By Steph Ferns
With its massive open world, deep lore, and invigorating story, Horizon Zero Dawn just ticks all the boxes for a good time.
The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where animal-like machines roam the earth and humanity has regressed to more caveman-esque ways of living. The main character is Aloy, who was born from the mountain (this is explained later) her people worship and live around.
Without a true mother, she is given to an outcast and raised as one. For a few scenes and bit of gameplay we watch her grow and get to know some of the game’s main mechanics. By the time she is older, the machines have become very hostile, and the land is dying, so Aloy sets out to find the cause of the changing world.
We watch Aloy help people, find out about her past, why she has no mother, and how she saves the world and humanity. The feeling of empowerment this story brings never fails to give me goosebumps.
The game play is nice and easy to pick up, with the ability to slip between melee (spear) and ranged (bow and arrow) combat seamlessly. You also learn the ability to ride some of the machines, and this is a great way to traverse the massive map the game takes place on.
Your mount can also help in combat. Though, sadly, this can cost them their life so try not to get too attached.
There are many side stories/quests, but the main story is so incredible that it never feels swallowed by the additional content.
There are also other civilisations other than the one Aloy comes from, all of which have has contact with Aloy’s tribe and some of them have bad blood between them, making for a more extensive and alive world.
In the end the gameplay in simply incredible, and the story – when I first played and finished it – made me cry from a multitude of emotions. I felt Aloy’s journey, and while I look forward to the third instalment, you can find me playing the second: Horizon Forbidden West.
Featured image: Horizon Zero Dawn’s main character Aloy. Photo: YouTube
