CHENNAI: One of the biggest (and best!) Play- Station exclusives is finally going cross-plat form with Horizon: Zero Dawn’s release on PC, so let’s talk about why you might want to check this one out. Horizon: Zero Dawn is set in a post-apocalyptic world where robotic creatures have overrun most of the world. You play Aloy, a hunter from the Nora tribe who was cast out at birth, as she explores the world and discovers more about the origins of the machines and the fate of humanity.
Voiced by Ashly Burch and enhanced by some good writing, Aloy starts off a little predictable but quickly grows into one of the best protagonists of this console generation. This is an open-world game, and should be considered one of the benchmarks of that genre — Horizon’s world is sprawling, beautiful and deadly. From the mountainous Nora region to the lush jungles of the south to the Carja city of Meridian, there’s a wide range of environments to explore and every single one of them looks absolutely lovely.
Not welcoming, though, because they’re all chock-full of machines. There are two main foes in Horizon — human enemies, which Aloy will occasionally encounter, and machine creatures which are everywhere. Having a single primary enemy type is usually something games try to avoid; which is why so many shooters have vehicle sequences, or why so many WW2 games take some liberties with Nazi experiments and the occult. However, the machines are possibly Horizon’s biggest strength — there are so many of them, and they feel distinct and unique like actual species would.
The scampering Watchers, the burrowing Rockbreakers, the fearsome Thunderjaws and the awe-inspiring Tallnecks — they all, one and apiece, feel like inhabitants of this world as much as you do. And that’s where Horizon’s true magic lies — when you’re confronted by multiple types of creature in the same space, with distinct behavioural patterns, and you have to figure out a way to either overcome or bypass them to get where you need to. Aloy has a number of tools at her disposal, from a device that scans creatures and reveals weaknesses to a more prosaic bow and spear.
However, she also has a tripcaster that lets her set up tripwires; and that, more than anything, makes her feel like an actual hunter. Sure, you could go full Mad-Max and careen about the map like an action hero; however, setting traps for machines and launching arrows from cover feels like the playstyle this game was meant to have. (Also, charging into situations head-on is going to get you killed a lot on anything but the easiest difficulty setting.) One of the criticisms levelled at Horizon: Zero Dawn when it first came out was that it doesn’t really do anything innovative — most of its systems can be directly traced to other games. In some ways, that’s true but it’s also missing the point. What Horizon does with its inspirations is absolutely wonderful and entirely its own, and lifts it above most of the games that came before it.
WHAT’S NEW?
Fall Guys
The online gaming sensation of the month is Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. Did you know that you needed a blend of Takeshi’s Castle and a battle royale game in your life? Now you do.
Grounded
Grounded just released into Early Access, but it’s already generating a buzz. Players have been shrunk to the size of an ant, and must fight to survive in the terrifying environment of the backyard.
BattleTech
I’ve gone back to BattleTech recently, and multiple DLC packs have fleshed the game out nicely, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot the last couple of weeks.
Arjun Sukumaran
http://goo.gl/uNBWN3
(Arjun is a gamer, book lover and an all-round renaissance man)