Sabrina’s Horizon Zero Dawn Review

Some of you might know that I am a keen gamer, and when I say keen I mean that I try to make time every week to play the things I love. One of my most recent completions was Horizon Zero Dawn and I am so impressed with it I had to write a full review. Before I get into the details I wanted to show you some screenshots of my game play to show you just how amazing the Horizon Zero Dawn world looks.

I first heard about Horizon Zero Dawn around eighteen months ago. A good friend of mine (who is also a female gamer) recommended it to me, she thought it’s storyline would be right up my street – and she wasn’t wrong! I love playing games with complex storylines and immense details. The things I look for in a game would be excellently fluid plot lines and details in both graphics and content.

The first week that Horizon came out I made a decision to avoid all other peoples videos, reviews and spoilers, because I didn’t want to spoil it for myself. I wanted to play the game from the very start without knowing anything about what lay ahead for the character. I needed the feeling of being surprised and amazed to come from my own experience and not from watching someone else play. I wanted to be entertained and do you know what? Horizon turned out to be a better game than I could have ever imagined.

The majority of Pro Gamers completed the main storyline in between forty and fifty hours. I have managed to complete the entire game in just over eighty hours. But that includes every one of the Playstation Trophies available, so I have earned Platinum on this game.

I have always been a very thorough gamer, I love to explore the worlds and move over every inch of the map. The Horizon Zero Dawn map was not only vast but complex with varying degrees of tasks and collectibles to find. Some of the imaginative ideas that have been created for this game are incredible.

Enjoying so many aspects of this game has made this review so easy to write, and I have very little criticisms for the games creators, I can only hope for a sequel. I know they have released a trailer for an upcoming DLC for the game, but I would love to see more of Horizon in the future.

As far as the content is concerned I was extremely impressed. Most gamers have suggested that you won’t figure out all of Horizon’s vast plot twists, but I got ninety percent right! I was rather pleased with myself, but I guess it comes from being thorough and collecting everything and reading all the data. The game has some epic cut scenes for both the present day characters and the past, combine those with the various conversations that Aloy has, it isn’t difficult to work out where the story is heading. There was one part however that I just didn’t see coming, and I was in both shock and awe of the writers decision to include it. Needless to say this is a story with quite a few adult themes running within it.

So what do you do in this game a part from piecing together various data and information… Well you explore a vast map of post apocalyptic Earth, and it is incredible. How the art ties into the storyline is breathtakingly beautiful at times. And then you have your main character, Aloy.
Aloy is a bow and arrow wielding, strong willed young woman, out to seek answers about her where she came from. And I adored playing as her. The levels of detail and deep imagination that has gone into the backbone of this game, have made me love every moment of Horizon, even the really tricky bits like some of the trails! (We’ll get to that in a bit).

So let me tell you all now, why I believe this game is a 10/10, and why I am so glad that I got it.

From the moment you begin the Horizon Zero Dawn journey you are met with mind blowing graphics and instant obstacles to face. Once Aloy has grown up and you venture out further into the map, it soon becomes clear that this journey will be long and arduous. Every new section brings more excitement and more challenges. As you will see in my various images, the levels of details are astonishing.

The association between the imagery and the sounds is also fantastic. Not only is there a huge attention to detail in the weather, the breathing, the footprints and other sounds relating to game play, but the actual music soundtrack is also highly adventurous. Some pieces of music are beautiful and others dramatic, I can recommend the soundtrack to everyone who enjoyed the game. I am the person who goes out and buys the track lists to games that I loved, I feel I am right back into the world when I hear it. I believe you connect on a deeper level with something if you also connect with the music you’re hearing.

With many hours of complex game play, a superb options section that is both easy to navigate and thorough, and despite a vast array of resources in the game, Horizon has an inventory that is understandable and full of purpose. Everything you find within the game is necessary at some point.

Aloy is a rather self sufficient character, she is trained at an early part of the game and you continue to grow these skills as you progress through the various quests.  I love how she is strong willed yet relate able, she is a always helping and saving others. Aloy is a heroine who beyond all accounts is showing girl power at its best, she doesn’t need saving and I adored that.

Horizon Zero Dawn is voiced by several excellent actors, most of whose voices I have heard in other largely popular games. We don’t always know their names but we appreciate their huge contribution to games such as this one.

The incredible voices along with the detailed expressions of the characters within the game make the whole experience more believable and so lifelike.

Another aspect I loved were the choices you got in the game. There were various ways you could move around the map, the errands and additional quest missions could be done in any order, or you could leave them and go back to them. The conversations Aloy have also allow you to choose various answers and make life choices for your character. You feel a larger part of this game with  every decision that you make.

The wonder, suspense and jaw dropping moments of Horizon will sustain your curiosity right until the end. And if you’re anything like me you’ll be playing it to its full potential, all the way through. I don’t want to give much away in regards the storyline, but I will say this, the plot has twists and gives a variety of hints, but unless you’re reading and listening to everything that happens to Aloy on her journey, then parts will leave you both amazed and surprised.

I have very little criticism for the game, I’m not keen on the way that Aloy jumps at some parts, but other than this the game is smooth and the movement of the character and weaponry is fluid.

Overall I have loved Horizon Zero Dawn, and if you want more of my game play and opinions I have uploaded a video to my gaming YouTube channel. You can see that here

My HZD Top 5

Excellent Movement and Unique Weapons
 Amazing Bow and Arrow Aspects
Mind Blowing and Imaginative Machines and Plot
The Uniqueness of Aloy – her Outfits and Inventory
The Incredible Graphics and Soundtrack 

Thank you very much for reading this review, I really hope that you’ve enjoyed reading all about this game, if it’s inspired you to get the game do leave me a comment. And don’t forget to check out my video for actual game play too!

✩  Sabrina  ✩