Testing «Horizon Forbidden West»: spectacular highs, not-so-spectacular lows

Mountain tops ringed with cloud. A dense jungle of majestic trees below. In the distance, a tallneck robot dinosaur pokes its head through the canopy, bathed in the red glow of evening. This is the view that confronts me as I scale a rock face with the game’s heroine, Aloy, to remove an ancient transmitter from a radar antenna. Triviality alongside eye-wateringly beautiful scenes are the order of the day in «Horizon Forbidden West». After more than 30 hours of game play, I’ve hit the credits. But that doesn’t mean I’ve seen everything the PlayStation-exclusive game has to offer. Not by any stretch. That said, I’ve had my fill.

Story gets going too late

«Horizon Forbidden West» follows on seamlessly from the first instalment of the game. Although I played the first one, and although there’s a brief summary in the latest title, I’ve forgotten most of the story – including the characters. This amnesia isn’t mutual. Right from the get-go, a dozen characters claiming to be old friends of mine fling their arms around me. Apart from the guy with the mohawk, I don’t remember anyone. «Horizon» is set in the distant future, with the apocalypse far behind us. The newly formed civilisations are made up of a mix of natives and cyber warriors. Following pretty much the same plot as «Terminator», humanity was wiped out. Thousands of years on, intelligent machines in the form of robotic dinosaurs rule the world.

Aloy, the red-haired protagonist, was able to prevent the renewed downfall of humanity in the first instalment. It now turns out that – surprise, surprise – she didn’t quite manage it. The story goes on in much the same pattern. With a shrug of her shoulders, Aloy ventures out into the forbidden west to shut down the evil AI for good. So far, so unoriginal. Later, however, another threat emerges, providing a bit more excitement. Unfortunately, it’s so scant that any time I encounter it, I’m surprised that it’s still there. The story only picks up speed towards the end. Prior to that, it lacks any sense of tension or urgency.

The game also resorts to numerous clichés:

• Instead of killing me as soon as he gets his hands on me, a boss enemy tosses me away. It happens twice.
• The opponent is always one step ahead of me.
• The plan to save the world is simple, but it’s explained in an insanely complicated way, with a plethora of fantasy terminology.

Unlike the first instalment, which enjoys the advantage of an origin story, «Forbidden West» lacks an incentive. The inhabitants lead untroubled lives and the world is colourful and bursting with vitality. I guess I’ll go and save the world for a bit then. It feels a little bit like checking your Instagram feed in 2022 – just something you do.

Aloy is still drab, too. After more than 30 hours, I can hardly tell you a thing about her. Except, perhaps, that she feels she’s the only one who can save the world. And that she likes whispering and has the posture of a banana. The red-haired warrior always seems slightly resigned and disinterested – a feeling which bleeds into my gameplay.

The comrades you pick up over the course of the game don’t possess any more depth than that. There’s the religious nerd, the slightly angry warrior, the nice softie and his girlfriend(?). That’s all I can really remember. I must admit, I have a soft spot for is the mohawk dude from part one with his bumbling yet likeable manner. Unlike in a Bioware role-playing game, the characters rarely tag along with you. Dialogues with the homebodies mostly take place at the Base. There, they’re happy to talk your ear off, but it doesn’t develop into an actual relationship. It’s no substitute for embarking on adventures together and having dynamic conversations. For comparison: in «Mass Effect», the companion quests are among the absolute highlights of the game. In «Forbidden West» I was able to pluck myself up to do them exactly once, but I wasn’t really rewarded for it.

Things fare better with the friendships you make on the road. They’re entertaining, and surprisingly multifaceted. I have fond memories of many of them; for instance, the chef who was only able to prepare his legendary stew thanks to me. The thought of him preparing it makes me instantly hungry. What was in it again? Wild boar, frozen berries and fresh onions?

Impressive world, but a bit static

The real star of the game, besides the robotic dinosaurs, is the world. In typical game fashion, the sweeping landscapes cover all the common biomes: from sand dunes, to snowy mountains, to dense jungles, to picturesque beaches in the ruins of San Francisco. The machine-producing bunkers too look delightfully alien, as if I’ve been shrunk and beamed into a supercomputer.

Visually speaking, «Forbidden West» is one of the most impressive games I’ve ever played. The cadence with which developer Guerilla Games conjures up breathtaking vistas is a delight. The light effects at different times of the day, such as when the evening sun shines through the jungle, stop me in my tracks every time. Unfortunately, there are also a few cosmetic blemishes. As a result, some of the starting areas are a bit of a let-down in comparison to the rest of the world.

Although the world is visually very stimulating, I felt it was missing a bit of life. Outside the settlements and camps, I don’t meet a soul. There are just machines, machines and more machines. I can’t take a step without stumbling into a robotic dinosaur gathering. Rather than feeling like a vibrant world, it feels like...well, a game.

The graphics also suffer noticeably when you switch from the default «photo mode» to «performance mode». Although you get a much smoother 60 frames per second on this setting, many objects will flicker visibly and the overall picture won’t look as vivid. In performance mode, you can control Aloy much more precisely and the whole game feels far more pleasant and free flowing. Switch back to «photo mode» at the estimated 30 fps, however, and playing the game will feel like wading through treacle. The picture blurs when I move back and forth – something I didn’t notice until I switched mode. Because of that, I strongly advise you to choose a mode right at the beginning and stick to it.

Here’s the picture in original size

Here’s the picture in original size

I’ve got one more presentation quibble: the sound. Or more accurately, the background music. The repetitive, slightly keyed up track got on my nerves so much over time that I had to turn down the music in the menu. It didn’t matter if I was visiting a settlement or fishing, I was always accompanied by this obtrusive sound. The soundtrack is otherwise unremarkable, which is usually a good sign. It was just the background sound that haunted me right into my sleep.

But all of that is next-level moaning. The world is what lured me to the TV every day. There’s constantly something new to marvel at. Right until the end, I couldn’t get enough of the details, the smooth animations and the beautiful views.

Lots of options, but lots of repetition

A flagship of the game, just like in the first instalment, is the battle against the giant machines. And the skirmishes with the mechanical giants are indeed a lot of fun. By scanning them with a click on the analogue stick, their vulnerabilities are revealed in colour. You can also find out which elements they’re susceptible or resistant to. A few well-aimed shots with the bow is all it takes for sparks to fly. Shooting an enemy with a well-placed electric arrow can even trigger a shockwave and stun the enemies in the surrounding area.

What I didn’t realise about the first «Horizon» is that it was clearly inspired by «Monster Hunter». «Forbidden West», however, doesn’t quite reach the level of the Japanese monster hunter series. Since you can get past practically every enemy by using the same tactics, the battles lose a bit of their spectacle. In «Monster Hunter», the choice of weapon drastically changes the style of play. In «Forbidden West», the bow is the undisputed weapon of choice, while the rest remain optional add-ons.

Even though there’s a comprehensive skill system available. Unfortunately, though, this aspect of the game is all mass, no class. When I do level up, I barely notice. Skill points regularly pile up because hardly any of the skills are actually relevant. The same goes for the huge mass of potions, bombs, traps, shields, disc launchers, and so on, and so forth. This is partly down to the controls being overloaded, and partly because the familiar tactics end up being the most efficient. Bow and trap for normal enemies, explosion spear on particularly tough ones.

The battles take up the majority of the gaming time. On your journeys you meet character after character, each one fondly relaying your quests. However, they usually play out in the same way. Collect something, kill a monster, search for tracks, kill a monster, save someone, kill a monster. Just like with the main story, they’re lacking noticeable consequences. In typical open-world fashion, you’re free to explore the entire map, fulfil your urge to collect things, lend the inhabitants a helping hand or storm enemy camps.

You can get around by riding on the back of a reprogrammed machine – and when that doesn’t work out, you climb. In this game, you’ll climb everywhere, all the time. Aloy moves like a mountain goat. Briskly, and over breathtaking views. But the climbing system isn’t perfect. Aloy often grabs at empty space, which is particularly frustrating when you’ve forgotten to drop a ladder to shorten the path. Then, you’ve got to start over, right at the bottom.

Can we please throw these mechanics on the scrap heap? Practically every open-world game nowadays has climbing mechanics. I’m really sick of having to clamber around everywhere – regardless of how quickly it can be done. Let’s either have it as a central aspect of the game like in «Dying Light» or leave it out. Or at least use it selectively.

Another open-world cliché is the grappling hook, which Aloy can use in certain places to pull herself up. Not to mention your standard glider: instead of letting you throw yourself dramatically off the cliff, you glide elegantly onto the next task.

One more thing has earned a place in my bad books: the pinging. Ping, ping, ping. I press the analogue stick nonstop to scan my surroundings with my focus. And as if that weren’t enough: to identify the machines’ weak spots, or animals in the surrounding area, you need to hold the button down for a long time. You have to kill the pigs, squirrels and birds to enlarge your bag – a clear nod to «Far Cry». And boy do you need big bags, because Aloy is the worst hoarder of all time. Every herb and every shrub needs collecting in order to cover the relentless consumption of resources. At best, this becomes muscle memory, at worst, it feels like work. Just like with the pinging.

The comfort functions are a bit more fun. Every collection task can be tracked. If you come across the animal you’re looking for, it’ll be highlighted in colour. Or if it’s an object you’re after, it’ll be marked with an icon. Both collection tasks and quests are easy to find on the map. Thanks to some generously placed campfires, it’s also possible to travel fast. Certain players might find Aloy's background comments a bit much. Whether we’re on a quest or just exploring; Aloy usually tells me what to do immediately. That’s fine by me – it means there are fewer interruptions to the game. Although I do feel a little nagged at times.

The new diving feature is, quite literally, refreshing. Not exactly an innovation, but I’m always keen on pretty underwater worlds. Relaxing dives aren’t always on the cards, though – there are swimming machines too, after all. It’s just a shame that you can’t fight underwater.

Oh, and we mustn’t forget the mini-game. It’s called «Strike» and it’s kind of like chess with machines. It’s astoundingly tactical without getting complicated. I rarely set aside the time for it, though.

Bugs

What surprised me a bit for a game of this calibre was the copious amount of bugs. Sony has already released a patch which is supposed to address some of them, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to check all of them. The bugs were incredibly varied. Aloy kept trying to collect invisible things, an issue which could only be resolved with a reboot. Secondly, the audio track was missing from a cutscene. At the end, the music had stopped completely – and no, I didn’t deactivate it by mistake. If this had been intended as a stylistic device, that’d be another kettle of fish.

At another location, I couldn’t get back into a building to complete a quest, forcing me to revert to my last saved checkpoint. It was also odd to end up in a sunken room. First, I got stuck in the wall, then all the doors were locked and I couldn’t climb back out. After reverting to my last saved checkpoint, I noticed I shouldn’t even have been able to reach that room yet. In fact, it was supposed to be out of reach under water. I suppose I was somehow glitched into it.

Fortunately, because the game creates autosaves, this isn’t a big deal and most of it should be fixed by launch.

My verdict: good game, but I expect more

If I’m moaning a lot, it’s because «Horizon Zero Dawn» was so outstanding that I had high expectations for the sequel. These expectations were only partially met. Visually, «Horizon Forbidden West» is an absolute knockout – and for me, one of the strongest incentives to get out and explore the game world. I’ll never get tired of the lush landscapes and the impressive lighting effects at different times of the day.

The tribal settlements are also extremely creative, with vivid designs. Each tribe has its own unique identity. It’s just too bad that they don’t bring this vitality out into the world beyond their fences.

The battles against the machines are still impressive, although not quite up to the standard of the first instalment. There’s nothing like a 30-metre-long crocodile swimming past you or getting charged by a mammoth as big as a house to fire up your enthusiasm. The fights are frenetic, full of explosions, and are a lot of fun. They’re just a little too frequent and could involve some more tactical thinking.

The biggest weakness is the story and the motivation that comes with it. Aloy remains a one-dimensional, lonely world saviour. The threat is more or less the same as in part one and the game runs for long stretches without suspense. It wasn’t until the end that I felt compelled to find out where the story was going. Before that, it lacked any kind of drama. The level and upgrade systems didn’t motivate me much either, so for long periods I wasn’t really gripped.

The bottom line is that «Horizon Forbidden West» looks stunning, but the gameplay and story don’t quite measure up. Although I enjoyed this leisurely monster safari, the memory of it might fade away more quickly than that of Aloy’s first adventure.

What were the new story’s sidekicks’ names again?

«Horizon Forbidden West» is available on PS4 and PS5. I tested a PS5 pre-release version provided to me by Sony.

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