Horizon Zero Dawn was a surprising shift for developer Guerrilla Games after years working on Sony’s well-known, first-person shooter franchise, Killzone. Now, the Dutch studio was going to release a third-person, action-adventure game set in a massive, open world. When Horizon Zero Dawn launched in 2017, it was met with widespread critical acclaim and dedicated sales that have since pushed the title to over 20 million copies sold.

Now, five years later, Guerrilla Games has released the long-awaited follow-up title, Horizon Forbidden West, and this sophomore outing is nothing short of a masterpiece. Almost every element of the original game is improved upon in Forbidden West, from the minutia of machine combat to the narrative beats that tie Aloy to the world around her.

Story

Horizon Forbidden West begins just a few months after the events of Zero Dawn to find Aloy scouring the world for a special MacGuffin that will be instrumental in saving the planet. The plot of the game revolves around the importance of this object and why Aloy is the only one who can retrieve it. Forbidden West digs deep into who Aloy is a person, examining her as both a powerful leader and a woman still coming to grips with her origins.  

The main story is a nuanced continuation of Horizon Zero Dawn that factors in many of that game’s unresolved plot threads. The villains of Horizon Forbidden West are a fascinating group of people with ties to the original Zero Dawn project that created the world Aloy calls home. Their backstory is full of unexpected twists that open up new, exciting possibilities for the franchise going forward.

The motif of crushing responsibility is one that Forbidden West uses to develop its strongest asset: exceptional characters. Aloy has a wonderful cast of supporting companions that are much more prevalent in this game than they ever were in Zero Dawn. Familiar faces like Varl and Erend ground Aloy in her roots back East, while new companions like Zo and Kotallo bring fresh perspectives and stories to the mix.

But Aloy’s companions aren’t the only characters I grew to love in my 40+ hours with this game; the various peoples who call the Forbidden West home are a colorful collection of interesting and culturally diverse communities. The numerous Tenakth and Utaru settlements I visited were filled with different merchants, storytellers, and townsfolk just going about their lives in this vibrant world.

Many of these characters had side quests for me to take on, but they’re not the typical side quests I’d come to expect from an open-world game. Each one tells an engaging, contained story revolving around named characters with their own histories and desires. Side quests can often have unforeseen ramifications down the line as well, like prompting new dialogue from Aloy’s companions back at their base.

Gameplay

Horizon Forbidden West takes just about every gameplay element from the original title and improves upon it. The combat is fluid with better implementation of Aloy’s focus when going up against hostile machines, and the ability to tag specific parts made taking out dangerous weapons or hunting rare resources feel more directed and purposeful.

There are also dozens of new weapons and outfits to buy or discover, adding an unprecedented level of customization for Aloy that truly makes her feel like an RPG protagonist. Each weapon type also feels more distinct than in Zero Dawn, so much so that swapping to a different weapon completely changed how I approached combat.

One of my favorite new additions is the Shredder Gauntlet: a boomerang-like disc launcher that can shred armor and components off a machine before zipping back in Aloy’s direction automatically. For each catch, the disc gets a power boost until it can deliver a final hit that has a much higher chance of knocking the machine down.

Every piece of equipment can be upgraded using shards and machine parts to increase its damage resistance and unlock modification slots to add even more utility. While most of the mods deal with percent increases to elemental defense or damage, some of them can also add unique buffs to one or more of Aloy’s skills.

With six different skill trees, each focusing on a different aspect of combat, Aloy is more versatile than ever before. I was able to mold my version of the red-haired heroine into a powerful machine lord who took enemies down from the back of her trusty Bristleback, but that’s just one possible build for her. Aloy could just as easily be a stealthy, trap expert or a rugged, close-quarters combatant with the right skill combinations.

With all these improvements to combat and progression, though, it is a bit of a letdown that traversal doesn’t feel much better than in Zero Dawn. Guerrilla heavily marketed their new climbing system and the Pullcaster tool but neither feel well-integrated into the game as a whole. There are more opportunities for climbing, but the act of doing so still feels clumsy.

Audio and Visual

Horizon Forbidden West is a feast for the senses. This is, without a doubt, the prettiest game to ever exist. I spent the majority of my playthrough in the resolution mode on PS5, and I didn’t regret it for a single moment. I don’t need 60 frames per second when each of my 30 frames looks like a classical painting!

The world is a picturesque landscape that captures the natural splendor of just about every type of climate. There are snow-capped mountains swimming in fog, dense jungles teeming with plant and animal life, and sun-drenched deserts filled with the ruins of the once-great Las Vegas. Quests would take twice as long as they should because of all the time I spent in the game’s built-in photo mode.

And, as if the environments weren’t enough, the character models are absolutely stunning. Looking back at Zero Dawn, it’s incredible how much Guerrilla has improved with the use of motion capture, texturing, lighting, and animation. These characters utilize the slightest movements to express their emotions in shockingly realistic ways.

Horizon Forbidden West’s music is also some of the most stirring, uplifting, and atmospheric scoring in all of entertainment media. The compositions from Oleksa Lozowchuk, Joris de Man, Niels van de Leest, and The Flight are beautifully constructed pieces of art that shine in both the emotionally resonant cut scenes and while out exploring the world.

What Could Be Better

While it’s definitely more accessible than in Horizon Zero Dawn, climbing in Forbidden West still doesn’t feel quite right. Aloy’s movements are jerky and often delayed, making the entire system laborious. It didn’t help that the directional detection isn’t perfect, which would often lead Aloy to jump in the opposite direction of where I wanted her to go.

There are also quite a few bugs of varying levels of severity. Persistent visual hitches were worrying, but I quickly grew accustomed to them. Quest bugs were more troubling, often preventing progression completely. I still have a finished Salvager Contract that the quest giver just won’t let me turn in. I also found myself soft-locked from progressing during an early story mission, which required loading an earlier save to resolve. I’m hopeful that these issues can be fixed with future patches.

Verdict

I had high expectations for Horizon Forbidden West, and it exceeded every single one of them. It delivers an exceptional second chapter in Aloy’s story, building on the mystery and intrigue of its predecessor in new and delightful ways. With incredible aesthetic, powerful storytelling systems, and an enhanced RPG experience, Horizon Forbidden West is the best reason yet to own a modern PlayStation console.