‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ launches on February 28 + impressions

Guerilla Games reimagined the future as a battlefield with interplanetary factions through their generation-spanning Killzone series on the PlayStation 2 through 4. With a new IP on the “horizon,” Guerilla Games is painting a new, more post-apocalyptic vision of the uncertain future in the upcoming launch title, Horizon Zero Dawn.

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Horizon Zero Dawn is an action role playing game where you play as Aloy, a skilled huntress surviving in a vibrant and lush world inhabited by mysterious and often feral mechanized creatures. In this thriving world, the machines have taken over but not quite in the treacherous Terminator sense. The world is taken over by these mysterious animal-like machines. Humans in this world have regressed back to tribal communities.

Sony gave me a sneak peak of this thrilling game before it launched. Here are my thoughts:

• True to its form, Horizon Zero Dawn is a role-playing game in the strictest sense. It’s a third-person over-the-shoulder shooter with a multitudinous selection of ranged and close combat weaponry. There’s a tech tree to acquire new skills and perks. The environment is hazardous so you’re really drawn to the role of a survivor and huntress.

• This game is absolutely beautiful. The interior architecture and the vast landscapes are expertly crafted. It feels similar if not even better to the graphically-acclaimed Witcher 3. Besides texture quality, the character design is gorgeous. Aloy’s character models looks very realistic, especially her (and everyone else’s) eyes.

• Voice acting isn’t exactly up to par with how gorgeous it is, however. Aloy’s was workable but there were a few minor characters whose voice performances just fell flat and unnatural for me. I have to wonder if it’s because of civilization’s regression to simpler climes, but still, you can only go so far with that excuse.

• The gameplay and the controls are fluid. If you’ve played RPGs before, then Horizon Zero Dawn’s controls and mechanics are familiar. Players familiar with the system should have no problem acclimating within the game’s learning curve. We were limited to just two chapters of the story, but I feel like I have a good grasp of the game mechanics already, except the weapons I haven’t seen yet.

• Because I was limited to just the two starting chapters, I can’t comment too much on the story. The little that I did see, however, flowed coherently. It shows promise in how the story flows from point A to B without feeling as if you’re rushed into anything.

Horizon Zero Dawn launches on February 28^th exclusively on the PS4.