Horizon Zero Dawn is the debut project of the Dutch company Guerrilla Games in the field of action/RPG computer games. The reviewed game promises gamers an open world in a very unusual setting, excellent graphics and a breathtaking storyline.
The remnants of humanity lead a primitive way of life, united in tribes of hunters and gatherers. In this new wild world, they have to contend with machines – formidable mechanical creatures whose origins are shrouded in the darkness of mystery.
We have to play for Alloy – a young outcast from the local Nora tribe. The girl stands out for her courageous character and extraordinary curiosity, which allows her to quickly gain respect from the people around her.
Together with Alloy, the player will travel the world of Horizon Zero Dawn, helping local communities, hunting animals and machines, as well as fighting enemies and learning the secrets of the Forerunners.
Gameplay
Horizon Zero Dawn is a third-person Action/RPG game with all the ensuing consequences: an open world, a character leveling system, collecting resources, crafting items, etc.
Going at a mechanical enemy with bare fists is an extremely stupid idea, so the developers awarded Alloy with a combat bow, slingshot and spear. If this is not enough for the player.
then you can use booby traps and a rope thrower, with which you can nail the enemy to the ground. Most weapons are equipped with various types of ammunition – for example, you can shoot enemies with a bow, regular, fire or paralyzing arrows. The spear is a bit simpler – it is used for close combat, as well as for reprogramming machines and other objects.
An additional and very useful tool for combat is a visor – a kind of scanner with which you can find the vulnerabilities of opponents and see objects even through walls. Actually, scanning enemies with a visor is almost the most important gameplay feature.
A typical fight in Horizon Zero Dawn looks something like this: Alloy can see through the enemy with a visor, reveal their vulnerabilities and, depending on this, use the right weapon and the right type of ammunition – often all this needs to be combined as quickly as possible.
Of course, the creators of Horizon Zero Dawn did not ignore the possibility of a stealth style of passage – Alloy can hide in the thickets of grass, distract enemies and neutralize them from behind. If the player does not want to engage in combat, he can simply bypass the enemy and hide over the horizon.
Of course, the developers of Horizon Zero Dawn gave the player the opportunity to develop the skills of his hero, which include the skills of a hunter, warrior, gatherer and traveler. Skill points are given to the player for completing various tasks and for destroying the enemy.
The equipment of the main character can be improved with the help of modifiers, each weapon can be equipped with up to three such enhancers – they can be picked up from fallen enemies. Unfortunately, it is impossible to knock out weapons and armor from defeated opponents.
The device of the game world and its content
The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is a sandbox with dynamic changes in weather conditions and time of day. The relief and nature of the game’s terrain is very diverse – Alloy will run through the deserts, climb rocks, freeze from the cold in snow-capped mountains and explore abandoned man-made complexes of the past. At what, without everyone’s there loading screens.
You can move among all this magnificence with the help of your two or riding a mechanical creature – yes, yes, our red-haired heroine can spud a couple of types of monsters. If the player does not want to waste time traveling, he can use fast travel. It will not work to move around the map endlessly, because each fast movement requires resources – usually you need a few twigs and a couple of pieces of animal meat. It will not be difficult to get all this goodness – the world of Horizon Zero Dawn is literally packed to capacity with the necessary resources. You can move between the discovered fires, settlements, hunting grounds and other objects.
Alloy can extract a variety of resources from defeated opponents, including metal shards, which act as game currency in the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. Having accumulated the required amount of resources, Alloy can buy a brand new dress or weapon from local merchants.
Of course, traveling around the world of Horizon Zero Dawn without adventure will not work – the player will certainly encounter camps of bandits, of which there are 7 in the game, and if possible, they must all be released.
And Alloy will also encounter amazing creatures – long necks – which, in their appearance, resemble hefty giraffes. On the head of such machines is a transmitter that hides from the player part of the map and the location of other objects – after hacking the Longneck, part of the map opens.
On the Horizon Zero Dawn map, you can find the so-called boilers – huge underground complexes, in the depths of which machines are born. As a rule, such objects are flavored with simple puzzles and a boss at the very end, and as a reward for passing, Alloy gets the opportunity to tame new types of machines.
