Horizon Forbidden West – Story

The events of the game take place a few weeks after the events of the first part. Our heroine wants to start GAIA in order to be able to stop the plague that is destroying the reborn nature. So he decided to find Sylens . So he went to the West to face the unknown world, full of new machines and threats. She will have to take part in civil wars, save old familiar faces, and meet new allies. Not only will she be accompanied, as seen in the jamming games, Varl and Erend , but there will also be new allies, such as Zo or others . Aloy has moments of sadness and happiness during this journey, because the plot is so well directed. At least until the last assignment – because there were some annoying things that revealed I didn’t quite like it.However, I don’t want to reveal the details – you have to figure it out for yourself.

There are also minor (and larger) references to the events of the first part and the game expansion, so it’s worth remembering the story and solving side questions there to appreciate the creators’ contribution to creating all these links.

Additional missions play an important role in expanding the player’s knowledge of the world, or help to get better equipment and collect points to improve our heroine. Fortunately, these tasks are not always just “go to point A and kill the machines” – so we will find lost characters, save destroyed villages, decide the fate of settlements … But it must also be honestly admitted that many tasks are exactly the same as in the first part – go to X, activate focus, follow traces, save/kill…

Plus, there are giraffes to discover, ancestral ruins to explore and loot, and additional collectibles and bandit camps to clear. So there is a lot to do, and the number of points to explore on the map can be overwhelming at first. You just have to remember that getting to some places and solving some collectible / side quests will become possible only at the end of the game, after we figure out all the necessary skills and get the right equipment.

In some missions, Aloy will face choices – as in the previous part, our heroine can be guided by strength, reason or feelings. Unfortunately, these choices have no bearing on the ending, but only on the way to the final mission and some major plot elements. There is only one end to the game.

Our heroine herself has grown up strong. No longer easily deceived by NPCs, he can get his own way and stick to his own code. In addition, she is the teacher who opens the eyes of the chosen characters to the lessons of destroying the ancient world. They are more mature, stronger, more intelligent… It is still unacceptable to sacrifice human life unnecessarily to achieve the goal above corpses. However, at the same time, he will do everything necessary to reveal the terrible secrets on which the fate of the world depends. Only she will do it her own way.

Villagers react to us differently after certain events in the plot. Although they initially treat Aloy as an outsider, they begin to appreciate her, and we hear comments praising her accomplishments, etc.

The West Forbidden Horizon – Enemies

The West is full of new machines from the boilers of Hephaestus. So we will meet not only the old and well-known opponents of the first part. Detectors were replaced by Norniki, there were also flying machines such as SolarPtak and Sliders. However, my favorite opponent is the powerful mechanical war elephant, associated with mumakil from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And here we must commend the Polish translators who made Mumakiel from TremorTusk . Each opponent has his weaknesses that we can unlock, and do more damage. At higher difficulty levels, you also need to use traps and arrows that deal frost damage, acid, fire, etc. Without it, battles with more powerful machines will be short-lived and will not go our way.In addition, it is worth learning more pots. Thanks to them, we will be able to control machines and use them in combat or as vehicles. Yes, at the end of the game Aloy will also be able to fly.

In addition, we also fight people who are well armed and protected by armor, who also ride machines and use heavy weapons.

Learn about the forbidden tribes of the West

The Forbidden West is inhabited by several tribes – including the Otaru and Tenakh. Each of them has a different mindset. Otaru are peaceful farmers who live in the same rhythm with nature, while T enakh are strong warriors, similar to the law of marines and old soldiers from times of war with machines. Aloy will have to earn their respect and help solve the Civil War.

In addition, there are two more factions, the presence of which will be a huge surprise for both the players and our heroine. But I don’t want to spoil your fun by revealing your identity.

Horizon Forbidden West – Gameplay, weapons and combat system

The game, like the previous part, is a “sandbox”, that is, an open world. I’m more open than before, because not only do we get more ground, but Aloy also learned how to dive and rock climb. It is not yet an accessible world as in Assassin’s Creed or Ghost of Tsushima , where you can climb every house or rock, here we can only climb to those levels that the creators of the game gave us access to. Sure, our heroine can do a lot more than before

The mechanics also remained largely the same – for the completed main and side quests and for the next level of experience, Aloy gets special points, which we spend on character trees, making it easier for us to control machines, hunt, set traps, fight, etc. Each skill costs a lot, and it is not possible to fully master all the trees in one game.

Each tree gives us special abilities “charged | during combat. When we fill a special bar, we can use abilities such as faster separation of machine elements or better critical hits. In more difficult battles, our success depends on choosing and using these abilities at the right time. Also the ability to hide in Tall grass, which makes it easier to approach enemies or lose the chase – you can also deceive enemies by diving into the depths of lakes.

When it comes to weapons , our primary killing equipment is the bow and spear. During its journey, Aloy will equip the Spear with new units that allow it access to ruins that were previously blocked. Braces can be found at merchants. The further west you go, the more powerful the weapons on offer. They can also be modified – except that to upgrade the most powerful missile weapons, you will have to kill the most powerful monsters to use their parts.

In addition to machine parts, Aloy can also collect plants and kill game meat and “parts”. Pieces of animals will be used to magnify shivers and plants and meat must be taken to the chefs in the settlements, then they will prepare special dishes that will improve our heroine’s stats.

The combat system looks similar to the previous part – the focus mode brings the enemy closer and allows you to shoot the most sensitive parts of the machine (after scanning them with focus), and if you shorten the distance, the spear will be triggered. Finally, we can use it to deliver powerful combinations of blows to break enemy defenses, or attack several opponents simultaneously – just do it well at the right speed (which we can practice on the wrestling arenas). Well, unless we play on lower difficulty levels, where it is enough to press the attack button and “hit like a fall”. The enemy will die quickly anyway.

At higher levels, you have to think about how to beat your enemies in Horizon Forbidden West. All kinds of traps, bombs and all the remaining additional weapons that will allow you to eliminate the enemy without a fight will be useful. You can also sneak up on smaller and weaker devices, wait for the right moment and launch a stealth attack that takes out the enemy.

Horizon Forbidden West – Graphics, Performance, and File Size

Forbidden West is a game that requires a lot of space. Installation takes up to 96 GB . With the PS5 disc , which gives us 667GB of space, you’ll have to consider finding space for this game – and with subsequent titles taking up the same space, it’s worth considering expanding the space on the PS5 with an SSD.

The game looks great. It can work at 4K/30FPS and 60FPS at lower resolutions. I tested it with the best graphics quality. Despite 30 frames per second, there are no problems with the smoothness of the game. The whole world is also instantly available – no reading, data uploading, etc. It also takes a few seconds for the game itself to load. Even when we’re flying high, Aloy’s eyesight covers a good portion of the map, there’s no fluency issue at all, nothing jumping, nothing crawling…

The terrain itself, when seen up close, looks perfect. Lush plants, gorgeous building materials (the impression when you see the Golden Gate and other major buildings in San Francisco or Vegas is amazing), and the machinery looks great. Our heroine looks a little older as well. I was pleased with Aloe’s hair , which has its own physical form. When we jump, run or swim, this long red hair behaves very realistically. The underwater world also looks great – refractions of light, air bubbles, motions of vegetation, Guerilla pulled just about everything from the game engine and PS5.

When it comes to sound, I recommend headphones that support 3D audio – like the Razer Kaira or the Krakeny v3. They provide a much better audio experience than good speakers like the Samsung Q950T.

Surround sound allows us to fully hear, for example, which side the current is flowing, where the animals are running from and where the hostile machines are. Approaching the giraffe, we can feel the ground trembling, and Jeko’s strong footsteps can be heard even from a distance of several hundred steps. During the fight you can hear the calls of enemies or the sounds of machines. You have to hear it for yourself, but Guerilla really did it.

Horizon Forbidden West is not a revolution, the discovery of a new way to play, mechanics, or the introduction of a new combat system. This is a game very similar to the previous part, based on all known open world game units. Its strength lies elsewhere, though – it has a great story, full of twists and turns and moments when we say “wow.” It is also fun for fans of the first part, which allows you to learn about the further fate of the world, new regions and tribes in Forbidden West.

Fans of sandbox games and fans of Zero Dawn will be delighted. Those who love a good story shouldn’t be disappointed either. The game is also a visual and auditory hit – Guerilla really did its best to work. For me, this is one of the must-play PS5 games.