Metacritic improving moderation after "abusive, disrespectful" Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores reviews

eurogamer.net:

Metacritic has responded to Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores' recent review bombing.

Please note, there will be spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores below.

Horizon Forbidden West's DLC Burning Shores released last week, with many praising its visuals and smooth gameplay performance. However, one plot point has led to the game being review bombed on Metacritic, where the DLC currently sits with a 3.2 user rating. Previously, Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores saw its user rating drop to as low as 2.7.

During the events of Burning Shores, Aloy meets Seyka, an «ambitious marine of the Quen tribe who has stepped up to help her people survive». Ahead of the DLC's release, Seyka was touted as a character that would be Aloy's equal, with actress Ashly Burch even saying «Aloy may have met her match».

Towards the end of Burning Shores, there is the choice to make this match a more romantic one, and players can select a dialogue option that will lead to Aloy and Seyka sharing a kiss. And it is this, for some reason, that several 'critics' over on Metacritic have taken umbrage with.

«Aloy lesbian! What are you doing Sony and Guerilla really? Stop doing it with your characters,» reads one review. Another adds: «Stop pushing those farking woke agenda upon gamers. We only want to play the game, not be shoved with politics or gay».

Now, in a statement to Eurogamer, Metacritic and Fandom confirmed it is aware of the «abusive and disrespectful reviews of Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores,» and said it is «currently evolving [its] processes and tools to introduce stricter moderation in the coming months.»

Here is Metacritic/Fandom's statement regarding Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores' review bombing in