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Horizon is traditional fare as far as open-world games go. Players will have access to the definitive open-world gameplay procedure: a big sandbox world, main quests, side quests, a variety of points-of-interests, distractions/diversions, towers to reveal the map with, collectibles, OCD inducing material gathering, crafting supplies, fast-travel, mounts, etc. Combat against machine and human enemies consist of melee and ranged options. The melee combat is solely comprised of a light attack and a heavy attack without anything else to go with it. Ranged combat sees a variety of weapons, however. Aloy can use short bows, longbows, slings that shoot bombs, tripwires, a "ropecaster" that can immobilize foes, and a "rattler" that can shoot multiple bolts in quick succession. These tools are complimented by traps and a rudimentary stealth system that aids Aloy in hunting down her prey.
In the cage fight between Aloy and Mecha-Godzilla, any sensible person would bet on Mecha-Godzilla. Bows and spears don't exactly match up to tons of metal and plasma beams, that is unless you know where to hit Mecha-Godzilla. Aloy has the ability to pin-point weaknesses in enemies that will tell her where to hit and what to hit it with. This divides the combat into two effective phases: stalking/preparing and springing the trap. The machines, especially on harder difficulties, can easily flatten Aloy in several hits. It's a great deal of fun and tension as you study the machine's movements, mark its weaknesses, and prepare your traps, all to gain the maximum advantage as you inevitably come out of stealth and begin running and dodging like a headless chicken. My favorite tactic for taking down machines that could instantly mulch me was to lay a system of tripwires attached to explosive traps, spook the beast, and lure it through all of them.
While hunting the larger machines is the hallmark of Horizon's gameplay, the game falters in its smaller enemies. From the starting portion of the game, Aloy has access to an ability that lures enemies closer. Combining this ability with stealth take-downs trivializes many of the fights in which the enemy group is composed entirely of humans or smaller machines. Here's what I would do against a pack of small machines: find tall grass to hide in, lure-call one of them over, perform a stealth takedown, repeat. The enemies don't actually see Aloy as she's performing the takedown so long as you're in the tall grass so the procedure always works. Enemies will be alerted by corpses, but it does not blow your cover instantly. Rather, the alerted enemy will simply wander around the corpse for awhile, allowing you to lure-call the enemy to the same fate as his friend. Aloy can sit in one spot and take down an entire group of enemies with this method. Horizon's real gameplay prowess becomes apparent during tense moments in which larger enemies are surrounded by a group of smaller enemies that act as lookouts, but engaging against groups composed entirely of small enemies shows off the tedium of a crude and over-simplified stealth mechanic.
pinnacle of stealth technology
In addition to head-on and stealth combat, Aloy also gains the ability to perform overrides on machine enemies, briefly flipping their allegiance to Aloy's side. Aloy won't be able to override every machine and only learns to do so against specific machines after exploring map points called Cauldrons. Sometimes fights can be decided with a single override against a larger machine. However, overrides have a long cool-down period so you're unlikely to get more than one enemy to your side in one encounter. Moreover, overrides also forfeit the experience rewards you would otherwise gain from defeating the machine once you upgrade the control state to be indefinite. It's a fun little mechanic that can lead to amazing machine vs. machine spectacles, but it's usually faster and more rewarding from a gameplay standpoint to just take on the machines yourself.
Horizon's primary forte is in its world development that parallels Aloy's development, both as a character and in terms of player progression. Aloy is unsure of her role in the world at large as strange and devastating events seem to focus around her. Her self-doubt diminishes and she journeys across the world, gradually revealing the secrets of the old world and the machines in a manner that reflects the player's own growth in the ability to take down larger and more powerful foes in increasingly complex scenarios. The narrative is not unlike a rolling boulder that gradually picks up momentum. By the time you've experienced your first piece of the puzzle, it becomes a powerful motivator to seek more of the story to unveil the mystery of Project Zero Dawn and reach the satisfactory conclusion to why Mecha-Godzillas are running around the world.
Guerrilla Games, the developers of Horizon, may not be particularly innovative as far as open-world gameplay goes, but they certainly make up for it by focusing and polishing what it has to be enjoyable and rewarding. This polished gameplay is upheld by an engaging narrative and a beautifully presented world. The machines of the world are characters deserving of respect in the challenges and majesty they present to Aloy and the player. Horizon Zero Dawn successfully distinguishes itself from other open-world games with its unique world brought to life by a powerful presentation of its mechanics and engaging sci-fi plot.
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