Horizon Zero Dawn is one of my favorite games, and I couldn’t stop gushing about it in 2017, and has now been properly remastered for PlayStation 5 and PC. The arrival of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered heralds another NIxxes masterpiece that make it look and feel like it was released for the first time this year. This post-apocalyptic epic is not to be missed for any reason, and if you’ve somehow only played Horizon Forbidden West, you have to start at the beginning. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered more than just a remaster that the name of the game would imply, it goes overboard for what I find to be masterful work.
This remaster caters to all players, but takes special care to those who’ve already invested in the original PlayStation 4. For instance, the cost to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 remaster is a mere $10. Next, you’re able to import your PS4 save to the PS5 using the cloud, a USB drive, or a data transfer. As someone who has an 80 hour save on the PS4, this is not a game I didn’t want to have my save file for. Though I do have to call out that importing your save and playing that save does not unlock any trophies you unlocked with the PS4 version, you will have to play through the game in New Game or New Game+ in order to unlock them. That’s what I ended up doing, by “creating a loadout” for NG+, and then starting the story over again. For new players, you get access to the main game and its expansion, Frozen Wilds and get to experience the story from the beginning.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Starting a new game, you’re introduced to Aloy, a child curious about the world around her, protected by a man named Rost, and ostracized from her tribe for reasons shrouded in mystery. I don’t enjoy playing the prologue as the child version of Aloy, and thankfully New Game+ skips this entirely. But for first time players, this is a mild nuisance that goes by quick enough. Adult Aloy is a fully realized, and designed protagonist. She’s an amazing character that’s armed with primitive, yet futuristic weapons that make her very versatile and dangerous. The experience and leveling system gives the game RPG characteristics, and coupled with dialogue choices makes it so you can somewhat shape the type of person Aloy is, and what events take place in the game.
Horizon Zero Dawn (cont’d)
As the narrative unfolds, Aloy embarks on a quest to uncover her past and unravel the secrets of the “Old Ones,” the vanished civilization responsible for the machines’ creation. The story is surprisingly deep, weaving together themes of environmentalism, tribal conflict, and the search for identity. Aloy’s journey is one of constant discovery, and the lore scattered throughout the world is fascinating. Uncovering audio logs and ancient data fragments piece together the tragic events that led to humanity’s downfall, leaving you hungry for more. I loved the story and mystery that surrounds the history of the human race and why this robot animals roamed the landscape, and the reveal is so sweet, touching, and ultimately infuriating to see who is responsible for the way things are, but you can’t do anything because they have long-since passed.
The world of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. A thousand years after a mysterious apocalypse, humanity has regressed to a tribal existence. Lush vegetation has swallowed the crumbling remnants of a bygone era, and the dominant form of life is no longer human. Instead, awe-inspiring, mechanized creatures roam the land: robotic dinosaurs, lumbering behemoths, and agile bird-like predators. These “machines” are the stars of the show, meticulously designed with a blend of animalistic grace and terrifying power. It uses the real-world inspiration of these places to great effect, and has a detailed history to read about and discover. It takes places in my own backyard of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming (Frozen Wilds DLC). The sequel, Horizon Forbidden West obviously goes further to the west for a whole other journey that builds on what is laid down here.
Horizon Zero Dawn (concluded)
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered‘s combat feels a little stiff today, but has a lot of flexibility and variability. Aloy’s arsenal is diverse, ranging from primitive spears and slings to high-tech bows that can fire elemental arrows. Each weapon has its strengths and weaknesses, forcing you to adapt your tactics based on the enemy you face. Dodging, rolling, and exploiting elemental weaknesses in the machines’ armor creates a thrilling dance of offense and defense. The thrill of lining up a perfect shot with a fire arrow, setting a robotic predator ablaze, is an unmatched experience.
The open-world of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is vast and breathtaking. Lush forests teeming with life give way to harsh deserts and snow-capped mountains. Exploring every crevice reveals hidden secrets, from beautifully rendered vistas to intricately designed bandit camps. But it’s not just a pretty face. The world is densely packed with activities. You’ll hunt down corrupted machines, clear out bandit outposts, and complete side quests that delve deeper into the lore. There are even “Tallnecks,” colossal machine giraffes you can climb to gain a strategic overview of the land that offer the equivalent of “Far Cry towers”, it’s really inventive and fun to work through this moving puzzle. It’s a world that rewards exploration, encouraging you to get lost in its beauty and unravel its mysteries.
Frozen Wilds Expansion
The Frozen Wilds DLC smartly expands upon the phenomenal base game, offering a frigid new frontier to explore, challenging new machines to conquer, and a deeper dive into the lore of this captivating post-apocalyptic world. The snowy peaks and treacherous valleys of the Cut are visually stunning, really giving you more reasons to use the photo mode. Aloy’s journey here feels purposeful, driven by a new mystery that compliments the narrative of the main game. The new machines, like the Frostclaw and Scorcher, provide a fresh combat challenge, forcing players to adapt their tactics and utilize the DLC’s handful of new weapons and armor pieces strategically.
While the story itself is concise, it’s well-written and engaging. We learn more about the Banuk tribe and their fascinating culture, adding another layer to the already rich world-building of Horizon Zero Dawn. Frozen Wilds isn’t the most expansive DLC, but it delivers exactly what it promises: a tightly focused, enjoyable extension of the core Horizon experience. It’s included in the remaster, and there’s a lot of good reasons to play it to completion.
Nixxes put a lot into this remaster that really enhances every aspect of it. The once-PS4 game now has both 3D and Spatial Audio for an improved soundscape. The introduction of haptic feedback now allows the full use of the DualSense controller. Terrain and environments have been improved and provided with greater detail, and they not only add to the game, but they preserve the integrity of the original vision while bolstering what’s there. The improvements to shaders, textures, and lighting are very crisp and clean. There’s even new camera angles when engaging in conversations with NPCs, as there’s new motion capture data to go along with it.
I spent some time swapping back and forth between the PS4 game and the PS5 remaster, and there were moments where it wasn’t readily apparent what game I was in. The PlayStation 4 version natively runs in 4K @ 60fps (with no options to alter this). The PlayStation 5 remaster offers three flavors: “Favor Performance”, “Balanced”, and “Favor Resolution”. Performance Mode runs in 1800p @ 60fps, Balanced in 1440p @ 40fps, and Resolution in 4K @ 30fps (thanks to our friends at Digital Foundry). I found a happy balance in the apropos “Balanced” mode, and there’s really no downside with any of the modes you can choose from.
If you already own the game on PlayStation 4, it’s a no-brainer to upgrade to the remaster for $10. If you’ve never played, it’s absolutely worth the asking price.Horizon Zero Dawn is a great story with good gameplay, and Horizon Forbidden West is a good story with great gameplay, though they compliment one another so well. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is still a masterpiece of its own, has a captivating story, a rich and vibrant world teeming with secrets, and thrilling combat that will keep you hooked for dozens of hours. Thanks to Nixxes, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered provides consistency in its environmental design and enhanced detail that are now present in both Horizon games, making this more than a remaster – it’s a remaster plus plus.
A PlayStation 5 code was provided in advance by Sony for review purposes