Horizon: Zero Dawn – An Impactful and Meaningful Journey
I was first shown footage of Horizon a couple of years ago. At the time, I knew nothing about it, and after seeing giant robotic dinosaur-looking creatures, I was a little hesitant (not being a big fan of the ancient reptiles). As a result, I pretty much forgot about it for a while. Around the end of summer 2016, it popped back up in my view, and after seeing more about it, I began to be much more interested. As the months creeped by, I became more and more anxious to get my hands on this game, even making the step to buy the collector’s edition (something I don’t usually do for a game that isn’t part of a franchise I’ve already played). Finally, the day arrived, and that big, glorious box was delivered to me by my best friend, The UPS man. I eagerly began, and this is what I found.
The Objective
Horizon: Zero Dawn (HZD) looks magnificent. The graphics are top notch, the animations are for the most part pretty solid, and the scenery is gorgeous. The main storyline dialogue is consistently good, although some of the side dialogue is a bit weak, but nothing so bad it detracts from the game. Aloy, our bold heroine, also realistically comments on things from time to time during standard gameplay, including mentions of the weather and exclamations of surprise when slipping down a hillside. Aloy herself is a fairly likeable character who is very rounded and dynamic. She’s quick to help a person in need, yet still retains her skepticism and anger for the tribe she grew up in. She’s also not afraid to speak her mind to pretty much anyone, including royalty, and sometimes doesn’t hesitate to assert the importance of her own mission over the wants of others. All of this certainly makes for an interesting protagonist that, honestly, seems pretty realistic. Moving on…
The action is fluid and exciting, with a variety of enemies and abilities to keep things interesting. The game offers a variety of weapons for the player to choose from, and aside from the hunter bow, the player can pretty much use whichever weapons they want. This allows for players to customize their battle to their preferences and specifications without forcing them to use certain weapons on certain enemies, a tried and true tactic that can become a bit stale. This also gives the player the opportunity to mix it up throughout the game if they do get tired of using certain weapons. The terrain is varied and interesting, from green and verdant valleys, to dry and dusty desert areas fraught with wind and dust storms. In addition to the visual scenery, the auditory scenery is just as vibrant and gorgeous, with a musical score composed of 80 tracks.
Despite all of the good, HZD does have a few, albeit pretty minor, flaws. The first is the introduction of certain weapons. As mentioned above, you can pretty much use whichever weapons you want, and as a result, the game doesn’t force you to obtain any of the weapons (with the exception of the tripcaster at the beginning of the game). Unfortunately, this resulted in me being somewhere north of level 30 with no idea how to obtain freeze or shock arrows, and ultimately, I had to go online to look it up after I needed them to complete a hunting ground trial. The only other thing I took issue with was the extent of the map. The map is huge, which is great, but I often found myself trying to access parts of the map that I could see in front of me, but that I could not actually get to because the edge of the game world would repel me and tell me to turn back. I have no problem with a clearly defined border on a game map with impassable geological features to keep you back, but when you can clearly see a perfectly accessible passage forward and the game tells you that you must turn around, it makes that very large map feel a bit closed.
The Subjective
HZD is a work of art in more ways than one. From the moment I pressed new game, I had a feeling I was in for a memorable journey. The stirring score (with excellent vocals), the graphics, the scenery, the characters, all of it comes together to make a beautiful game. Aloy is very relatable, and I often found myself very easily empathizing with her decisions and thoughts, which is a universality that can be very difficult to achieve. From the moment she was first shunned by a member of her tribe, I was invested in her journey. I felt for her, and I felt a paternal affection for Rost, a character who is present in the beginning, but not one that you really spend that much time with. I felt Aloy’s resentment toward her tribe, her skepticism of their religious beliefs, and also her search for knowledge and answers. Because, overall, aside from the gameplay and the graphics and the open world, HZD triumphs as an emotional and personal journey.
That emotional component doesn’t just apply to Aloy. There are a colorful and varied cast of side characters that Aloy runs into on her journey, from the homicidal bandit killer Nil, to the humble, yet commanding, Sun King Avad, HZD offers up an interesting assortment of people. I found myself wanting to do the sidequests, not out of necessity or my typical completionist approach, but because I felt a genuine desire to help these people in the game world (a desire that, as it turns out, is actually beneficial in the final battle). But the heart of the story is Aloy and her personal quest for answers about her past and origin, and, as a result, the story of a woman named Elisabet Sobek, who is very closely tied to the events that ended the world. I loved every minute of the game that I played, and I even got to the point where I was deliberately trying to stretch out my journey before going to the final battle.
Eventually, I did have to finish the game, and the payoff was a thrilling and dramatic battle with a bittersweet, satisfying, and emotional final scene. There is DLC planned for the game, and I honestly cannot wait to get back to that world. Aloy is a character that I hope is around for a long time, and judging by the mid-credits scene, I think there’s a very good chance there will be a second full installment in her journey.
