Horizon Forbidden West Reviews
Horizon Forbidden West is a bigger, better game than the original in nearly every way. With tons of engaging side content, a wide array of beautiful biomes to explore, and multiple threatening new machines to take on, there's a lot to see and do in the Forbidden West.
With Horizon Forbidden West, Guerilla is armed with the grunt of the PlayStation 5, and we get not just a catalogue of alluring tones but a richer palette of ideas.
I’ve seen a lot of people say they have skipped Horizon: Forbidden West to play other games like Gran Turismo 7 and Elden Ring. I’m in the middle of Elden Ring now, and I feel like I have my training wheels on. But I wouldn’t skip Horizon: Forbidden West, as I feel like this is going to be one of the best games of 2021.
Anyone who digs these kinds of dense, map-based open world experiences is going to feel happy with what Guerrilla Games is offering here. This is something you could spend a lot of time with, first enjoying the story, then going out of your way to see and complete every last bit of content.
Horizon Forbidden West is an exceptionally crafted sequel, delivering a thrilling open-world experience that fans of the original game will love.
The second entry in Guerrilla Games' far-future sci-fi opus is a magnificently realized open-world adventure that will not disappoint
Horizon Forbidden West takes everything that fans loved about Zero Dawn and makes it better, with Guerrilla delivering another must-play PS exclusive.
It's not just that Horizon Forbidden West is bigger, it's better. Guerrilla had already crafted an incredible title in Zero Dawn, but they've graduated into building an immaculate one in Forbidden West. Its strengths are taken to new heights, tuned to being the best they can be, and what were once weaknesses transform into pillars the series can build on. Besides a few minor technical issues, Horizon Forbidden West is the perfect example of what you want a sequel to an already great game to be, and it's certainly a challenger for best game in 2022.
The story will take new players to unexpected and breathtaking places, and fans of Horizon Zero Dawn will have plenty of their questions answered. While Horizon Forbidden West takes great leaps in its visual and story presentation, it stays the path with its gameplay, making small but notable additions that improve the experience.
People are going to play this game and have a lot of fun. That’s all a lot of people want from a game, and Forbidding West delivers. Through a certain lens, it deserves the perfect scores I’m expecting to see. But much like Ghost of Tsushima, a lot of you are going to come away disappointed by the lack of substance and new ideas. In many ways, Horizon Forbidden West is like it’s own machines. It’s grand, it’s gorgeous, but it has no soul.
I don’t think I’ve seen half of what Forbidden West has to offer. It bored me sometimes with endless dialogue and exposition, but is equally generous with things to do and places to explore and creatures to unwisely provoke. Unlike many open-world games it is continually offering you something new, and a couple of the tools you acquire later in the game really open the whole place up. It’s got the spirit of a Metroid or Tomb Raider-style puzzle adventure on the scale of an Assassin’s Creed. And once again: by god, it is beautiful. I’ll happily endure 10 minutes of being lectured about terraforming, in exchange for marvelling at these sunken caves, forbidding plains and mechanical T-rexes.
Guerrilla Games have turned everything up to 11 for Aloy's return – but is bigger necessarily better?
Horizon Forbidden West for PC is the best adventure starring Aloy, even on not the most powerful configurations. All the magic of Guerrilla Games' game has been delivered uncompromisingly and will engage you for several hours as you explore, fight and experience a beautifully narrated and wonderfully portrayed story, accompanied by a soundtrack worthy of a top-notch film production.
Review in Italian | Read full review
That Horizon: Forbidden West takes the best parts from the acclaimed Horizon: Zero Dawn and makes them even better was expected. Somewhat more unexpectedly, even the weaker links of one are greatly improved, which together with new elements and sources of inspiration leads to an excellent adventure that makes both the predecessor and most other games in the genre fade.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
If you loved Zero Dawn and simply wanted more, warts and all, this is easy to recommend. But if you were looking for something groundbreaking with a lot more polish, then Horizon Forbidden West is really a mixed bag.
Horizon Forbidden West is an amazing sequel that fulfils most of the missing elements from the first game. Its immersive adventure is easily one of the best experiences on offer on the Playstation 5. Guerrilla Games should really take a bow for crafting not only a brilliant action game but manages to do the seemingly impossible by improving on Horizon’s already fantastic lore, adding stunning new locations and stellar characters.
Horizon Forbidden West is an excellent second chapter, corroborated by an artistic direction and a sekaikan of the highest order. The plot dares to take an unexpected direction with results that are not entirely appreciable, but overall it is a worthy continuation of Aloy's adventures that deserves to be experienced.
Review in Italian | Read full review
So while Horizon Forbidden West isn’t changing the rules of the genre, it’s an excellently crafted, entertaining, and satisfying adventure. It looks phenomenal and offers a sandbox of gameplay that remains just as unique as the original. Is it more of the same? In a way, I suppose. But I know I wouldn’t say no to more of Horizon Zero Dawn as it was 5 years ago, and Forbidden West is an improvement in nearly every way.
While a few tweaks are still needed, if you liked Horizon Zero Dawn, you'll love Horizon Forbidden West.
Review in French | Read full review