Horizon Forbidden West Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Republished on Wednesday, 15th February, 2023: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February 2023's PS Plus Extra and Premium lineup. The original text follows.

With Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games set the bar very high for itself. Its first attempt at an open world action RPG really resonated with PlayStation fans, thanks to intense combat, a compelling narrative mystery, and a great lead character. It's a lot to live up to, but having now spent dozens of hours playing Horizon Forbidden West, we think it's about as good a sequel as fans could hope for.

Set six months after the first game's conclusion, Aloy is traveling far and wide to prevent the world from spiralling into another mass extinction. Ominous storms brew in the sky, and an unusual red plant is spreading rapidly across the country, killing all flora and fauna in its wake. Her search for answers leads her to the titular Forbidden West, a dangerous region that's home to the volatile and deadly Tenakth tribe. Of course, all sorts of obstacles present themselves, not least of which is Regalla, a Tenakth rebel waging civil war with her followers and an army of machines at her command.

We certainly won't be going into spoiler territory here, but rest assured that there are plenty of twists and turns in the sequel's complex story, building upon the present day tribal conflicts as well as the events and ramifications of the past. With Zero Dawn unveiling such a fascinating history and constantly presenting you with immense revelations, the sequel was always going to struggle to do better. Forbidden West's narrative may not quite have the same impact as the original, but it still has its fair share of WTF moments, and