Review: Horizon Forbidden West

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It’s been five years sinceHorizon Zero Dawn? It doesn’t feel like it! But within the context of the Horizon series as a whole, it does feel like Guerrilla Games has made a lot of strides in that time: and we all get to experience those efforts with Horizon Forbidden West.

[This review contains broad spoilers for the first Horizon. No story spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West are present.]

Horizon Forbidden West (PS4, PS5 [reviewed])Developer: Guerrilla GamesPublisher: SonyReleased: February 18, 2022MSRP: $69.99

Let’s make this clear: if you liked Horizon Zero Dawn, you will in all likelihood dig Forbidden West. It’s a generally bigger, bolder sequel, without giving up what made the original game resonate with so many people.

Since it’s been a while, it’s probably best if we recap the story just a bit. So Aloy is now aware of her role in the world, and how this Horizon universe came to be. We can dispense with the pageantry and most of the upfront mystery boxes. The sequel gets down to business, letting us know the stakes — the world is being corrupted unless Aloy can reenact preventative measures — and it kicks off immediately with that quest. The end of the first game presented a potential continuation of the narrative, with teases in tow, and Horizon Forbidden West delivers on that promise.

I love that we’re presented with a clear sense of urgency immediately. “People are suffering” due to the terraforming, and Aloy has a plan to stop it (which is naturally going to have some twists and turns in there): easy hook! It also goes a little further with the technological angle now that the cat is out of the bag (especially when juxtaposed to less advanced societies), and we get to see more of her personal struggle with