Review: Horizon Forbidden West is a stunning sequel

videogameschronicle.com:

When it comes to sequels that are significantly better than the original, a game that often comes to mind is Assassin’s Creed 2.

The jump from the first Assassin’s Creed to its sequel perfectly represents what a studio can do once it’s found its feet with the first instalment of a franchise – expanding on what worked, listening to what its players didn’t like, and taking advantage of not having to learn to walk at the same time.

While Horizon Forbidden West just falls short of replacing Assassin’s Creed 2 in this analogy, it gets very close. With better combat, a compelling story and a jaw-droppingly beautiful world, it’s an improvement on the original in every way, even if it does hold on to a few open-world tropes that we could have left behind.

Horizon Forbidden West picks up right after the end of the first game. If you haven’t played the original, or have simply forgotten its plot in the five years since its release, there’s an excellent recap at the start of the game, meaning players that didn’t even pick up the first game can be right up to speed.

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Following news of an impending threat, Aloy must leave the cosy, settled lands that she came to know in the first game and journey west, into a harsher, dangerous and politically charged world on the brink of inter-tribal war.

We love that the game acknowledges how significant Aloy is to the people of this world as she enters new villages and meets new tribes. She’s revered for what she did in the first game, and it doesn’t simply feel like a complete reset. Aloy isn’t having to prove herself again, she’s a genuine legend of this world.

This carries over to Ashly Burch’s incredible