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Today’s gate has a large Do Not Enter sign, indicating that immediate opening is prohibited. Banned. Taboo, even. But it’s hard to see why, as it opens to reveal a stunning sunset view, interrupted only by the roar of a mechanical woolly mammoth.
is it. Horizon forbidden west!
James: Structurally, I think Horizon Forbidden West belongs in a collection of factory-produced map markers that can be associated with some French-based printing houses.
I also think this is unfair nonsense. From top to bottom, HFW is crafted with thoughtfulness and care, turning what could have been a lackluster PlayStation sequel into a master class. Take in that open world itself. Aside from being a gorgeous, hand-crafted, vista-rich collage of biomes that’s distinct in feel and look, it’s also useful for beautifying the people and locations with meaty side missions. Often when these are set on “fight robot dinosaurs” objectives, the action is less about satisfying quests and advancing character arcs or solving some new tribal intrigue.
Fighting robot dinosaurs is fun in itself. Partly because of the beasts: I love their carbon fiber muscles or the ever-spinning chainsaw-teeth detailing on some of these deadly predators. But mainly because there’s something inherently satisfying about skinning a future mechasaurus with a bow and arrow. The forbidden west leans more towards this Horizon Zero Dawn Adding a few new hyper-agile machines is a great way to boost your enemy attack and expand your toolkit.
(There’s a new skirmish hook that I remember finding sadly unused in the base game when I first played it on PS5 in 2022. However, the PC version’s inclusion of the Burning Shores DLC means you can add the expanded combat applications to your inventory. As you can see, my favorite: an incredibly fun fight-to-jump-attack for broken machines It became my final journey.)
In an age where trust in AAA games is fueled by underdeveloped games, predatory monetization, and lackluster or tiresome storytelling, perhaps more budget ventures should look at how Forbidden West does things. It’s broad without spreading itself too thin, it’s confident without losing its sense of wonder and, perhaps most impressively, it knows exactly when to throw in heartwarming drama scenes and when to send you off. Not an easy balance to strike, I think.
Head Back to the advent calendar To open another door!
