Horizon Zero Dawn is an open-world RPG developed by Guerilla Games. The title will come out officially on February 28 as an exclusive for the PlayStation 4.
The makers of the critically-acclaimed Killzone franchise developed a combat system that will include a vast range of long distance and melee weapons, coupled with stealth tactics and a gameplay reminiscent of the Assassin’s Creed series.
HZD also features the full RPG experience, with various tribes and side quests that players can exploit to obtain better tools for their journey as they control the game’s protagonist, Aloy, through a large environment filled sentient robotic creatures and other characters.
Zero Dawn wants players to personalize their game
Most reviews praise the combat gameplay for Zero Dawn as responsive and well-taught. It might have to do with Guerilla’s long history with first-person shooters games, now broadened into a full-blown third-person fighting experience.
Aloy is mainly an archer, which means that the bow and arrow are her weapons of choice. Throughout the game, however, she will have access to an arsenal that ranges from firebombs to booby traps designed to slow down her enemies.
The game intends to focus on providing the player with a ‘hunting’ experience. It is not only about killing the sentient, animal-like machines, but also exploiting them for survival and using them as tools to get through the game.
Aloy’s journey will also include talking to merchants and visiting nearby areas to learn more about their ancient origins. She discovers a high-tech relic called ‘Focus’ that can scan the creatures and her surroundings for more information.
Players could see this setting as a mix between The Legend of Zelda’s action-adventure kind of gameplay paired with the Metroid Prime series’ logbook feature. Also, its focus on survival and exploration makes it a more colorful version of The Last of Us, in a certain way.
The game’s graphics are promising
Following The Last Guardian’s footsteps, reviewers agree that Zero Dawn has an astounding visual palette, aimed to keep players from getting bored while cruising the vast landscapes.
Horizon Zero Dawn does not attempt to create the largest open-world experience available for the PS4, like other games, such as No Man’s Sky, intended to do in the first place.
Instead, it seems to focus on playability and broadness of options in a space that can be extensive without being repetitive or unreachable.
Guerilla Games used their signature Decima engine to bring 4K and HDR compatibility into Horizon Zero Dawn. The game’s first screenings have shown its potential in this areas, with most reviewers using the word ‘promising.’
Players who are eager to uncover the ancient mysteries of Aloy’s world and its mechanized inhabitants can pre-order the game as a download or in a disk format at the PlayStation store.
Source: PlayStation
