Horizon Zero Dawn - Did you Love it or Hate it ?

[JimmyRecard00]

Hello

So I'm so on the fence about buying this game; it doesn't quite look like the kind of thing I'd normally play - and yet it consistently gets killer reivews.
It's so hard to get a sense of gameplay from videos etc especially as it looks either way too easy and simplistic, or 78% cutscenes?

I think it's the whole robot animals thing that gives me most pause...

Also, I've never really played many of these Console Style games so I don't really have a great idea of what it's likely to be like?

I'm curious were many of you on the fence or even thought you'd hate it - and were surprised to find you actually really enjoyed it?
Similarly - the other way around ?

For reference - games I've been loving lately are Death Stranding Director's Cut, Just Cause 4 Reloaded, Tomb Raider 2013, the modern Wolfenstein reboot series, Portal 2, Pool Nation Fx, Euro Truck Simulator 2 etc

Also curious if you can mod it for the way it looks and/or maps etc. (especially as the graphics look quite dated already).


Thanks for your help

 

[Brian Boru]

curious if you can mod it

How to get the most OP armor in Horizon Zero Dawn

Where to grab all the Horizon Zero Dawn power cells and complete the Ancient Armory puzzle.

www.pcgamer.com

9 Horizon Zero Dawn Mods You Need To Check Out

The base game of Horizon Zero Dawn is jaw-dropping and gorgeous. But that doesn't mean the modding community couldn't find something to tweak.

gamerant.com

Mods at Horizon Zero Dawn Nexus - Mods and community

Browse 146 mods for Horizon Zero Dawn at Nexus Mods

www.nexusmods.com

 

[Slasken]

I think it's the whole robot animals thing that gives me most pause...

It's one of my favorite games ever. A lot to do, decent side quests, good NPCs. It's a bit like The Witcher 3 in that way.

As for you biggest concern, the robot animals, that was my biggest concern as well. The story make this scenario plausible in a sci-fi setting, and I have zero concerns about it now.

 

[mjs warlord]

I got HZD when i first came out and its the only game i have completed and then started again the following day ... i usually only replay games say 6 month down the line or when i am waiting for something new to come out.

A lot of players say their are too many cut scenes but if you dont watch them all you wont understand where the story is going


footnote to slasken ..... i removed the spoiler so maybe you should remove what you quoted

 

[Slasken]

footnote to slasken ..... i removed the spoiler so maybe you should remove what you quoted

Thank you 😊

 

[McStabStab]

Here's my take on it:

If you're hungry for an open world game this is a darn good one. Your concerns about the robot animals are kind of interesting because those are the best parts of the game. Battling robots is one of the big separators from other games. Battling with humans is really not that great in HZD.

The story is actually really interesting in terms of the worldbuilding, however the areas of the story I disliked were the tribal backstories. That plus some pretty cheesy voice acting made it all feel pretty campy.

I played HZD shortly after Death Stranding and AC: Odyssey, and although HZD's world is beautiful and varied, I still prefer the other games. Once again, it's a really great game, it just didn't wow me like other open world titles have.

 

[Zloth]

I liked it, then I hated it, then I loved it. The tutorial and beginner area were fine. Soon after I made it to the big, open world, though, I started to lose interest. It's a neat looking world, but what's its story? Eventually, I climbed the mighty "tower of lore" that finally gave me some background as to what this world really is and what happened in it to make it like it was. Then I started to love it!

No idea what you are talking about with respect to a 'console game' - especially with Death Stranding and Tomb Raider 2013 on your list. The graphics are great, too.

 

[Chezter]

As for me, the game turned out to be interesting, addictive, it's worth going through a couple of times

 

[Konquerah]

I thoroughly enjoyed when I played it on PlayStation as it's original release. I've yet to purchase it again on STEAM and try it again, though I am more than happy to it. It felt similar game play to an Assassins Creed, not much about it but the world itself was beautiful and fascinating to explore and the robotic dinosaurs, was an interesting change of pace for the environment/open world.

 

[ZedClampet]

I only played for a couple of hours, but that's just probably just me. The world seemed kind of boring to me. This is not my type of game, though. Most everyone I know who likes these sorts of open world games liked HZD quite a bit.

 

[Nagasadow26]

This game is great. One of the best RPGs in my opinion over the last few years The port over from PS is absolutely perfect. This game runs so well on pc, especially if you have high end hardware.

 

[w990]

This work isn't a masterpiece, but its world-building and plot are indeed very unique, making it a worthwhile European and American RPG experience. However, it's better to view it more as a linear story RPG rather than expecting it to be an open-world one.

Pros: The unique world-building showcases an interesting post-apocalyptic world with a blend of Nordic-style tribes and machinery, creating a collision of primitive and technological elements. The setting of using bows and arrows against mechs is quite novel. The main storyline is engaging, enticing players to explore the truth behind the story from the beginning, and the revelation of historical truths is surprising. I personally find it stronger than many open-world games with optional main storylines. The visuals are outstanding, with beautiful scenery, realistic character designs, and intriguing scene and mechanical designs. The variety of mechanical monsters with unique strategies adds interest to the combat system.
Cons: The open-world aspect feels somewhat rushed and lacks depth compared to the linear RPG part, making world exploration less engaging and more of a checklist of tasks. The overall world design is also relatively simplistic. Most side quests are mediocre and feel like filler content. The combat difficulty is higher compared to similar European and American RPGs (though this can be adjusted with difficulty settings, with the lowest difficulty being quite easy), and there are many action elements. In my personal gameplay experience, I often had to avoid battles, leading to less satisfaction. The inability to manually switch between day and night affects combat and exploration difficulty, sometimes making it uncomfortable.

 

[mjs warlord]

your cons are very negative please scroll up and see what i said about it.

I have never seen a game where you can manually change day/night.

Why did you have to avoid battles ,,,,, sneak and attack !!!

I once saw a guy on steam slaughter this game in the discussions page .... he said i have never played a game where i am a little girl ...... i guess he only used it for about 30 mins and never left the starting point in the cave.

 

[Brian Boru]

I have never seen a game where you can manually change day/night

Can be done in some games with mods—eg Far Cry 6.

 

[Zloth]

I have never seen a game where you can manually change day/night.

Neither have I, at least in the game proper. Some of them let you change the time of day when in screenshot mode, though. No Man's Sky lets you put the sun anywhere you want!

 

[Frindis]

I have never seen a game where you can manually change day/night.

I just remembered that you can do that in the latest Microsoft Flight simulator. You could easily press a button and then adjust settings for day/night, cloud/no cloud, rain/thunder in real-time.

 

[Atekk920]

Honestly as I sit here I cant really think of anything that bothered me about HZD except for the build I chose. I couldn't take much damage without dying quickly, so my playthrough required a lot of stealth, I would have much preferred to go to to toe with a sawtooth vs sneak by it. I went in blind without having done any research and just sped through only the main quest and dropped it after that. However, I do remember that it was good enough for me to add it to my "deserves another playthrough " shelf. Just about every aspect of the game was pretty solid, and I found the mixture of tech and old world VERY cool. I enjoyed it so I would say its worth picking up at a low price point for sure if you are a fan of these types of RPG's.

 

[Zloth]

...I would have much preferred to go to to toe with a sawtooth vs sneak by it.

More like shin-to-toe!

 

[red_5ive]

Loved every minute of it! One of my all favorite games, including the sequel. I played it to death on PS4 that one day the Platinum popped and I wasn't even trying to get it. The combat system is hands down one of the best I've played since it released.

I also grabbed it on PC when it released, and I MUCH prefer the game with mouse/keyboard. I'm always a PC gamer first, so naturally I SUCK with a controller. I was literally running circles while being attacked by multiple machines, and even the deadliest ones. But on PS4 I'd be lucky to survive against 2 enemies.

Excellent game with an excellent story and combat system.

 

[net211211]

I get your hesitation. I felt the same way before trying it, but I ended up really enjoying it. The robot animals are way cooler in action than they look in videos. The mix of exploration, combat, and story is great, and it doesn’t feel like 78% cutscenes once you’re playing.

If you like games like Death Stranding, Tomb Raider, and Just Cause 4, I think you’ll enjoy this one too. And yes, there are mods for graphics and other tweaks if you’re on PC.

Give it a shot! You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[red_5ive]

I get your hesitation. I felt the same way before trying it, but I ended up really enjoying it. The robot animals are way cooler in action than they look in videos. The mix of exploration, combat, and story is great, and it doesn’t feel like 78% cutscenes once you’re playing.

If you like games like Death Stranding, Tomb Raider, and Just Cause 4, I think you’ll enjoy this one too. And yes, there are mods for graphics and other tweaks if you’re on PC.

Give it a shot! You might be pleasantly surprised.

100% this. The A.I. (if I can call it that) with those suckers was convincing. Yeah , you eventually can figure out their behaviors, but I'm pretty sure the enemies scale so that it feels dynamic with each encounter. I mean, there are times when I can run circles around them, but if I screw up just thismuch like miss the timing with a few arrows or melee attacks, I'm paying for it.

 

[Hveðrungr]

Personally, I found it quite boring and dropped it about half(?)-way through. One of these Ubisoft-style open-world busy-work games a mile wide and an inch deep.

 

[Zloth]

Personally, I found it quite boring and dropped it about half(?)-way through. One of these Ubisoft-style open-world busy-work games a mile wide and an inch deep.

Not this one - but it does have a bad dry spell right after you get out of the beginner area.

 

[Hveðrungr]

Not this one - but it does have a bad dry spell right after you get out of the beginner area.

I made it to the big capital city in the desert, so I got further than that. It certainly felt like an open-world busy-work game to me. Lots of collectable sets, lots of map markers. Man, they even have you climbing a tower—the brontosaurus robot—to unlock the map of the nearby area, which is one of the defining features of those Ubisoft open-world games.