Horizon Forbidden West – Worth a buy?

Horizon Forbidden West – Worth a Buy

Hey guys! I’m Arihead from Electronic First and today we’re gonna be talking about Horizon Forbidden West. In our last Horizon article, I covered the 10 things to look forward to. If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you check it out. Horizon Forbidden West is finally out now and boy is it amazing. Released in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn is widely considered to be a masterpiece, so it may be a hard act to follow. However, I can confidently say that this game is more than a worthy sequel. Its open world is fantastic and can keep you entertained for countless hours. Moreover, not only is it gorgeous, but they’ve actually improved on almost everything, including the combat, exploration, map size, and side quests. 

Of course, this game is very much a sequel to the last one. If you plan on venturing into the Forbidden West without completing Zero Dawn, then you may just get overwhelmed with the many characters Aloy reunites with, as well as the plot points, tribes and sci-fi stuff referenced throughout the story. Oh, and If you’d like to purchase Forbidden West and maybe even Zero Dawn, you should check out our website. At Electronic First, we give you great discounts for the best games at the best prices.

So, to sum up this video, Forbidden West is absolutely worth a buy! It’s one of the best games I have ever playe-. Too early for that? Just stating the obvious! All jokes aside, this really is a great game. You’ve probably bought it already, or are planning to buy it no matter what I say in this video. However, I’ll try to be as objective as possible. Since I don’t have a PS5, I recorded my gameplay in the PS4 version. Honestly though? Forbidden West still looks breathtaking even in the PS4. And I also tried to keep the footage as spoiler-free as possible; although I may reference certain things about the first game. As you know, Forbidden West is a true sequel to Zero Dawn, so you’ll need all this information anyway to start Aloy’s journey.

After venturing into an old world site and defeating a giant robot venom-spitting snake monster, along with her friend, Varl, Aloy soon learns that the threat of Hades’ extermination isn’t over. She then heads to the Forbidden West, a dangerous frontier controlled mostly by the Tenakth, a militaristic tribe. And this is where the game really begins. There’s so much to do as you traverse the Forbidden West. Whether you’re fighting machines of all shapes and sizes, angry rebel Tenakht Tribesmen or even finding old world Relics and gathering the countless medicinal herbs and wood branches Aloy needs in her journey, it’s a great experience. This, in part, is thanks to how vast and beautiful this game is. And let me remind you that this footage was recorded in a base PS4, which is no doubt an impressive feat. If you’re a fan of hunting machines in Zero Dawn, then boy will you enjoy the combat here. I found myself using some of

the same skills I learned from the first game, so it’s still pretty similar. With all the new weapons they’ve added, you’ll probably be using the weapon wheel even more now. They’ve also given us a much more expansive skill tree, allowing you to forge the build that best suits your playstyle. There are also these special skills called Valor Surges in the skill tree. 

They’re basically your “ultimate” abilities. When you use a valor surge, a little cinematic cutscene plays, where Aloy does something cool. They’re also super useful and can make a huge impact in battle. Melee combat has especially seen a number of improvements. This is because there are more human enemies you can fight in The Forbidden West, as the rebel Tenakth Tribe serve as one of the primary antagonists. As you can probably guess though, I mainly use the bow. It’s still an incredibly strong and versatile weapon. Not to mention, you will never run out of arrows if you diligently collect the materials you need in your travels. In truth, melee combat still feels a little messy. Sure, you can do a lot of damage with a spear later into the game, but Aloy is quite vulnerable with this playstyle. 

She can’t dodge during her spear attack animations, which makes this weapon pretty difficult, especially against large groups of enemies. In contrast, Aloy has a lot more time to dodge when adopting an archer playstyle, and can easily hit weak points. The concentration skill is also kind of overpowered. It’s that familiar game mechanic that lets the player slow down time while aiming with the bow, except that Forbidden West takes this much further by making this ability extremely spammable. Moreover, there are 3 bow types to choose from: the sharpshot, hunter and warbows. All are excellent in their own right, but the hunter variant, the most well balanced one, is probably going to be your go-to when fighting the mechanical menaces of the Forbidden West.

All in all, I’d say it’s a lot like Monster Hunter, so if you’re familiar with that kind of gameplay, you’ll probably enjoy this game. You know the deal: set traps, hit weak points, kill monsters, obtain materials and get better gear to fight even stronger monsters. That element is here, and it’s not a bad thing. I personally really like the combat system here. Choosing the right weapon with the correct damage type is thrilling and quite unique, like how you’ll need frost to dispose of Slitherfangs or Acid to cause a chain reaction on the canisters of Acid-based Bristlebacks, dealing massive damage. One weapon I particularly like is the Spike Thrower–a game-changing weapon that allows Aloy to throw spears that shortly detonate on impact, dealing a large amount of damage. The combat takes a bit of a learning curve though, especially since your only real defensive ability is to dodge and run away. This is probably my only real criticism here. It’s a little weird, because they even introduce an energy shield-wielding human boss early into the story. Aloy obtains this energy shield contraption, but is only given the option to glide with it. Certainly, a shield would have been a nice addition for defensively-oriented players. Shield or not though, I’m not actually complaining. The combat is still amazing and is one of the reasons why this game is so good.

But maybe you’re more of a stealth kind of guy. Well, luckily for you, Forbidden West has made large improvements in this area as well. Stealth takedowns and Breaking line of sight to crouch back into the fray is a very viable strategy in much of the game’s content. Clearing a machine site stealthily is extremely fun and rewarding, especially early game, where you lack the damage to easily dispose of enemies. Now this does depend on the difficulty level. Personally, I started the game on Hard, since I like to be challenged. I don’t know how it’s like in other difficulties early game, but I’ve definitely grown to rely a lot on stealth takedowns when hunting machines.

Of course, machine mounting has returned, and it’s better than ever. There are even more mounts available and they can make traversing the lands a lot faster. Personally, I like to bring a mount into a hunting site and use them as my meat shields. Is “meat shield” even the appropriate term? Anyway, they can be quite useful in combat, whether you’re riding one or taking advantage of the enemy AI. When you’re not piercing through the flesh or circuitry of the angry residents of the Forbidden West, you’ll not only be exploring lush landscapes, but also mysterious old world sites, filled with fascinating puzzles and loot. Since this is a new open world game, they’ve also added a paraglider, significantly improving the game’s verticality. 

They’ve also added free climbing, but it’s not the free climbing you’d expect from other games, such as Breath of The Wild. Rather, Horizon Forbidden West adopts a more realistic approach by only allowing Aloy to climb anywhere with a latch in the surrounding geometry. However, this still feels quite limiting. I’m not expecting Aloy to climb smooth surfaces like Spider-Man, but she struggles to even climb mountain ranges and buildings without the help of intended latches for Aloy to hold onto. The Pullcaster could have also been better. While it is generally very useful, it’s quite lacking when used as a grappling hook, as it will only work on grappling points in the surrounding environment. And while you’re doing all these open worldly activities, just remember you’re also gonna be holding triangle A LOT while exploring along the way, so I hope you’re prepared!

There is definitely a lot to see in the lands of the Forbidden West, however, its waters should not be overlooked. Personally, I haven’t really explored underwater yet though. It turns out, you will obtain the diving mask as part of Forbidden West’s main plot; a necessary contraption that allows Aloy to breathe underwater, which gives her access to key areas. Suffice to say, exploration is really engaging in Forbidden West. It doesn’t really have that open world burnout feel that I get from other games. The world in Forbidden West just feels a lot more dense compared to the last game, which all in all makes exploration even better in Forbidden West.

It’s not just the combat and exploration that’s better though. Guerilla Games have also given the characters so much life, thanks to their motion capture technology and rich story. I’m astounded by their realistic expressions. Even the less important characters have been given the same treatment. I found myself caring about the characters more in Forbidden West. This, too, made the side quests feel a lot less grindy, so to speak. Oh yeah, and the rewards these side quests bring are amazing as well, and are generally worth the time and effort to complete them. These rewards often include new weapons that add to Aloy’s impressive arsenal.

I’ve only really scratched the surface of Horizon Forbidden West to give you guys a general idea about the game. The game is massive, so there’s a lot of stuff I haven’t delved into here in this video. In conclusion, Horizon Forbidden West is shaping up to be an incredible gaming experience for players, with stunning visuals, a gripping storyline, and a range of exciting gameplay features that will keep players engaged for hours on end. From its diverse and beautiful open-world environment to its engaging combat system and deep character customization options, this game promises to be a must-play title for gamers around the world.

All in all though, Horizon Forbidden West is absolutely worth a buy! What do you guys think about Horizon Forbidden West? Do you agree with my points? Let us know in the comment section below, we definitely wanna hear from you. Oh, and if you liked this article, be sure to check out our Youtube channel, where we give you info on the latest and upcoming games. For everything gaming, stay with us at Electronic First! This is Arihead, signing out. Hope to see you guys in the next video!

If you’re looking to pick up a copy of Horizon Forbidden West, then be sure to check out electronicfirst.com, where you’ll find the latest deals and offers on this and other exciting gaming titles. In addition to providing the best deals on gaming titles, electronicfirst.com also offers a wealth of information and resources for gamers, including regular blog updates, “worth a buy” episodes, tutorials, and news. So be sure to check out the website and stay up-to-date on all the latest gaming news and trends.

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube

Also if you’re interested in earning with Electronic First as soon as today, check out our affiliate program. You can share your link with friends, family or anyone. Sign up today to reap the rewards!