Alongside The Witcher 3, this is one of the most intriguing, believably lived-in open worlds on PC. Horizon Zero Dawn’s world is a lot more interesting than Hope County, though. Horizon’s gorgeous world quickly proves itself to be one of the most visually varied around. Aloy is great at swiping oversized machines down in wide open plains, but plonk her in a boxy camp with guards who can swarm from all sides, and she’s nowhere near as competent a fighter. These base-conquering quests appear all over, so it’s a shame they never showcase the sort of streamlined sneaky confidence Ubisoft finally hit with Far Cry 5. Want to earn that fancy stealth drop that will let you plummet 50ft without being heard, or open up that skill that lets Aloy draw her bow in slow-motion whenever she jumps? You better murder every primitive bad guy in that nearby camp with the minimum of fuss. What makes these samey, if inoffensive assaults worthwhile? The dangling promise of more XP and unlocking fresh machine-taming abilities. Clearly Aloy copied Far Cry 3 when they were both taking that course in Enemy Strongholds 101, because her map is dotted with encampments you’re encouraged to capture through repetitive stealth takedowns and silent bow kills.

In 2020, those overly familiar notes are even more out of tune. When Horizon first launched on console three years ago, there’s no denying it was a little derivative. The first time I encountered one, I may as well have been a flummoxed Alan Grant fumbling to shake off his shades after drinking in the sight of Jurassic Park’s grazing brachiosaurus.Įncounters with Aloy’s fellow humans don’t fare quite so well. They’re among the most awe-inspiring creatures I’ve seen in any game. These magnificent leviathans more or less work like walking versions of Far Cry’s antenna towers, uncovering areas of the map once you clamber up and hack their satellite skulls. Most captivating of all? Those moments where you crane the camera skywards to admire a lumbering Tallneck leisurely stomping around a set perimeter. The next, you might witness a group of smaller machines scurrying out of the path of a deadly Ravager, as Horizon’s three-ton puma sniffs around for its next likely mechanised meal. One moment you might observe jittery packs of elk-like Broadheads munching on knee high grass, because apparently robots need to eat too. Well, if you can call a 45-foot android crocodile slithering into a lake natural. Like the odd magic moment where you come across a wild stallion playfully rolling around in the morning dew of Red Dead Redemption’s wetlands, Horizon’s beasts can enthrall with the same style of naturalistic behaviour.

It’s also fascinating to see these mechanical wonders simply interact with their environment when they think you’re not looking.

Horizon zero dawn pc