I have not done one of these for some time now and I have been playing quite a lot of Forbidden West because I had forgotten that Burning Shores released, so I want to catch up on story beats and such. Let us look at what I think about my 45 hours journey.

Pros:

• The game, even now, looks stellar. I have been playing it on performance mode and it still looks beautiful.
• The sci-fi story is fun. It really goes over the top from where the first game left off.
  • The whole disembodied emotion hurling toward the planet in search of the bad guys is just so far out there.
• The combat is super fun, as always. I like the addition of the Boltblasters and Ropecasters. I began my journey in the warrior part of the tree with allowed me to fully utilize the aforementioned weapons and it was an absolute blast.
• The map is enormous and the introduction of the rideable Sunwing makes the game so much more fun. Being able to fly through the air and glide down to bandit camps is 100% the best use.
• The best part of the Horizon games for me is spotting landmarks within the post-apocalyptic landscape. The fine arts building, Las Vegas, The Golden Gate Bridge, and I’m pretty sure Zion National Park is present in the game. All fantastic.
• I really like being underwater. Good addition.

Cons:

• I can’t put my finger on it, but the cutscenes feel too action-movie-y. Some of them are really cringy. Aloy is trying so hard to be the main character and it gets boring really quickly and she becomes one of the least-liked characters.
• There are too many different machines now. I think the trophy suggests there are 45 different kinds of machines to scan and that feels like it is toooooooo many.
• With the increase in map size is the increase of things to do and it is quick to show you a map filled to the brim with shit to do. It is overwhelming when trying to figure out what to do.
• Regala was a genuine bad guy and I wish she was used for more than just canon fodder for the plot.
• Upgrading weapons and armor is the most tedious thing on the planet.
  • Sometimes weapons and armor need a legendary on level two and then nothing relevant for the next two levels and the final level requires the literal GDP of America to upgrade. I don’t think I’ll ever upgrade anything fully.

Final Thoughts: I am having a lot of fun with Horizon: Forbidden West. The combat is still fun, the game is gorgeous and the story is truly something else. Despite that, the grinding to finish the touches on weapons and armor is so tedious that it makes me want to do it less.

Final Score: 8 outta 10 BAYBEE