Horizon Call of the Mountain Reviews
There is an extended on-rails boat scene you can put non-gamers into to experience the headset, but as far as pushing the medium forward and being a showcase for the future of virtual reality, Horizon Call of the Mountain is just a pretty game with the core of a last-generation VR game.
As a feat of technical artistry, it’s impressive, sleek, and often breathtaking. But as you’re dangling off a cliff edge, taking a breather from endless, repetitive mountain climbing, you’ll find yourself wondering whether novelty is really enough to justify such a loosely-tied journey. While the experience is impressive in fits and starts, Horizon Call of the Mountain ultimately feels like a puzzle with several pieces missing.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is absolutely beautiful and features some fun moments, but it bears repeating that it in no way feels like an $80 AUD game; it barely feels like a $60 AUD game and should have been included with the PSVR2 without an additional cost. It’s without a doubt a fantastic way to show off what the PSVR2 can do (eye tracking aside as it’s only used in menus and dialogue sequences). When your friends come over to check out your new toy they’ll come to see Horizon Call of the Mountain, but they’ll stay for Gran Turismo 7. While this offers fans a literally alternate perspective into a universe that many really love (myself included) and is a fantastic as a tool to show off the PSVR2, it lacks depth as an actual game. Challenge and balance are overloaded with tedious climbing sequences and not enough of the fun stuff.
Horizon Call of the Mountain works as an impressive PSVR2 tech showcase, but overambitious ideas make it less appealing as an action-adventure game.
I’m sure you’ve glanced at the review score below and made a judgement on Horizon Call of the Mountain, but despite that score I still think all PSVR2 owners should pick this up. It’s undoubtedly the most spectacular VR game I’ve ever played, it’s got plenty of cool gameplay moments that show off the controllers, and it’s a full-on game to play through, but it’s also a bit tedious at times, and boring at others.
An effective tech demo but it struggles to be anything else, not least because for the majority of the time it's just a fairly vanilla climbing simulator.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is a good showcase piece for PlayStation VR2. It is the game to use if you want to show off your new technology to friends and family. There is even an unlockable mode perfect for this, which is a passive journey on a canoe through a robot-infested jungle. What holds the game back tremendously, though, is Call of the Mountain's overreliance on climbing. The smaller parts of the game, fighting robots, making items, and looking around, are highlights. Pulling yourself up a mountain isn’t, and that’s where you spend most of the approximately six hour experience.
Horizon players will be surprised. If they've ever wanted to see how tall Tallneck is, what it's like to fight machines, or wanted to talk face-to-face to Aloy. Call of the Mountain will grant all of those wishes. However, we're just not sure how first-time players of PSVR 2 will appreciate this first encounter with the world of Horizon. This game works great as a demonstration of all the features of PSVR 2, but we can't shake the feeling that it's just missing something that ties the whole game together.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Call of the Mountain has wonderful elements to it, and it lands the most important part - the physical experience of climbing - perfectly. Trailers and even my own video capture don't quite convey the speed and agility you feel while scrambling. Unfortunately, other parts of the game are too thin, with the inability to wander back the way you came and the constant stop-start nature of its thin narrative working against its own appeal. With some fresh ideas, huge scope, and clever adaptation of an existing property without relying on a simple remake, Horizon Call of the Mountain is an important game for VR. However, I'm not sure it's a great one.
It sits alongside other titles in the franchise while falling short and topping previous games, depending on the situation. There’s just nothing quite like that feeling of being in the world that VR delivers, and even though there’s a lot of repetition across the multiple climbing sections, it still trumps doing the same thing as Aloy. Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s all so real (virtually speaking) that makes these traditional videogame things feel more repetitive in VR. Looking back at Horizon Forbidden West footage - that game was chock full of climbing too.
Horizon Call of the Mountain might get lost in its own exploration with less series-defining action, but makes a strong PSVR 2 launch title that looks as great as it feels. In the process, Horizon fans finally get an immersive version of the Sundom only VR can deliver.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is not without its flaws, but it's hard to imagine a better showcase of PSVR2's potential than this. The core climbing gameplay is impressively executed, and it evolves just enough over the course of the campaign to remain fulfilling. We're not a huge fan of the combat, and the plot is practically impenetrable unless you're a franchise die-hard, but these niggles don't necessarily deter from the overall satisfaction you'll feel as you scale rock-faces several hundred metres into the sky.
The first foray into virtual reality for Guerrilla's beloved franchise is a big success, even if it doesn't do anything new.
Horizon Call of the Mountain’s exciting highs elevate it just enough above its often monotonous climbing mechanics to create a fun first blockbuster entry into the PS VR 2 library.
At several points, the game simply points the way for subsequent high-budget titles, and if it weren't for the amount of time you have to spend traveling, more balance would have been achieved in the gameplay.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Horizon: Call of the Mountain fulfills what a launch game for this type of device should be: it's spectacular, simple (perhaps too simple) and fun.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Horizon: Call of The Mountain is a showcase of the technologies of the new VR headset PSVR 2. And while technologically and audiovisually the game is captivating, the gameplay is relatively ordinary. Climbing itself will even soon become a stereotype.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
An impressive visual and interactive experience, especially for VR newcomers, but playfully too linear and shallow.
Review in German | Read full review
Horizon: Call of the Mountain is an interesting experience that shows the potential of PS VR2 extremely well. Despite so, its combat system is way more intriguing and compelling than its exploration based on climbing – and yes, you can expect to climb a lot here.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Horizon Call of the Mountain stands as a technical marvel and a testament to the potential of VR gaming on the PSVR2 platform. It immerses players in a stunning post-apocalyptic world, delivering moments of awe and excitement, especially during intense machine battles. However, its heavy reliance on climbing mechanics, relative lack of narrative depth, and occasional repetition may impact its overall appeal. While it excels in showcasing the hardware’s capabilities, it falls slightly short of being a must-buy VR title. Despite its moments of brilliance, Horizon Call of the Mountain feels like a puzzle missing a few essential pieces, raising questions about its purpose in the realm of VR gaming.