Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West is an action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released in February 2022 as a sequel to the critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn.

Versions

The game has been released in several editions:

Standard Edition: Includes the base game.
Complete Edition: Contains the base game, the Burning Shores expansion, and additional bonuses.

Player Count

As of March 2024, Horizon Forbidden West has seen significant engagement, particularly after its release on Steam, reaching around 25,000 concurrent players shortly after launch. This indicates a robust player base and ongoing interest in the game across platforms.

Features Of Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West offers various features that enhance gameplay and immersion. Here’s a detailed overview of the key features of the game:

Gameplay Mechanics

Expanded Combat Options: Players can utilize a variety of weapons, including bows, slings, and the new Shredder Gauntlet, which launches serrated discs to damage enemies. The game introduces elemental damage types, allowing players to exploit enemy weaknesses effectively.

Vertical Traps: New vertical traps allow players to catch flying enemies, adding a strategic layer to combat encounters.
Valor Surges: The game features six skill trees, each containing special moves called Valor Surges, which function similarly to limit breaks in other RPGs.

Exploration Enhancements

Underwater Exploration: Players can dive underwater and explore hidden areas, a feature not available in Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy can eventually acquire a device that allows for unlimited breath-holding underwater.

Time of Day Adjustment: Players can change the time of day at various shelters, enabling better scouting opportunities.
Improved Inventory Management: Items collected when inventory is full are automatically sent to a stash, making resource management more convenient.

Graphical and Technical Features

Graphical Upgrades: The PC version includes support for NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS, enhancing visual fidelity and performance. It also supports ultrawide displays and offers customizable graphics settings.

Performance Modes: On PS5, players can choose between Performance Mode (60fps) and Quality Mode (native 4K at 30fps), optimizing the experience based on hardware capabilities.

Story and World-Building

Rich Narrative: The game continues Aloy’s journey in a post-apocalyptic world filled with dangerous machines and new tribes. Players engage in quests that explore themes of survival, technology, and the environment.

Side Activities: In addition to the main storyline, players can participate in various side quests, collectibles, and mini-games like Machine Strike, a strategic board game played within the game world.

Accessibility and Community Features

Accessibility Options: The game includes various accessibility features to cater to a broad audience, ensuring that more players can enjoy the experience.

Community Engagement: Players can share their experiences through streaming and content creation, as the game encourages community interaction.

Multiplayer and Cross-Platform Features

Single-Player Focus: Horizon Forbidden West is primarily a single-player experience, allowing for deep storytelling and character development without the distractions of multiplayer modes.

Cross-Platform Progression: Players who own the game on PS4 can upgrade to the PS5 version at no additional cost, maintaining their progress across platforms.

These features collectively enhance the gameplay experience in Horizon Forbidden West, making it a standout title in the action role-playing genre. The game continues to receive positive feedback from players, particularly following its release on PC, which has seen a surge in player engagement.

How Horizon Forbidden West Is Different From Launch

Horizon Forbidden West introduces several key differences and improvements compared to its predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn

Expanded Gameplay Mechanics

New Traversal Tools: Aloy gains access to tools like the Shieldwing glider and Pullcaster grappling hook, allowing for more vertical exploration and reaching previously inaccessible areas

Underwater Exploration: Players can now dive underwater and explore submerged ruins and environments, with Aloy eventually gaining unlimited underwater breathing

Expanded Melee Combat: Melee combat has been expanded with new weapons and combos, giving players more options in close-quarters engagements

Improved Visuals and Performance

Enhanced Graphics: Forbidden West features significantly improved visuals, with more detailed character models, environments, lighting, and effects compared to Zero Dawn

Performance Modes: On PS5, players can choose between a 60fps Performance Mode or a native 4K 30fps Quality Mode.

PC Enhancements: The PC version includes support for ultrawide displays, upscaling technologies like DLSS 3 and FSR, unlocked framerates, and DualSense controller haptic feedback.

Expanded Open World

Larger and More Diverse Map: Forbidden West’s map is significantly larger and more geographically diverse compared to Zero Dawn, spanning multiple biomes and environments.

More Quests and Activities: The game features an expanded roster of main quests, side quests, errands, and other activities to engage with across the open world.

Refined User Experience

Improved Inventory Management: Excess loot automatically goes to Aloy’s stash when inventory is full, streamlining the looting process

Time of Day Changes: Players can now change the time of day at shelters, allowing for more strategic scouting and planning

Easier Enemy Scanning: Scanning enemies with the Focus device is more intuitive, with the ability to quickly cycle through weak points

Overall, Horizon Forbidden West builds upon the strong foundation of Zero Dawn with expanded gameplay, enhanced visuals, a larger open world, and refined quality-of-life improvements, delivering a more polished and immersive experience for players

Game specification

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1909 or higher)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
• RAM: 16 GB
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (8GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5700 (8GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Free Disk Space: 150 GB

while Aloy succeeds in stopping the Zeniths’ immediate plans, the emergence of the powerful Nemesis AI leaves Earth facing an even greater danger on the horizon. The ending sets the stage for an epic confrontation in the next Horizon game.