 10/10

    The visuals on this are absolutely stunning. Unsurpassed. I've never seen such a beautiful game. I often ran around the countryside just to admire the undiscovered corners of it. And to make it better, the game gives you EXCELLENT camera control, including nearly infinite flexibility when taking screenshots.

    Also, no points taken off for sexualization. There's ZERO. No "female armor" problems, no sexed-up female characters. No tight skirts, no naked background dancers. None of the usual crappy tropes that need to die. This game was stunningly well informed and progressive. Female characters, not just the main one, are fully formed human beings. And all clothing is functional and exactly what you'd make in order to survive, period. Very, very realistic.

    Characters 7/10

    There aren't that many characters, but who they have are strong. Many are from a time long ago that you slowly learn about over the course of the game, and those feel well fleshed out as well. Not the strongest part of the game, but still well done.

    Plotline 9/10

    This was really unexpected for me the first time. It's clearly a post-apocalypse thriller, but what the apocalypse was and how it happened and what's going on now was very creatively put together and unique. I look forward to future sequels in this world.

    Emotional Engagement 9/10

    What happens to Aloy, and what happened to the world that slowly unpeels, are some heavy fare. They're well done and conveyed strongly.

    Replayability 10/10

    I started replaying IMMEDIATELY upon winning this game. Even when (at the time) there was no New Game+. I liked it that much. Playing on a harder level really changes the feel of the game, especially on Ultra Hard.

    Difficulty */10

    The game can be whatever you want it to be. On average, the game is harder than most. I've died more on this game than on any others for a long time. But there is a difficulty setting, and you can turn it down if you want.

    That being said, replaying on a harder mode, ESPECIALLY Ultra Hard, is a truly new experience. Almost everything is instantly deadly on UH mode, even with game-end stats and equipment. One reason is that on this mode, the enemy AI is also much stronger. Things act like packs and hunt you down, they are much harder to trap and surprise, they're much more aggressive, and they attack almost twice as fast, with half as much telescoping their actions, for twice or more damage, and your melee spear becomes almost uselessly low damage. Also, all ammo becomes 10-100x as expensive, so you really have to not be wasteful, or farm for things the hard way. It's a very different feel.    … Expand
  89. rrkwarmonger
    Apr 20, 2018
    9
    After almost giving up on open world games, Horizon Zero dawn was able to reignite my passion for gaming with its creative premises and a well realized world, the gameplay mechanics are pretty solid for a large scale open world game, with excellent range combat and really interesting enemy designs which are factored into combat, every enemy encounter is interesting as players are have aAfter almost giving up on open world games, Horizon Zero dawn was able to reignite my passion for gaming with its creative premises and a well realized world, the gameplay mechanics are pretty solid for a large scale open world game, with excellent range combat and really interesting enemy designs which are factored into combat, every enemy encounter is interesting as players are have a large arsenal tools and gadgets at their disposal with every weapon having a meaningful purpose during the encounters in fact players are free to engage in a manner that is suitable to their play style (Stealth, aggressive). Every mechanical enemy is engraved with numerous mechanical parts which can be exploited for weaknesses or critical hits as well as their parts can be used against them. The visuals are mindblowing with a lot detail that helps in for making this world feel more alive. Whether if it's a sunny day with every grass blade shining and reflecting light or a stormy one with rain pouring down as Aloy reacts to it, this game always manages to look visually stunning. The plot is interesting and original with plenty of side missions that will keep you busy through out your journey. The main strength of horizon zero dawn is how well it has managed to incorporate mechanics from different open world games without making them repetitive or overwhelming. The world is diverse with different terrains, sceneries and cultures. There are 5 different cultures in the game with each culture having it's own lore and architecture. Each culture has it's own unique city, village or settlement The only negative that I could come up with is the human AI which might be more dumber than a Ubisoft AI. However the human encounters wee pretty decent but managed to feel a little underwhelming compared the excellent machine AI and combat. Platinumed this game on my first playthrough. I would recommend this for every ps owner, and non ps4 owners should buy a ps4 for this game.… Expand
  90. warifor
    Aug 24, 2018
    9
    Horizion Zero Dawn ...I must thank the makers of this game for bringing the most beautiful and graetest game lay game ..i mean its amazing how you can control the character to an allmost real human movements..incredible game ...the future is horizion zero dawn
  91. cloudperfectly
    Mar 6, 2017
    8
    Honestly, its a good game, but not special. Great graphics, nice machines and exciting fighting. But other fields are not very interesting. We can find many shadow of other games. But for this company, its the first open-world game for them. Hope they can improve more in next production. Expecting Horizon: Zero Dawn II
  92. Skitzofreniq
    Feb 28, 2017
    10
    Gorgeous. Amazing. Awesome gameplay. Great story-telling. Great characters. Pretty much everything you need for an perfect game.

    Very emotional too. There are very few games that can get met all chocked up with the likes of TellTale's The Walking Dead Season 1 and Valient Hearts: The Great War. And those were at the end of the game and after two hours in it already hit me in the feels    Gorgeous. Amazing. Awesome gameplay. Great story-telling. Great characters. Pretty much everything you need for an perfect game.

    Very emotional too. There are very few games that can get met all chocked up with the likes of TellTale's The Walking Dead Season 1 and Valient Hearts: The Great War. And those were at the end of the game and after two hours in it already hit me in the feels once or twice.

    Combat is great imo. You can upgrade skills and weapons. A lot of variety on how to attack enemies.

    Overall: a must buy!    … Expand
  93. PeterPeter88
    Mar 1, 2017
    10
    The best game I've played in the last 5 years. Great atmosphere, atmospheric music / soundtrack absolutely wonderful art design. Especially the mechanical animals look absolutely great. Awesome Main & Side Quests. Here you realize that some guys from The Witcher 3 were at work. There are in fact some gameplay elements that you have already seen so possibly elsewhere, but still manages toThe best game I've played in the last 5 years. Great atmosphere, atmospheric music / soundtrack absolutely wonderful art design. Especially the mechanical animals look absolutely great. Awesome Main & Side Quests. Here you realize that some guys from The Witcher 3 were at work. There are in fact some gameplay elements that you have already seen so possibly elsewhere, but still manages to put his own stamp on and make it way better than other Open World Games. Nowadays, it's hard to create something that has never been there. Horizon manages to breathe new life into the genre with the unused setting and the robo-Animals. It´´s been a while since i had so much fun with a game. Quite strong buy recommendation 10/10 Do not be sad XBox / PC fanboys

    Das Beste Spiel, dass ich in den letzten 5 Jahren gespielt habe. Tolle Atmosphäre, stimmungsvolle Musik/Soundtrack, absolut hammermäßiges Art-Design. Gerade die mechanischen Tiere sehen absolut großartig aus. Tolle Main & Sidequests. Hier merkt man, dass einige Jungs von The Witcher 3 am Werk waren.
    Es gibt in der Tat einige Gameplayelemente, die man so evtl. schon woanders gesehen hat, aber schafft es trotzdem seinen eigenen Stempel aufzudrücken und vieles dabei besser zu machen. In der heutigen Zeit, ist es schwer noch irgendwas im Bereich Open World zu schaffen, was noch nie da gewesen ist. Horizon schafft es mit den unverbrauchten Setting und den Robo-Tierchen frischen Wind in das Genre zu bringen.
    Lange nicht mehr so viel Spaß mit einem Spiel gehabt. Ganz klare Kaufempfehlung 10/10

    Nicht traurig sein XBox/PC Fanboys.    … Expand
  94. Antioch
    Mar 2, 2017
    9
    Horizon is a beautiful game, one of the best looking console games currently available on a console, especially on the ps4 pro on a 4k hdr screen. But I'm not only talking about graphics here, the game really is beautiful in terms of the gameworld design aswell.
    And the best part is it matches that with fantastic combat gameplay and controls. This is the smoothest 30fps fast action title    Horizon is a beautiful game, one of the best looking console games currently available on a console, especially on the ps4 pro on a 4k hdr screen. But I'm not only talking about graphics here, the game really is beautiful in terms of the gameworld design aswell.
    And the best part is it matches that with fantastic combat gameplay and controls. This is the smoothest 30fps fast action title I have ever played. It by no means compare to 60fps or more but if a game is going to run at 30, this is the way to do it.
    It is an open world game that by no means innovates anything and it borrows heavily from other games, but what it does borrow it executes extremely well. There was no mechanic I felt was a worse or a **** version of another games' same mechanic.
    The story is also good and I found myself really wanting to get answers and press on, not to mention there are alot of interesting lenghty side missions.
    Sure there are a few quests called "Errands" that are more typical "Gather 5x of this" type quests but they are relatively few and you can easily skip them without loosing out, or simply not dedicate time on them and just get them on the way when doing side or main missions.
    This isn't what I would call a proper rpg, it is more of an action adventure game with rpg elements. The skills are fairly basic % or number increases and only a few add extra moves. You do have dialogue options but they don't seem to have really long term effects.
    The pudding is in the combat. It is fast an fun and I like that you are not OP even if your level is higher than the enemies. Some enemies require you to think ahead and lay traps or thin out the herd and not just charge in. You have many tools to achive these tasks at your disposal. It really fits the character.
    I also like that the descriptions in the inventory clearly states what the resource/items are for, so you know what stuff you can sell and not wonder if you need it later to trade or craft something with.
    The game hasn't bugged or crashed for me even once and I must say, I'm surprised how well it is optimised and how well it runs beeing open world games usually have some quirks or bugs (looking at you all Bethesda open world games).
    The Decima engine seems very promising indeed.
    My main complains would be the lipsyncing and facial animations are far behind the best games of today that has dialogue ingame cutscenes. Also although not bad by any means, you can tell it's not the best voice actors in the business for some characters.
    I do think however this is a very good game, and a lenghty one at that. The main story alone will net you 25-30h of FUN gameplay and interesting story on normal. And if you are a competionist we're probably talking 80-100h.
    So it's a pretty hefty bang for your buck for a singleplayer experience. I highly recomend this game.    … Expand
  95. Acguydance
    Jun 23, 2018
    8
    While there are a few "0" which given by people who either scored "Zelda: BoTW" a "10" or a "0" to every title (Which I have no idea why they didn't realize that they are slowly killing the game industry by doing so), I personally would give this an 8.

    [Outline] The game is a bout a teenage girl raised by an outcast who is eager to know who she is, ending up saving the world (as    While there are a few "0" which given by people who either scored "Zelda: BoTW" a "10" or a "0" to every title (Which I have no idea why they didn't realize that they are slowly killing the game industry by doing so), I personally would give this an 8.

    [Outline]
    The game is a bout a teenage girl raised by an outcast who is eager to know who she is, ending up saving the world (as usual). Simple plot. As usual open-world games, there are tons of quests available and places to explore. But when it comes to the mid-range of the game, it seems like these side quests gone down in numbers so your chose would be to either rush till the end of the main story(ies) or do more exploration.

    [Combat System]
    The combat and skill system is great. Every single move is quick and flawless. (The heavy attack might need some time to get use to tho). By visiting ruins and completing the related quests, you will be able to over-ride more types of machines which are not "corrupted." However when you have learned a certain skill, 1 on 1 combat would sometimes become boring because the heavy attack -> knock down -> crit hit combo is too handy for small ~ medium foes.

    The game isn't perfect in many ways, but its really fun to play with great graphics and sound effects. Would suggest to give it a try if you are a hard core action game fan.    … Expand
  96. Medic1089
    Mar 2, 2017
    9
    Horizon Zero Dawn is probably the most ambitious title I have seen in awhile. It brings so many new ideas and concepts to the open world genre and, in fact the genre needed it. Where to start with this? I got the collector's edition of the game on launch and have gotten absolutely lost in this game world. the graphics are stunning, the music is absolutely fitting and the characters have aHorizon Zero Dawn is probably the most ambitious title I have seen in awhile. It brings so many new ideas and concepts to the open world genre and, in fact the genre needed it. Where to start with this? I got the collector's edition of the game on launch and have gotten absolutely lost in this game world. the graphics are stunning, the music is absolutely fitting and the characters have a real sense of emotion and purpose (minus a few of the side quest npc's). Aloy is a great protagonist and seeing how she handles everything around her is awesome! The emotion can be felt within the characters pertaining to the tribe, the outcasts, and her guardian Rost.

    The ranged combat is fast and fluid and extremely rewarding when you hit that critical spot from miles away only to watch as a grazer explodes and causes a nuclear chain reaction amongst the herd. The melee combat on the other hand is a bit slower, and feels a little too "heavy". there is no "real lock-on" system in place so you will have to constantly turn the camera to the enemy your facing if you don't slice it down with one hit. the melee combat feels almost like the witcher 3 without the targeting system. overall the combat is extremely engaging and really puts you in the action.

    Communicating with NPC's. For those who enjoy the dialogue system that was found in games like Dragon Age 2, and inquisition or the Mass Effect series. You will no doubt enjoy this one as it offers up a similar form of dialogue being as you can choose between being Smart, Aggressive/Abrasive, or Love/sympathetic. it plays out really well in this title when handling decisions or scenarios.

    This is one title that you do not want to miss. This is what this generation of rather bland and generic new IP/games needed in a desperate way.

    I just want to make a note here at the bottom to all of the folks calling this game "Feminist Propaganda" and the most of the user reviews are 'Paid".

    1. feminism, this game is in no way shape or form eluding to the fact that women are inherently stronger or better than men. this story is simply centered around a young girl as the protagonist thrown into a world of turmoil, mystery, and confusion. If this game is "Feminist" because it has a female lead role overcoming overwhelming odds than so is Tomb Raider.

    2. Paid reviews. in my honest opinion the fact that anyone can sit here and state that sony is paying users to review this game is dumbfounding. do I think that everyone has been genuinely honest in rating the game? no. there will always be 'fanboys" who will white knight the game to get it to higher scores. But do I also think that there are people out there who come to write reviews of games that have never played it and rate it poorly because its a flagship exclusive? yes. that is the problem with todays gaming "journalism" and Reviews. there is more bias or personal feelings in the way of rating the game on it's own.

    Overall: The game is easily a 9/10. It's a game that you will get lost in and absolutely sink some time into. the narrative so far for me has been just as rich as games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, or even the Tomb Raider series.    … Expand
  97. kemp352
    Mar 6, 2017
    8
    In the current gaming climate that is saturated with open world games it's easy to why Horizon Zero Dawn could be forgotten. Fear not as this most certainly isn't the case. Flaunting awe inspiring visuals & fluid gameplay this beautifully crafted marvel is a must have.
  98. martinho_99
    May 28, 2021
    9
    An amazing game in every aspect. From great graphics, epic fights to a phenomenal story. Only reason for me it doesn't get 10 points is I am missing more diversified side quests and some other minor things. What I really must point out is the enormous love for detail they put in the game, for example: there are literally hundrets of documents, audio messanges etc. left from the past thatAn amazing game in every aspect. From great graphics, epic fights to a phenomenal story. Only reason for me it doesn't get 10 points is I am missing more diversified side quests and some other minor things. What I really must point out is the enormous love for detail they put in the game, for example: there are literally hundrets of documents, audio messanges etc. left from the past that can be found and give you more insight in the story and the past. This had to be a big amount of work for them and I really want to say that we player appreaciate this a lot. Horizon Zero Dawn is easily a 9+, it is not a masterpiece - but damn close to be one.… Expand
  99. NessJWimbleton
    Mar 6, 2017
    10
    The good:

    -Exploration; Big world with varied landscapes and items to discover, a lot of places are brilliantly and thighly tied to the lore and story of the world. -Story: Intringing and provocative story tough a little slow in the beginning, great main characters and amazing lore. -Combat: Varied and strategic, there is something for every type of player: stealth, brute force,    The good:

    -Exploration; Big world with varied landscapes and items to discover, a lot of places are brilliantly and thighly tied to the lore and story of the world.
    -Story: Intringing and provocative story tough a little slow in the beginning, great main characters and amazing lore.
    -Combat: Varied and strategic, there is something for every type of player: stealth, brute force, traps, hit and run, ganging, etc. the meele combat is not as polished tough.
    -Graphics: One of the most amazing games graphic wise it has a solid frame rate and near Uncharted 4 levels of polish adn detail,
    -Enemies (robots): Excellent desing, really good AI for the robots they can adapt to traps an so on, most encounters with the beast feel unique thanks to their complexity and amount of things you can learn from them.

    The bad

    -Enemies (humans): while entretaining to fight, they can feel very dumb and are not as endearing as their robot counterparts.
    -Limited means of transportations: There are only 3 options, fast travel, walking and robot riding.
    -Sidequest: while most are entretaining to do thanks to the fun of combat and have nice stories, a lot of them have a fetchy feel.

    Veredict:
    Easily one of the best new IPs in years, while not innovative, it's polished beyond belief, the bad things i found in this game are nitpicks when compared to the amazingly good stuff.    … Expand
  100. scoobijohn
    Mar 8, 2017
    10
    beautiful game, fantastic musical score, great sound design and the most engaging combat against ROBOTIC DINOSAURS!!!! games just dont get any better than this, the story is well written. only small thing i would have liked is a little influence over the story, but that does make writing a tight story that works well much more difficult. normally i would give this game a 9.7 or therebeautiful game, fantastic musical score, great sound design and the most engaging combat against ROBOTIC DINOSAURS!!!! games just dont get any better than this, the story is well written. only small thing i would have liked is a little influence over the story, but that does make writing a tight story that works well much more difficult. normally i would give this game a 9.7 or there abouts, but gave it a full 10 because of all the idiots that give it a 0 because its not zelda or for xbox… 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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