Aloy goes to the Forbidden West. Horizon Forbidden West impresses with its momentum [RECENZJA]

Horizon Zero Dawn has garnered great reviews and has become one of the biggest hits for the PlayStation 4 console. So it’s no surprise that when the creators finished celebrating their success, they immediately started working on the sequel. This time, however, they had to face gigantic expectations from players. Did the magicians from Guerrilla Games cope with the challenge?

Yes. And at this point I could basically end my review. The continuation of the adventures of the brave Aloy is in every way better than the first edition. We will find here a beautiful and living world, a captivating story and even more spectacular clashes with mechanical beasts.

More, better and more beautiful. The world of Horizon Forbidden West is enchanting

Plot Horizon Forbidden West it begins in the same place where we said goodbye to our heroine. Aloy managed to save the world from destruction, but the artificial intelligence ruling over the mechanical monsters Hades it was not completely destroyed. Hades is preparing a counterattack that could threaten an entire civilization, and Aloy will do anything to stop the digital antagonist.

Horizon: Forbidden West Sony

Due to the fact that Forbidden West is a direct continuation of Horizon Zero Dawn, the game requires us to have at least a cursory knowledge of the events and characters from the first part. Without it, at times we may feel as if we are listening to a lecture in an unknown language. At least in the beginning.

Back in the game world itself, it’s now bigger, more diverse, and more beautiful at the same time. The mere exploration of a destroyed and at the same time reborn planet is a lot of fun. On our way we come across breathtaking landscapes, inhabiting the “forbidden west” (it is the coast full of fabulous beaches San Franciscoor rather what’s left of it) tribes and AI-powered mechanical beasts with whom we will fight even more fierce battles.

Horizon: Forbidden West Sony

An interesting novelty in Horizon Forbidden West is headquarterswhich Aloy returns to after completing individual missions. This is a place where we can rest, but also establish relationships with independent characters – learn about their stories or just make friends.

And it is worth spending time on it, because the colorless and two-dimensional characters from the first installment of the game have finally been replaced by full-blooded heroes who have their own unique character. Also, Aloy became a more expressive and hit character, and she can afford a sharp humor.

The creators have completely rebuilt the system of cutscenes and dialogues. Now they are presented in a truly Hollywood style. In addition, there is also a new engine responsible for animating the characters’ faces and their facial expressions. In all of this, you can see a huge effort put by the developers of the game.

Horizon: Forbidden West Sony

With a spear on a mammoth?

The real essence of Horizon Forbidden West, of course, is combat. While clashes with hostile tribes and rebels are at times tedious and repetitive, so much sequences of fighting robotic beasts are close to mastery – both in the audiovisual and gameplay layer.

Each of the machines is unique in its own way, has its own strengths and weaknesses that Aloy must learn and then use. On our way we will meet, among others mummy – a monster resembling a mammoth or slipperwhich looks like a giant snake.

In addition to her spear and bows, Aloy now has her disposal number new weapons. One can mention here, for example, sticky projectiles or exploding spears, which quickly became one of my favorite deadly gadgets.

Horizon: Forbidden West Sony

The fights in Horizon Forbidden West can be difficult. Really hard. Especially when we have to face several machines at the same time. In such situations, the fight becomes quite chaotic at times. Fortunately, we can change the difficulty level at any time. I am glad that the creators did not follow the “darksoul” path here, because I would have a serious problem with completing this game.

Although Forbidden West is not a classic RPG, we can find a classic skill tree here. Or rather, trees, because there are several of them. And here is my only significant objection to the creators. The character development system is too complicated and overcomplicated. I would prefer fewer upgrades and bonuses, but one that would actually give my character a feeling that my character is growing.

Horizon: Forbidden West Sony

A graphic masterpiece, but with a dilemma

Audiovisual setting in Forbidden West, it delights. At the moment, it is undoubtedly the best-looking game for PlayStation 5 consoles. What’s more, this title also looks worthy on PS4, although it’s hard not to notice that the image is generated here in a lower resolution (1080p).

But let’s go back to the PS5 version. The developers gave us to Choice of two graphic modes. The first of them allows you to play in 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. In the second, the game runs at 60 frames, but at the expense of resolution that scales dynamically.

Horizon: Forbidden West Sony

Personally, I definitely prefer smoother gameplay at the expense of higher resolution. The problem is that in the case of Horizon Forbidden West, we sacrifice too much when choosing the 60 FPS mode. In this mode, the game visually loses its quality, which was confirmed by tests by experts from Digital Foundry.

It does not change the fact that the continuation of the adventures of red-haired Aloy is in every respect a better game than its predecessor. And that says it basically everything. Horizon Forbidden West is a beautiful and living world, captivating plot and even more spectacular clashes with mechanical beasts.

Rating: 9/10