New year, new me for not only us individuals but for the games industry as well. By that, I mean the games industry will continue with the same bad habits it developed in past years. In this case, it will continue to vomit up open-world games at an alarming rate. As my eyes gaze at the release schedule, I am filled with dread as opening the map will cause an avalanche of map-markers to come crashing down. I am not opposed to open-world games; I just don’t like when I am forced to commute from one copy and paste mission to another. I have enjoyed many open-world games such as Spider-man and Ghost of Tsushima. Both games are guilty of having copy-pasted elements, but getting around is so enjoyable, I am often just happy to be living in that space. So will the new crop of games live up to the low bar I have set? Well with Horizon Forbidden West recently released, it seems like an opportune time to review the previous title: Horizon Zero Dawn.
Our story focuses on a young girl named Aloy. She is outcasted by her tribe in a post-apocalyptic world. Lush green vines overtake the crumbling ruins of old buildings. Hostile robots reassembling dinosaurs and wild beasts stalk the land. Technology is almost alien to Aloy and her people. She is given the chance to compete in a tournament to be welcomed back into the tribe. Unfortunately, catastrophe strikes, and rather than be welcomed into the tribe, Aloy must venture out to discover the secrets of the world and her own birth.
I find focusing the story on Aloy and then slowly branching the story out into the world to be an effective means of storytelling. Too often games are willing to vomit up confusing exposition with factions and characters that I haven’t even got to grips with. Aloy, being an outcast most of her life, is learning all this information at the same rate as we are. It is as if the two of us are piecing together a puzzle at the same time. Aloy is certainly among the better video game protagonists to be completing a puzzle with. Despite growing up with nothing, she is never bitter or resentful, but determined and kind. So many video game characters start to grate over time; thinking you BJ from Wolfenstein II and your constant whining. Aloy, on the other hand, has been a joy to have along this journey.
However, it doesn’t mean the story is free from issues. As someone who tends to do a large chunk of the story missions before I tackle the side content in an open-world game, it is quite frustrating to see Aloy confused about something she learned in a story mission. For example, I completed a story mission that explained the machines are created at cauldrons, small factories designed to produce more machines. I noticed visiting one of these cauldrons was a side activity scattered across the land. I decided to venture to one, and the whole time Aloy was murmuring in confusion; completely bewildered on the purpose of the cauldron despite learning its purpose mere missions ago. Now, this isn’t really a critique of the writing in Horizon Zero Dawn. Hell, this isn’t even a major critique. This is more a criticism of storytelling within open-world games, and how frustrating it can be as a fan of narrative within the media of games. I do struggle to see a solution for a situation like this, but if the industry insists on gorging itself on open-world games, I think fans of narrative deserve a solution.
The disconnected narrative isn’t the only open-world trend that I really wish the game industry would get over. The trend of littering your map with so many map markers has me completely apathetic, and Horizon Zero Dawn certainly has a map that would make even Ubisoft blush. Despite being developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony, they seemed to chain themselves to the same rock that has Ubisoft’s formula etched into it. A map spewing icons for the main story, side mission, errands, bandit camps, hunt missions, cauldrons, and infected robots. Some of this side content is unique; a prime example is the group of shamans who discovered a way to live peacefully with the robots. It is even pretty innovative that the series’s iconic Tallneck machine acts as a Ubisoft-style radio tower and it is up to you to figure out how to climb up it Shadow of the Colossus-style. However, a lot of the other side content is very familiar to those who frequent the open world, resulting in a mixed bag of open-world activities.
First, let’s focus on the main sideshow attraction in Horizon Zero Dawn is the ability to fight giant mechanical monstrosities. The giant mechanical beasts that wander the savage land. Each one feels uniquely designed to be both eloquent and fierce, as if Steve Jobs was in charge of creating apex predators. From the small wiry Watcher to the ground-shaking colossal Rockbreaker, each one holds nothing back when you’re in their sights. Even the straightforward Striders and Grazers can catch you off guard if you’re not paying attention. Yet every machine has crisp clear movements that allow you to make split-second dodges and pierce attacks. It is certainly a rush that fans of Monster Hunter will recognize.
If you would rather not depend on your reflexes, Horizon Zero Dawn gives you the option to use your wits to approach fights. You can scan a monster to have its weak points and elemental weaknesses exposed. From there you can set up traps and craft specific ammo to take advantage of a machine’s weakness. You can shoot off turrets or canisters to not only do massive damage but render the beasts unable to perform specific attacks. The system feels rewarding to those who play smart, but not overbearing if you prefer to brawl with the machines like they’re a Dark Souls boss.
I initially wished Horizon Zero Dawn was designed to have levels, where I venture from combat arena to combat arena fighting different combinations of machines. I imagine a game like 2016’s Doom, but fighting robot dinosaurs rather than hellish demons. I did eventually find the open world allowed for more organic gameplay scenarios. I recall one time I was fighting a pair of machines resembling ostriches, called Longlegs. In an attempt to avoid this fire attack they could create within their wings, I accidentally stumbled into a herd of bull-like Chargers mid-fight. The battle continued to rage on as I was dodging Charger stampedes and swipes from the Longlegs. Just as I was able to get the Longlegs down, I backed into a group of hunters trying to take down some mechanical birds, known as Glinthawks, that saw me as their prey. I walked away victorious and humble. An encounter like that would never be possible with Doom-style levels, but only within an open world. That reason alone, gives Horizon Zero Dawn, some justification in being an open-world title.
Unfortunately, almost everything else in the open-world of Horizon Zero Dawn weighs it down with so much bloat it could be mistaken for a Ubisoft title.
Human enemies have neither the care nor design that the machines were given. Whether it’s a bandit camp or a well-written side mission, you will walk away seething at having to fight another group of generic human enemies. The number of arrows I wasted trying to shoot these enemies would make a forest weep. These enemies will not only take multiple shots to the head with epic-level weapons before they go down but also have awful hit detection. So an enemy that can take two shots to the head, needs three shots because the game decided the second shot was totally not fair and doesn’t count. Enemy archers can instantly draw a bead on you and many times had a group of archers kill me within seconds. At first, I tried to use the very basic stealth tools the game laid at my feet, but it became very tedious to sit in a bush and whistle every enemy to my location. I eventually just resorted to lobbing fire grenades at them, because most of the time they just stood in the flames. What I will never seem to understand is why is time being invested into creating these enemies when you are trying to sell a game about fighting robot dinosaurs. You waste both my time and the developer’s time. You could have devs working on more robot monster designs and you could have me fighting them. These stock human enemies only detract from the game’s strength.
Another thing that causes me to give one of those sighs that come out of your nose is the crafting system. Yes, many open-world games, like Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima, have crafting systems you can engage with to upgrade your gear or craft new cosmetics, but none have felt so intrusive as Horizon Zero Dawn. Yes, it completely makes sense that someone like Aloy would be able to craft her arrows, health potions, resistance potions, and any other items she would need on the trail. Unfortunately, the frequency at which you need to craft items is nauseating. I always made sure to prioritize upgrading my bags first. I always made sure every animal I saw was shot and skinned. Even still, I felt like I spent half of the game in the menus crafting items. Yes, you can craft items from the weapons wheel, but the wheel felt so finicky, that I felt more comfortable crafting in the menus.
One time, I decided to stock up on supplies to prepare for a story mission. After half an hour of picking flowers, I soon ran into a group of hunters fighting a rather tanky group of robotic crabs called Shell-Walkers. I could tell the Shell-Walkers were going to slaughter the hunters. Every cell in my body told me to keep riding, I wasn’t going to save them. Yet somehow I felt compelled to try and rescue them from obvious peril. Within seconds of jumping in the group of hunters were laying dead and I was quick to join them soon after. Immediately rage began to set in. Not from dying, but from the game setting me back half an hour BEFORE I had stocked up on all my resources. All the healing items I had collected were instantly gone. At that point, I decided I didn’t want to pick another single flower despite how desperately I needed the healing. In a quiet huff, I fast traveled to the story mission’s location.
Whether you think I am just bad at the game or merely was unlucky, I find the crafting system in Horizon Zero Dawn does not enrich the experience. Ghost of Tsushima never breaks my sword and Spider-man never runs out of web fluid, so why am I being asked to craft arrows to kill a Thunderjaw. Developers need to start looking at these systems and asking “does this really improve our games?”
What really doesn’t improve your game is giving me a massive map and asking me to go back and forth across it for story missions. This is especially a sin when the means of travel in this game is frustrating. Early on Aloy learns she has the power to override a couple of the robotic creatures and use them like a horse. To obtain one of these, you need to find a pack of tamable machines, sit in the tall grass, whistle one over, and hope it doesn’t take half an hour to walk over. From there, you can override the machine turning it into a mount that takes forever to gain speed, is impossible to stop, and will die trying to fight for you in combat. Numerous times, my new robotic friend would get clawed to death by a Sawtooth, or randomly go missing after a story mission. Each time this happened, I would begrudgingly wander over to another patch of tall grass to repeat the process. The only way to get around this is to spend nine skill points to unlock the ability to always have a mount available. Even with the mount, story missions are usually on the opposite sides of the maps, causing me to fast travel so often I lost count. Honestly, I find the mark of a good open-world is one where you don’t want to fast travel but merely exist in the world. So losing track of how often I fast traveled is, in my opinion, a death sentence for an open-world game.
I really tried to let Horizon Zero Dawn grow on me. I felt the framework of an excellent title was there between hunting the machines and Aloy herself. However, fighting all the humans, the crafting, and not having a dependable way to get around the world just weigh the title down. As I slog through the menus and bandit camps of Horizon Zero Dawn, I couldn’t help but wish I was playing an open-world game that respected my time like Ghost of Tsushima. I went back and rewatched the gameplay trailer for Horizon Forbidden West hoping it would kindle some excitement for the series. Unfortunately, the open-world monotony quickly extinguished that spark of hope and left me feeling full on Horizon games. If you have a tolerance for this open-world design, then you will certainly enjoy Horizon Zero Dawn. Personally, I can’t stomach this open-world design and my patience with it has been steadily eroded over the years.
As I stand here, holding my copy of Horizon Forbidden West, I can’t help but feel it would be best to try other games and put the game back on the shelf for another time. Some time between titles is sorely needed. Also, there are certainly other open-world games looming over that horizon.
