I think deep down I thought it would prove to be overrated and that's why I left it so long. An open-world game from a developer unproven at making open worlds? Nah, I thought. Well, I was wrong. What I really didn't expect was for this game to scratch the post-apocalyptic itch I've had since I finished Fallout 4. The setting is beautiful and the moments where you stumble across remnants of our lost civilization are deeply affecting, thanks to the score which, in a similar way to Red Dead II's soundtrack, kicks in quietly without you really noticing at first.
The combat is spot-on, and I'm loving the machines. More so than the humans, actually. If I could fault the game (and this is nitpicking a bit) I'd say the voices of the various humans aren't quite right. They're a bit too present-day, for example I came across one guy in the middle of the desert who spoke with a thick New York accent, and it was a bit jarring. I was expecting him to shout "hey, I'm walking here" at Aloy when I stepped across his path.
I'm planning to play it all the way to platinum, taking in the Frozen Wilds along the way. I could possibly see the gameplay loop becoming repetitive, but it hasn't happened yet and maybe it never will. The encounters with the various machines are far too fun and the approaches too varied for it to become stale any time soon.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 Good to hear! It’s a rare thing when a highly touted game like that can live up to expectations. I played at launch, so I didn’t have any hype that had built up. I will say that I ran aground for a few months in the middle, I think the world was so big and I got a little bit of open world fatigue, so I went back and finished it several months later. When I returned is when I actually really appreciated it more. For one, I was trying to be too restricted in my combat approach and wasn’t exploring all the available options at first. Once I got crazy with using trip wires, rope casters, bombs, different arrows and ammo, etc, etc. - then the game really resonated with me better and my enjoyment ramped up. The enemies toward the latter part get pretty tough, which was another reason I was forced to use all the tools in the arsenal, so that helped make it fun. It sounds like you’ve caught on though already and the combat is unlikely to get stale on you. I enjoyed it right up to the end.
The story also becomes stronger toward the last third also, and once I made it over a mid-story lull, it ramps up nicely toward a really stellar conclusion, imo.
It’s fun to hear your thoughts, since you are a pretty late adopter. But sometimes it’s best to play a game when you’re mentally ready to enjoy it. There are benefits to both being on the front end and also to being able to enjoy it at your own pace when the buzz dies down.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution Yeah, I've been mixing it up nicely with the combat options, except for the ropecaster which I took off my weapon wheel and subsequently forgot about until I rediscovered it on Friday. I've been surprised at the difficulty actually. In a good way.
The story is good without quite grabbing me just yet, but there is that bubbling feeling that it is all about to kick off. I've not advanced the main plot to be fair (at level 31 but not reached Meridian yet), instead I've been clearing areas as I go - bandit camps, cauldrons, whatever it throws at me really. I've enjoyed the side-missions I've encountered, especially the one with the village in the mountains where the machines are all tame.
Of course, everyone knows this, because I think I'm the last person on here to play it!
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
One thing I would like to see fixed in the next game is less audio files. They sometimes throw a bunch of them in a room for story telling, and you're just sitting there, hoping for interesting plot points to be revealed. But it doesn't make for fun or good gameplay IMO. It should be integrated more seamlessly, and maybe less files close together in a room, so you can keep moving.
@Octane God, that’s a game mechanic I hate, especially when they’re missable (and even more so if they’re purposefully hidden).
Nothing will ever top MGS5 for that; having to find a quiet corner to hide in to listen to a ten minute cassette about hamburgers was not my idea of fun.
You're level 31 and you aren't at Meridian yet @Gremio108?! I think I was half that in my first runthrough 😅
Glad to hear you're enjoying it though! I played it about a year after it released and I was concerned I wouldn't enjoy it as much either. Easily my favourite game out of Sony's output this gen
I think Push Square's review of Horizon was also the first time I'd heard of the site...
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
Audio files in general are an incredibly lazy method of story-telling. Sort of an evolution of the hand-written notes you'd find scattered around in Resident Evil, although even that usually showed more signs of creativity (I forget the context, but I really liked the diary where each entry became more animalistic as the T-virus gradually destroyed the researcher's mind).
@Gremio108 The game's combat became instantly forgettable whenever humans were involved. The game's mechanics are built around fights with the robots, and it shows.
Currently Playing: Fields of Mistria (PC); Cookie Clicker (PC); Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC); Overboard! (PC)
@Flaming_Kaiser Don't get me wrong, I do listen to them! I just go and get a cup of coffee because I know I won't be moving Aloy around much for a few minutes
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
Did anyone else find The Frozen Wilds quite tricky? These 'Daemonic' versions of the machines are kicking my backside quite a bit. Thank God I've got this shield-weaver armour, or I might have to actually use some medicine.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 Yeah, the DLC is tricky. Those polar bear machines are definitely harder than a Thunderjaw. But you'll get the hang of it. I still think that preparation is key. I used to set dozens of traps and then lure the enemy around the battlefield into the traps I set beforehand.
I still find those robots that burrow under the ground to be way harder than anything in the DLC thus far. The daemonic frostclaws are a bit aggressive, but an upgraded Forgefire will melt them like butter.
Oh, btw, if anyone is struggling to find enough blaze for the Forgefire, I recommend using harvest arrows on grazers. The blast wire challenge in the first hunting grounds is a great way to farm a ton of blaze containers quickly.
Just equip sneaky-sneak armor, silently stealth kill the grazers, then shoot off the containers on their backs one at a time with those harvest arrows. You'll get 24 blaze per machine.
@RogerRoger@Octane I'm playing on normal, which has been just the right side of challenging so far. I think I'm getting the hang of these enemies by now (read: spamming the ropecaster) but yeah it all got a bit Dark Souls in that canyon at the start of the DLC.
The problem I seem to have in this game is that if I unequip a weapon for a bit, such as the trip wires, I forget about it. Not a problem I usually have. I must be getting old.
@Ralizah I found the underground guys manageable until there were two of them, then they were an absolute nightmare. There was a corruption zone with two of them and I had to come back to it after I'd got my fancy armour.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 Trip wires are the best! Seriously. I once OHKO'd one of those big birds (not the smaller ones) by setting up a big net of explosive trip wires near a cliff. I stood underneath it, lured the bird with an arrow, it flew into it, exploded and it was death. At that moment I realised nothing is impossible. Trip wires are the solution to life.
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