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Horizon Zero Dawn (HZD) has a very whimsical, yet interesting concept that can be boiled down to: local cave-woman fight robotic dinosaurs in a destroyed world. Does this open-world product live up to its premise? Let's dive in.

Pros
- A beautiful, destroyed world
- Unforgettable post-apocalyptic story
- Huge variety of enemies
- Brilliant combat system
- Tons of entertaining side activities
Cons
- Choices presented are mostly meaningless

Gameplay

Graphics-wise, this is a damn gorgeous piece of art, which is to be expected from a former Playstation exclusive title. The world feels alive with its alluring scenery and vibrant color palette. With different biomes available to traverse, you will never get bored of exploring. I highly recommended turning off the HUD elements for maximum immersion.
HZD follows a similar structure to most open-world games, being a large sandbox with plenty of fun distractions. Of course, the main activity lies within fighting the machines with the game’s excellent combat system. With more than 20 types of enemies to fight against, each one has its unique behaviors and weaknesses that you can exploit. For instance, machines that detect your position can be prevented by destroying their tracking component while large opponents have mounted ranged weapons that you can detach and use against them.
Moreover, you are given a plethora of deadly tools to fight the machines. Starting with the humble but versatile basic bow, new equipment and more powerful variants of the previous ones will be available as you steadily level up such as the ropecaster (tie-up enemies) and tearblaster (rip components off). Even the bow comes in three distinct types and nine unique arrows.
Fighting robots is not the only source of fun here. Tons of optional side content is provided for you to enjoy. Thirsty for human blood? Liberate a bandit camp. Want to challenge and time yourself? Go to a Hunting Ground. Desire to help people? Do errands for them. There is no shortage of quests available for you to tackle. Some of them even gives you special rewards that cannot be obtained through other methods.
Apart from that, management plays a big part in everything you do as inventory is limited. Resources come in many shapes and sizes, and if you have too much, you have to sell some of them. Crafting ammo is something you will be doing frequently, and the more powerful ones require costs more to make. Thankfully, the game is pretty generous in providing you loot that can be scavenged from fallen machines, humans and the occasional ancient debris.

Story

In an unfamiliar time, the world has seemingly been plunged into darkness. Humans, while still existing, now live as primitive tribes with distinctive customs and beliefs. To make matters worse (or confusing), the unkempt wilds are filled with animal-like machines of unknown origins that are hostile to mankind. You are Aloy, a woman that was born outside the tribe as an outcast. As she is treated as a freak of nature by her tribe due to not having a mother, her only friend is his surrogate father, Rost. Being taught how to survive physically and emotionally by him, Aloy embarks on a thrilling adventure across the lands to find the truth behind her existence, and potentially change the world in the process.
HZD does a magnificent job of introducing you to the game’s premise without being too overwhelming. The world-building trickled out slowly at first but gradually expands as you progress through the storyline. Besides that, it is also thick with lore thanks to the enormous amounts of story collectibles that shed light on the world that came before. For the most part, it did fairly well in balancing between a ‘chosen one’ plot and a coming-of-age story for Aloy.
Unfortunately, the game’s ‘choices system’ falls flat on its face. While you are given three choices at certain points (to be sympathetic, smart, or cruel), it does nothing of value apart from barely changing a few lines of dialogue. The story beats remain the same with a single ending. Sometimes, you can decide to spare or kill certain characters, but even those have little to no repercussions towards Aloy’s journey.
The Rest

Every machine usually has one of the following major weaknesses: fire (deals continuous damage), freeze (slows movement and amplifies damage), and electric (stuns enemies).
Most weapons and outfits can be equipped with modifications to increase their effectiveness. The higher the gear level, the more slots you have.
Wild animals can be found and hunted for their meat, skin, and bone. These are used to craft health potions or to expand your inventory.
After a certain point, you will gain the ability to ride certain machines as mounts. They are an excellent way to travel the world quickly without fast travel.
Leveling up gives you one skill point that can be used in the skill tree. Some are basic upgrades like faster reloading while others are game-changing such as the ability to perform silent kills.


Stats

Playtime: It took me around 90 hours to complete the base game on Normal difficulty and an additional 20 hours for the DLC.
Replayability: Very much so, especially if you are interested in the grueling Ultra Hard difficulty as picking that option significantly changes the mechanics and enemy AI.
Achievements: 79 of them. Most of them can be earned simply by doing quests and the optional stuff.

Verdict

HZD is a shining example of triple A game done right. The world is mesmerizing, the gameplay is solid, and the storyline is enjoyable. For me, the highlight is the combat system; easy to learn yet hard to master. Therefore, I recommend Horizon Zero Dawn.
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