After nearly 5 years, the sequel to Horizon Forbidden West, developed by Sony's Guerrilla Games studio, is finally set to launch on PS4/PS5 on February 18th this year. Toy People had the privilege of an early access experience, and today we're sharing our first few hours with the PS5 version, without revealing any sequel plot details.
Although protagonist Aloy defeated the Eclipse cult and Hades in the previous game, ending the conflict in the east, the world's crisis is far from over. The terraforming system "Zero Dawn" continues to malfunction, and countless lives are facing extinction due to an unknown "blight" and fierce new machines. To find a backup of the artificial intelligence "GAIA" and repair the system, Aloy will venture into the more perilous Forbidden West, uncovering the astonishing truth of this world.
But after such a long time, do you still remember the plot of the previous game? Don't worry, when you first start Horizon Forbidden West, a brief animation will thoughtfully recap the main story of the prequel for players.
Explore a Gorgeous and Magnificent Open World in 4K HDR High DefinitionThe previous game, Horizon Zero Dawn, received high praise for its visual performance on the PS4 Pro. This time, Forbidden West lives up to expectations, leveraging the PS5's more powerful hardware to deliver stunning 4K HDR graphics. Upon entering the game, we were immediately struck by the crisp textures and lifelike lighting, meticulously rendering every detail from character wrinkles and strands of hair to the branches of plants and trees. The game offers two modes: "Favor Resolution" and "Favor Performance." If you want to experience the breathtaking visuals mentioned above, choose "Favor Resolution." While "Favor Performance" mode dynamically adjusts resolution, it provides a smooth experience at nearly 60fps.
Powerful SSD Performance Delivers a Seamless Gaming ExperienceThe PS5's signature ultra-high-speed SSD not only allows for quick switching between the two modes mentioned above, letting you immediately switch to high-quality graphics for a beautiful photo after an exhilarating battle, but also provides players with an almost seamless, high-speed loading experience throughout the game. During gameplay, aside from loading save files and fast travel, which take a few seconds, all other transitions and cutscenes require no waiting. The only minor drawback was an unexpectedly long loading time when preparing to enter a workbench to craft items.
▼ Initially, five difficulty levels can be chosen. The lowest difficulty, "Story," allows players to easily progress by simply hitting enemies. It also offers guided quest navigation with comprehensive markers and hints, making it comfortable for players unfamiliar with this genre or beginners.
DualSense Controller Delivers Satisfying Combat Feedback!The PS5's most distinctive DualSense controller features, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, provide a truly immersive experience this time. Character movements and the grass Aloy treads upon are conveyed to the player through finely varied vibrations, enhancing the impact of dodging in combat and stripping enemy armor. The adaptive triggers simulate the tension of Aloy drawing her bow and the resistance of using heavy equipment.
Enhanced Three-Dimensional Exploration: Traverse Mountains, Seas, and Everything In BetweenForbidden West significantly enhances exploration compared to its predecessor. Very early in the game, players acquire a new tool, the "Pullcaster." With the Pullcaster, Aloy can destroy obstacles like blocked rocks and grapple onto anchor points to swiftly and flexibly climb to high places. In addition to natural cliffs having more climbing points, many buildings with significant vertical differences have been designed for climbing, enhancing three-dimensional exploration. After reaching a certain progression, Aloy can even obtain a Diving Mask to explore the underwater world and use the Shieldwing to glide from high altitudes.
▼ The new tool, "Pullcaster," can fire a useful grappling hook to destroy roadblocks and instantly pull Aloy to high or distant locations via special anchor points. This new element is utilized in both main story quests and side exploration puzzles involving climbing.
▼ After acquiring the "Shieldwing," by holding the □ button while airborne, you can glide through the air. However, it's not like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where you can travel long distances. The glide descent speed is very fast, and the movement distance is limited. Its primary function is to help players land safely from high places.
▼ Once the Diving Mask is upgraded, Aloy no longer needs to surface for air; you can stay underwater as long as you like. However, in the water, all you can do is swim and dodge. Aloy cannot engage in combat while diving and can only use evasion or hide in seaweed to avoid direct confrontation with enemies.
The Long-Awaited Flying Mount Finally Arrives!Around the later stages of the main story, Aloy can finally use the highly anticipated flying mount, the "Sunwing." Like a pterodactyl, the Sunwing can be summoned at any time after being overridden, just like regular mounts. It allows players to fly to approximately mountain peak heights, which is quite convenient for landing on top of Tallnecks, though its flight speed is average. Aloy in flight does not have offensive capabilities; getting too close to enemies will still result in attacks or even being shot down. However, the most terrifying thing is accidentally pressing □ and jumping off. In such cases, remember to quickly press X to use the grapple to return to the mount. If you're too late, you can only press □ to glide, at least preventing a fatal fall.
Combat System Also Enhanced: Does Melee Finally Get Its Due?The combat system has been significantly enhanced from the previous game. Pressing the R3 button for "Focus" allows for a more detailed observation of enemy weaknesses and dropped items. Aloy can learn from six skill trees: "Warrior," "Trapper," "Hunter," "Survivor," "Infiltrator," and "Machine Master." The diverse skills make combat more engaging, and new armaments like the Resonator Blast for the spear and the Spike Thrower have been added, along with three new elemental types (Purgewater, Plasma, Adhesive) and a new skill called "Valor Surge."
▼ Actual combat footage in "Performance Mode" on medium difficulty.
▼ The skill tree has been further refined from three in the previous game to six, namely "Warrior" for close-quarters combat, "Trapper" for flexible use of various traps, "Hunter" specializing in bow and crossbow skills, "Survivor" for enhancing potion effects and sling weapon techniques, "Infiltrator" for improving stealth and infiltration skills, and "Machine Master" for increasing override effects and javelin launcher techniques.
▼ The new weapon, the "Spike Thrower," is a weapon capable of firing multiple arrows consecutively. Although its reload speed is slow and dodging causes a dive, its power is astonishing. Paired with the Hunter's "Persistent Blast," it can unleash an entire volley of spikes at once.
Each skill tree, upon learning specific skills, unlocks two "Valor Surge" abilities, similar to ultimate moves. These skills, based on the skill tree, significantly boost abilities for a limited time, such as "Melee Might" for double damage or "Toughened" for an energy shield. Valor Surge energy accumulates by attacking enemy weak points and detaching components, and once enough bars are filled, it can be activated.
Among the most noticeable changes is the melee system. The monotonous melee combat, which was criticized in the previous game, now offers a wider variety of combat skills, including combos, guard breaks, and area attacks. It also allows for charging the Resonator to unleash bursts for higher damage, and combined with the haptic feedback, it feels incredibly satisfying to play. However, melee combat still has a lower margin for error and requires more skill compared to ranged combat; if you're not familiar with dodge invincibility frames, you might find yourself overwhelmed by enemies.
▼ Using melee attacks accumulates energy for the "Resonator" on the spear. Once fully charged, a heavy attack on a target creates a temporary energy point on the enemy. Attacking this energy point with a projectile weapon will cause an explosion, dealing massive damage.
▼ If you want to practice melee skills, you can visit the "Melee Pit." For ranged combat skills, head to the "Hunting Grounds," which feature different types and difficulties of enemies to challenge.
▼ This time, more diverse machine creatures have been added for players to challenge. Compared to the previous game, they possess a wider variety of attack methods and seem to be more agile. For example, this giant snake-like "Slitherfang" is incredibly nimble; in addition to fierce lunges with its fangs, its mouth and tail can respectively launch strong acid attacks and electric orbs.
▼ The amphibious machine "Widemaw," resembling a hippopotamus, possesses an incredibly powerful suction force in its mouth, even stronger than a DYSON, and will lunge directly with its gaping maw, which is quite terrifying.
▼ The "Tideripper," whose prototype is likely a plesiosaur, is enormous in size, and its various attacks make it difficult for players to evade. The high-pressure water jets fired from its head and its wide-ranging tail sweeps are particularly challenging.
Addressing the Emptiness of the Previous Game: Side Quests and Errands GaloreBased on the first few hours of experience, the main story's pacing is very tight, with engaging exploration, puzzles, combat design, and gradually unfolding plot twists intertwined. New settings, characters, and mysteries constantly emerge, making one want to rush through the main story to see it all. Of course, the game also features a wealth of side quests and errands, which mostly involve fighting monsters, collecting materials, finding people, and escorting. There are also opportunities to gather rumors to discover exploreable ruins, rebel camps, hunting grounds, and more, satisfying players who enjoy helping NPCs and those with completionist tendencies.
▼ In some dialogue with NPCs, a system called "Flashpoints" appears, allowing Aloy to choose between three personalities: "Blunt," "Witty," or "Empathetic." Different choices lead to different dialogue, but do not affect the plot's progression.
▼ After players listen to rumors from specific NPCs in various locations, they will gradually discover many points of interest on the map to explore. At the same time, "Campfires," used for saving and fast travel, have become quite dense, reducing the time spent traveling across locations.
▼ The Forbidden West is filled with Regalla's rebel outposts and camps. These locations contain more powerful boss enemies and rare items.
▼ If you're tired of constantly running around, you can also play the newly added board game, "Machine Strike," and challenge people to duels!
However, the game still has quite a few bugs, such as audio or subtitle delays, and minor graphical glitches that are mostly harmless. If you're lucky, you might even encounter main quest NPC events abnormally interrupting or getting stuck, preventing progress, or the game crashing during fast travel. Fortunately, the game auto-saves frequently, and loading back usually resolves the issue. We hope future updates will address these.
Overall, the criticisms of the previous game regarding "empty content" and "repetitive tasks" have been significantly improved in Horizon Forbidden West. From the early stages of the story, players can actively interact with NPCs and undertake a variety of side quests. While most still involve collecting materials and running errands, each settlement features unique NPCs and interesting mini-stories, allowing players to explore the vast open world at their own pace. The exciting main story also seems to leave room for future developments, making us highly anticipate upcoming DLC and the future of the Horizon series.
PS5 Horizon Forbidden West Unofficial Rating:
Control Fluidity:8 / 10
Visual Presentation:10 / 10
Immersive Experience:9 / 10
Gameplay Enjoyment:8 / 10