Horizon Zero Dawn (2017): The Review

Overview

Horizon Zero Dawn is a visually stunning open-world adventure that blends tribal culture with futuristic technology in a way that feels fresh and intriguing. Playing as Aloy, a skilled hunter in a world overrun by mechanical beasts, players uncover the mysteries of the past while taking down colossal machines with tactical precision. The game excels in world-building, creature design, and combat, but suffers from a somewhat predictable story, stiff character interactions, and an open world that, while beautiful, feels a bit formulaic at times.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

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The Positives ✅

Horizon Zero Dawn is nothing short of breathtaking to look at. From vast, snowcapped peaks to sun-drenched deserts and lush forests, the world is a visual feast, brought to life with dynamic weather and stunning detail. The sheer scale of its environments makes exploration feel alive, and the machines themselves, gleaming, intricate, and often terrifying, are spectacles in their own right.

The gameplay backs up that spectacle with an engaging and strategic combat system. Fights against robotic creatures demand creativity, forcing you to mix bows, traps, and elemental effects rather than relying on brute force. Every enemy encounter feels distinct thanks to a great variety of machines, from the towering, dinosaur-like Thunderjaws to the fast, ever-alert Watchers. Combined with this is the game’s unique sci-fi setting, a brilliant fusion of tribal survival and advanced, decayed technology that gives the world its own flavor.

At the center of it all is Aloy, a strong and compelling lead whose personal journey is as gripping as the mysteries around her. The deeper you dive, the more the game rewards you with lore that’s rich and fascinating, peeling back layers of a fallen civilization and revealing the origins of its mechanical overlords. It’s this marriage of story, setting, and gameplay that makes Horizon Zero Dawn such a standout adventure.

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The Negatives ⚠️

For all its beauty, Horizon Zero Dawn isn’t flawless. One of its more noticeable issues lies in the stiff animations and wooden facial expressions during dialogue. While Aloy herself is well-performed, many NPCs come across as lifeless, robbing certain story moments of the immersion they deserve. This carries over into the game’s side content too, where mediocre side quests often fall into formulaic fetch missions or straightforward “kill this enemy” tasks, rarely delivering the narrative punch of the main storyline.

Even the open world, despite its breathtaking landscapes, can slip into open-world fatigue. The map is dotted with familiar markers and repetitive activities, and after a while, the rhythm of exploration can feel more like ticking off boxes than unearthing something new. Aloy’s story, while compelling, doesn’t entirely escape predictability either; her journey often follows well-worn beats you’ve seen in other hero narratives. On top of that, traversal feels dated, with climbing and movement mechanics that lack the fluidity and freedom of more modern open-world adventures.

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The Experience 🎮

Horizon Zero Dawn stands tall as a solid action-RPG, one that thrives on exhilarating combat, a fascinating sci-fi world, and the strength of its protagonist, Aloy. The thrill of hunting machines with carefully planned strategies and the intrigue of uncovering the mysteries of a fallen civilization keep the adventure consistently rewarding.

That said, its open-world structure and familiar quest design hold it back from true greatness. While the story grips with its lore and overarching mystery, its execution stumbles at times, weighed down by stiff character interactions and predictable beats. Yet, despite these flaws, Horizon Zero Dawn still shines as a beautiful, challenging, and worthwhile journey, a game that may not reinvent the wheel, but spins it with undeniable style.