3.5/5 ★ – peacebrendanp's review of Horizon Forbidden West.

Horizon II: Forbidden West is a game that is iterative, not innovative, and that's okay in some respects. It expands on every facet of the last game, and it's mostly for the better. However, despite the graphics looking incredible, the game still feels like a PS4 game in many respects. The first ten hours feel pretty slow, but it's still interesting. It takes a while to get the main story in motion, but those sort of things don't typically bother me. Weapon management is vastly improved, with there being six weapon-slots available now, and even more ammo types. In that same vein, combat is improved all around, with machines having even more parts to shoot off and target. Melee combat is vastly improved, with actual move-sets available. My biggest gripe here is the lack of a block option. Enemies can block and counter, why can't the player? It really brought down the melee combat for me. Also, the combat can feel really frustrating at times when the player is at a disadvantage. Some games can get away with having the player at a disadvantage (i.e. FromSoftware games), but in a game that seems so adamant on creating a power fantasy, Aloy can get knocked a lot. And, when she gets knocked, it can take a long time to get back into play. The main story is way more compelling this time around. While the first entry was focused on the intrigue of why the world and it's people were left the way it was, this entry is focused on how to fix it. The story gets way more science-fiction this time around. And, while I appreciated this, there is some great annoyances that are brought up as the story progresses. It ultimately leads to a lot of interesting ideas, that sometimes stick the landing, and sometimes fizzles out. The world is more interesting as well, with new tribes introduced, and new light-politics between the different tribes. It doesn't get deeper than that, which is an issue that plagues this series: it's very surface level, and every plot detail is over-explained so there is no room for interpretation. Small note, HADES makes a return and his AI-voice is so fucking cool. The writing and acting is better this time around, and animations are smoother, especially in conversation with other characters. Aloy is, generally, a way more likeable person this time around, and shows way more growth as a character. She still has her moments where she talks "holier than thou," and I still find her to be a pretty boring character all around. The game's art-direction aims for hyperrealism, which makes environments looks incredible. There are way more details in the environment and in combat scenarios. Aloy can now swim, which feels good, and I found it to be an awesome addition. There is a better pacing to the actual game design, with a feeling of a more slow trickle of mechanics and things to do. Also, a slow trickle of world-building information. In contrast, there are issues with pacing generally speaking, in relation to information dumps / dialogues that halt the moment-to-moment. While there isn't long stretches of collectible information dumps, there are dialogue information dumps. Everything is well written and acted, but it's so fucking much. It really halts the flow of the game, and by the end of my playthrough, I was ready to start skipping dialogue as much as possible. There are way less "emotional" choices this time around. I still don't know why this exists. Furthermore, 90% of the time there are so many dialogue options to learn more information. But, I encountered a couple of side-missions, where you just pick the mission up, and all relevant information is shared in a conversation. I'm confused as to why this isn't the case for every single mission/conversation. I guess it makes it more optional, and can shorten certain playthroughs, but it's a really weird thing to have, given the game really doesn't give you any major decisions with dialogue. It's a pseudo-RPG mechanic, and I find it quite baffling and unnecessary. I really like the game, but man. It's so fucking big. Too big. I'm a hypocrite because every activity feels thought out and has some sort of substance. But, by the time I got to hour-50, I couldn't believe how much more there still was to do. The Decima engine is crazy beautiful, and it's crazy what it is capable of. Playstation Studios just do it different. To sum up a lot of my problems with this game, I would say that the game feels safe and sterile. This sterility affects almost every aspect of the game. The world is beautiful, but often times I find that the world lacks anything truly striking. The story is intriguing, but the writing and info dumps feel monotonous. I often found myself getting a lead-paint-stare during moments where essential information was being communicated. This series, in some ways, demonstrates a lot of things I dislike about modern games; it's too big, not visually distinct, and written to appeal to the widest audience possible. And, because of that, I'm surprised that the game appeals to any audience at all. A good example of this is the world, especially when compared to something like The Last of Us. In some ways, these two games have no reason to be compared. But, the main common-thread is that they both take place in a post-apocalyptic world. The Last of Us is definitely going for a more mature tone, and it only takes place 20-or-so years after things turned to shit, but the world feels real. It has character and heart, and every environment feels like you are stepping into a place that has been lost to time. Horizon lacks that character and heart. While it's cool to see a San Francisco that has been overtaken by nature, it feels more like visual set-dressing. The game design feels very much aligned with the PS4-generation. However, most missions feel a bit more dynamic than the last entry. The flying mount is a very welcomed addition, but even then, there is a lack of speed that shows that this game was designed around the previous generation. There are some nice additions made to the game, such as the glider and grapple, which make traversing the world much more fun. Aloy can also climb a lot more surfaces, and it’s made to feel a bit more organic. No more exclusively climbing yellow platforms. It still feels pretty janky at times. Burning Shores adds a whole new region, with more of an emphasis on beaches, metro ruins, and volcanic landscapes. It definitely continues to follow the formula of the base game, but mirrors the Frozen Wilds DLC, with the DLC adding a new currency and some new weapons and armor to boot. The story feels like an addendum to the base-game's story, but doesn't really care to add anything substantial. There are a few new machines added, one being a smaller machine that can attack in waves. I think it's called a sting-bot? They take one shot to dismiss, so it's a nice change of pace to the combat. Apparently this DLC only came out on PS5 to accommodate some changes that could not work on the PS4. These changes include insanely pretty clouds, some more environmental detail, and a map that is more dense with city-scape. They also increased the cap on how high you can fly, which allows for some pretty incredible vistas. The DLC also adds the "Waterwing." This new machine functions the same as the Sunwing, but now you can dive underwater, which feels so cool. Disappointingly, I find that traversal still feels slow and stale. While it's better than the last game, it feels really boring when compared to something like the Spider-Man games. Overall, the DLC also feels bloated, and has some side missions that I didn't really find all that interesting. There are a lot of things that hold this game back for me, but it's important to note that I still enjoyed my time with this entry. It's grander and more ambitious this time around. There are new machines that are very well designed. Combat is better this time around, but I still found it to be a type of combat that is not my preferred flavor. Armors and weapons are better and impact gameplay in a greater way. But, I found most items to be mostly skippable or boring. Compare this to something like Star Wars: Jedi Survivor; that game focused on gameplay and move-sets to unlock and upgrade. Outfits were cosmetic, but always felt fun and cool to unlock and equip. Horizon just feels lacking here. I will probably play the next entry in this series, and I'm sure it will be impressive in it’s own right. But, I can't say that I am excited for it. And, this demonstrates the biggest problem I have with the game: I just don’t care. The story is cool, and the combat has its moments. But, ultimately, I don’t care about this world. Which makes it a drag to play. My thoughts are all over the place. So, I’ll end it with this: this game is extremely polished, and offers some fun. It’s too big and too sterile for me to enjoy a full 80-hour playthrough (over 80-hours if you include the time it takes to 100-percent the base-game and the DLC). The ending is really under-whelming, despite The Burning Shores adding a bit more of a proper ending to this entry. It really just sets up the next game. I would probably say that despite this being a better game than Horizon: Zero Dawn, I think I enjoyed it about the same after it was all said and done. I’m happy to rinse my hands of this game, and move the fuck on. It overstayed it's welcome. Console Played On: PS5 Game Played: 06/16/2025 - 07/22/2025 Review Written and Published: 07/28/2025