WhenHorizon Zero Dawn landed on the PlayStation 4 in 2017, it quickly became a great success, even becoming one of the best-selling games for the console. The Guerilla Games studio, known for its franchise Killzoneand the publisher Sony held in their hands a franchise with enormous potential: a rich science-fiction universe, an exciting plot and a protagonist, Aloy, who was the archetype of the marginal heroine who cannot be swept away. stop loving.
The question nevertheless arises: a sequel to Zero Dawn was it necessary? His narrative arc was well wrapped up. His story, complete. Aloy went from being an outcast of the Nora tribe to a savior capable of almost single-handedly stopping an apocalypse. That doesn’t mean we didn’t want more. Or that this first episode was flawless.
Almost five years later, Horizon Forbidden West is an opportunity to answer this question. With this sequel, not only does Guerrilla Games take it to the next level, it also makes the brilliant demonstration that a new chapter in this story is not too much.
Forbidden West picks up the story of Aloy six months after the events of Zero Dawn. This time, she seeks to understand a mysterious plague that is decimating the fauna and flora in its path. She embarks on a journey through the “Forbidden West”, composed of hostile regions filled with natural threats and ravaged by massive storms, dangerous enemies and deadly machines. Aloy also finds herself embroiled in the infighting between the Tenakth and a rebellious tribe led by a warmonger named Regalla. Forbidden West offers a very personal story, which deals with friendship and a desire to reconnect with humanity.
The importance given to the characters is evident from the amount of dialogue. We can spend hours talking to our companions, with whom we can form deep relationships. Each character brings new perspectives, relating events from a different perspective. The whole story kept us spellbound and the richness of its characters is certainly one of its strongest pillars.
Forbidden West is also a small technical marvel. The beauty of the game is seen in the faces of the characters, incredibly detailed and alive. Its settings offer breathtaking panoramas, from lush forests to icy expanses, passing by ruins covered by the sands of the desert. Its world is much larger than its predecessor, with an impressive number of quests and items to discover that provide a constant sense of discovery.
Small downside: maneuvering in these settings is often a challenge that is difficult to explain. It’s not uncommon for Aloy to miss a jump, ledge, or some other piece of scenery that we were clearly aiming for. His movements lack a fluidity that experience seems to call for. This is a problem when so much of the gameplay loop is based on platformer-style exploration.
However, the game makes up for it with the fighting. Forbidden West is a world still populated by huge, monstrous machines, some new, some old, that you’ll face in epic, adrenaline-fueled battles that you never get tired of.