Horizon Zero Dawn was released in early March this year and I know many people who own a PS4 may not have got round to giving it a go just yet. So, if you still haven’t popped it in your console, here are a few reasons why you should:

Plot:

In a future where machines dominate the earth and humanity live in primative tribes, Aloy is an outcast and starts to discover there is more to her story than she initially thought. She must battle machines and men to find the answers and save her people.

Aloy 

We all know how much I love a strong female protagonist, if you’d told me when I was younger that I’d be experiencing more and more of these when I was nearing 30 I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Before I only really had the X-Men animated series to embrace when it came to strong females – Rogue was my gal – now, girls everywhere get to enjoy the likes of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Lara Croft (minus the massive tits), the 13th Dr Who and even Disney’s Moana. Plus many more.

Aloy, can now be added to that list. Strong, powerful and deadly with a bow and arrow she also doesn’t take any nonsense when dealing with people and flattery will not get you anywhere. She isn’t the type of girl to be won over by the numerous men who throw themselves at her feet throughout the game (plus, I strongly ship her and Vanasha) and she can always push through to get the job done.

However, she still has a special type of vulnerability about her and compassion for others that makes her such a wonderful character to play – mainly because the decision is already made for me, I’m rubbish at being a bit of a vanguard in RPGs. Aloy is a character you can truly enjoy playing and one that has traits that resonate with all of us.

Stunning visuals and a beautiful world 

 

The world of Horizon is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. You can find new stunning landscapes to look out onto by climbing and exploring the areas and the photo mode lets you play around with the time to see each location in its different lights and snap a picture to capture that moment forever.

It makes the game just that bit more enjoyable to play, allowing you to explore and discover new things all the time.
Immersive storyline

When I first started the game I wasn’t sold on the story, then as soon as everything started to happen at the Proving I knew this was a game I’d get fully immersed in. I won’t say anymore but I can promise that the plot leaves you wanting more and urges you to push on to discover why things are happening – however, you may find yourself spending a couple of hours side questing before returning to Aloy’s quest. Which brings me nicely on to my next point…

Side quests that don’t get boring

I’ve clocked a fair few hours on the side quests on this game, something I rarely do. But I’ve really enjoyed completing quests and finding collectibles alongside the main story, in fact I spent a huge amount of time finding the metal flowers and vantage points (plus vantage points were the best place to play when looking for new spots to mess around with the photo mode). This is something I rarely do but when playing the world is so beautiful and Machines so fun to fight you won’t be able to help yourself.The Hunters Lodge quest is also well worth a play, it’s one I actually went back and completed once I’d finished the main story which perhaps indicates just how immersive the game is. You want more even when you’re technically finished!

Elegant, fun gameplay style

Horizon rarely feels clunky and it’s one of very few games where I haven’t really noticed any major glitches. Even npc’s are well behaved. So if you enjoy seamless gameplay, this is one for you.

The slowing time element and focus while shooting is fun to play with and Aloy’s movements and dodging in battle are beautiful to watch. Aloy fights both humans and machines and each feel completely different to combat. Guerrilla have thought carefully about each scenario, allowing you to try new tactics and work out how best to defeat your enemies.

DLC releases in the pipeline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFioSx6783w&feature=share

Frozen Wilds was announced at this year’s E3, which I’m very excited about. From the trailer there may be a new machine to fight and more answers for Aloy about where she’s from and her purpose.

Now it’s time to go grab a copy of Horizon – let me know what you think!