Horizon Forbidden West’s incredible world is easy to get lost in

theverge.com:

I didn’t much care for Aloy, the main character of Horizon Forbidden West. I think she’s the least interesting person in the cast of characters who surround her, and her serious-yet-aloof nature doesn’t really endear her to me. And though the world Horizon presents is intriguing, the story constructed for it falls victim to some late-game twists that defy explanation. And yet, despite being less than enamored with the story and characters, the thing I primarily play video games for, I willingly and enthusiastically spent 64 hours across two weeks hunting, exploring, crafting, and fighting and would happily do so again.

This review contains light spoilers.

Horizon Forbidden West picks up six months after the end of Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy, faced with a new threat to the planet, leaves her friends behind and heads west, looking for the clues she needs to save the world. One of the most impressive things about Forbidden West — and the thing that sucked me in immediately — is the world itself.

There’s a fascinating seamlessness to it. You could, at any time, start at the bottom of a sandy gorge and just climb up until you’re at the top of a snowy mountain, then climb back down and wind up in a jungle marsh. So much of my gameplay time came from this kind of exploration. Since the actual plot left a lot to be desired, I was content to essentially make my own game. I would look at a mountain or tall ridge and wonder what’s up there, running into platforming puzzles and mini-quests where I’d save some random travelers from a pack of machines before I continued my journey up. Then, at the top of whatever peak, I’d take a bunch of pictures, damn near moved to tears by the skybox, before coasting down on Aloy’s paraglider —