Guerrilla has always kept its promise of meeting gaming needs with mouthwatering innovations. This time, the dutch studio took it to a whole new level with horizon zero dawn. The game is the first significant job done by the developers since kill zone in over ten years. Despite the long and unprecedented break, they bounced back with their first role-playing and action-packed title with one of the most impressive visuals ever. 

The developers crafted a unique engine called Decima on which its games run after the release of the kill zone. Many other studios have employed this continually evolving engine as it supports a wide range of open-world designs and can effectively run many effects at a time. The transition to a more sophisticated engine seems like an overambitious one, but it sure made the game more appealing to players worldwide. The game’s universe runs in a post-apocalyptic world that was duly certified by experts around the world. This scenery enhances the immersion and enables the characters to simulate real-world experiences. 

This tile is available on PS, and the PC version was released last year due to increasing worldwide acceptance. Since its release, the game has garnered a fair amount of attention from critics for its combat mode and dialogue. However, many praises went to the voice actress and the impressive story. Due to its remarkable performance and ranking on various gaming charts and number of downloads, a sequel is already underway to be released later this year.

About the game: Storyline and weapons

The game runs when the world has returned to its tribalistic and primitive time and majorly contains angry-looking machines. You are to take control of the hero called Aloy. You can explore the universe and take on missions and side quests that keep on leading you down a rabbit hole to uncover many mysteries about what happened to the old world. To conquer your enemies, set traps for them or go the primitive way of shooting arrows. There are also modern weapons like bombs that you can use against these machines. As you take down these AIs, you can gather resources from their remains and add them to your armory. 

You will also encounter human opponents who will charge at you along your journey. Look at your map as you progress to determine suitable places for an ambush, which you can use to bring down enemies. You will move on to the next level as you kill and complete missions. There are also side missions that require the hero to gather materials, eliminate enemies, help other characters or solve puzzles. 

Major positives in the game

From various perspectives, it is no doubt that the gaming arena of this title is breathtaking and a big win. The universe is very detailed with rubbles, flowers, and trees. The overall scenery is also nothing short of impressive. Coming from above, you can see a well-designed moving cloud that caresses the sky’s blue background. The landscape comes with numerous high buildings with sufficient lighting. All these culminate in making the environment realistic and immersive. 

The character animation is applaudable and bounces well off the material-rich environment. Typically, you would expect a high level of consciousness in character detail in open-world games, and the dutch studio didn’t disappoint. The fine details and high resolution coupled with enhanced kinematics make the game’s fluidity hop on a new level. I noticed that the developers used almost all available features on the impressive decimal engine. This feature is evident in the motion blur and soft-focus effect apparent in the game. 

The game runs at thirty frames per second, and this is nothing short of mind-blowing as I’ve played many open-world games with evident skips and hitches. The developers ensured that they removed any feeling of instability or inconsistency throughout the story. Apart from the initial start screen that takes more than half a minute, the loading time in this title is fantastic. This speed is not what we see every day in most open-world games. 

Other noticeable and impressive positives from the game include the high-resolution videos that never lag from the story, a very detailed map system, and a fast-paced menu.

The flaws I couldn’t overlook

Nothing is always perfect, and the Dutch studio-designed game doesn’t escape this reality. The first noticeable downfall is the imperfections I encountered with the water bodies in the game. This mishap might not count much if you’re already overwhelmed by the other impressive features in the environment. However, the characters react poorly to the pools, and this is a glitch I couldn’t help but notice.

In addition, the game has a good blend of AIs and human characters. However, human-human interaction is flawed. This development is particularly evident when you attempt to whistle to attract opponents that you wish to kill. It doesn’t feel natural when you whistle continually, and all the humans respond, leaving you with a heap of bodies. Also, some of the characters lack proper lip-sync. You will see this mostly in lower missions and quests associated with less important characters.

Another downfall is the deficient audio arrangement. The left speaker remains unused when you play the game and eventually creates some audio imbalance. Also, you can choose which screen side you wish to place your hero in the game. This glitch is a camera defect that you won’t see in most open-world titles. Other significant flaws include minor glitches that are inevitable in titles like this. You might see an animal flying in the air or a character disappear into a wall. All these do not harm the game’s immersive experience but are noticeable as you play.

Verdict

Indeed, the game is an actual work of art and noticeable finesse. The main storyline, which involves combat, is very immersive and makes a player want more thanks to the environment and angry-looking AIs that need to be carefully defeated. The developers can improve side missions, but the main quests are guaranteed to give a life-changing experience as it leads you to chase numerous mysteries.