This may or may not be a hot take, but Horizon: Forbidden West was such a great expansion on Aloy's story and the overall franchise. Everything I enjoyed about Horizon: Zero Dawn was there, and everything I didn't enjoy was noticeably improved in this sequel.
The beloved satisfying battle mechanics, creative machine designs, and captivating story were all present in this game just as they were in HZD. Despite the striking similarities, I found myself using a WAY larger variety of weapons in this game as opposed to its predecessor. In HZD I really only used the iconic hunter bow--but in HFW I frequently used a mix of the hunter bow, a sharpshot bow (*Regalla's--subtle flex), my blastsling, and my spikethrower. I had a much better grasp on elemental effects and once I learned how to properly use the weapons, it was incredibly rewarding. The combat is extremely fast paced (GOOD THING! AMAZING THING!) and I had such a good time dodging and sprinting around whatever arena I was in.
* (Good time to flex that I did the tail end of Regalla's boss fight without taking a SINGLE hit? I was proud. I clipped it. I look pretty cool.)
Machine designs were also another staple in this game, specifically I'll site the "Slitherfang" and the "Tremortusk". Most, if not all, of the machines are designed with real animals or dinosaurs in mind, and I love that they were created to preserve the memory of the real animals (now completely wiped out). Also taking the opportunity to mention how goddamn cool the addition of overriding and flying on a Sunwing was. I felt so cool. Did I mention it was cool?
I enjoyed the story quite a bit. There were weaker spots, sure, but I absolutely love the idea of a world-wide threat in an existence like this. It allowed for the introduction of so many different tribes with different beliefs, and (more than likely) a member to represent them in Aloy's companion group. Aloy attempting the virtually impossible--uniting multiple rivalling tribes against a common threat--made for a very interesting story, and you KNOW I always love expanding on world lore through unique culture and religion.
Speaking of unique culture and religion in Horizon: Forbidden West, I LOVE when media in a distant futuristic setting (specifically apocalyptic I guess?) shows how humans interpret the actions or texts of our current society. Creating belief systems or faiths is so uniquely human, and I love the detail that it still continues thousands of years later. What are we, if not creatures of habit? A good example (and my favourite) is the Tenakth tribe. The battle tactic of attacking from above is exclusive to their tribe, and originates from their belief system--one that was created around holograms discovered of a group of fighter pilots named "The Ten". They attacked from the skies in jets, and the Tenakth incorporated that into their own fighting style (minus the fighter jets... but ropes work just fine!). I love this seeing the interpretation and faith created around things that are totally alien to these characters, but entirely familiar to me (and Aloy).
My biggest complaint with the previous game, Horizon: Zero Dawn, was the CRIMINAL lack of accessibility settings. Specifically, how hard climbable ledges were to find. I died way, WAY too many times by taking a leap of faith to a ledge only to fall to my death because it was only cosmetic. In Horizon: Forbidden West, a quick scanning ability was added (simple press of R3) that would temporarily highlight all objects you can interact with, INCLUDING the hellish ledges. This small addition (along with the ability to permanently turn these highlights on in the accessibility settings) was such a giant improvement for someone like me who struggled immensely. May or may not have blurted out "OH MY GOD THANK YOU" when the mechanic was introduced in the tutorial...
Now to bring up my FAVOURITE part of the game by far, and that's the companions. I felt so void of companions in HZD, to the point where I started to dislike Aloy for her "I'm doing this alone" mentality, only because mine was SO different. The beginning of HFW had me going for a bit... (The leaving Varl in the middle of the night because Aloy didn't want his help, specifically) but the game took a complete 180 later on, and I am so excited it did. Part of Aloy's character development throughout this instalment was learning to accept when she needs help, so we got COMPANIONS GALORE! A base was created, and became a home for Varl, Zo, Erend, Kotallo, Alva, Beta, Gaia and even Sylens at one point. Having so many companions to talk to, do quests for, or get random calls from (which were a jumpscare everytime.. a welcome one! just.. totally unexpected) was the element I was missing from the previous game. Kotallo had an incredible character arc and was by far my favourite, Alva was adorable and a refreshing addition to the group (my other favourite), Zo was a calming presence and a great partner for Varl, Beta was a suprising addition but such a good sister to Aloy, and my boys Varl and Erend were incredible as always. Every character brought something special to the table and there wasn't a single one I disliked. I was also having a super tough week during this playthrough, so having a group of sweet companions was really nice comfort (I cried when the group split at the end. I miss my best friends and I'm not being dramatic... I swear).
I think my biggest complaint is the lack of interesting collectibles scattered throughout the world. None of them felt very different from the previous game, except for the Vista Points which I LOVED. The Vista Points allowed me to focus more on the architecture around me as I tried to match up the projection with the structure. The one I want to highlight specifically is the one in San Francisco, where you have to swim underwater to match the building with a sunken museum that you otherwise (probably) would've never seen.
Speaking of underwater architecture (I'm great at segues, aren't I?) I want to quickly highlight one of my favourite sections of the game that I feel deserves a ton of praise: the journey to find the Poseidon subfunction. Taking place in old world Las Vegas, you are tasked with swimming through a dome that was built to cover the Las Vegas Strip, a dome that Poseidon has filled with water as a defence mechanism. Many aquatic machines await, along with iconic buildings (a miniature Eiffel Tower, skyscrapers and notable hotels, to name a few). This area was the most visually captivating in my opinion, and I also really enjoyed the Tideripper boss fight. Turning on the power truly was the highlight of the mission, however. Walking out the doors into a relit Las Vegas Strip covered in neon signage and holograms of dragons flying through the air was such an incredible sight.
In summary: MAN THIS GAME WAS GOOD. It had fun and satisfying mechanics, loveable companions, beautiful landscapes, interesting lore and world building, and was overall incredibly fun to play. Have I mentioned I love Kotallo yet? That should probably be your important takeaway.
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