Horizon: Forbidden West
It's as if the devs read all my criticisms of Zero Dawn and addressed most of them in this ambitious sequel. The result is a big fat satisfying package. It is burdened by having too many systems, which will inevitably result in some of them disappointing some of you. Still, as a whole, Forbidden West proves that in the right hands big budget AAA games can deliver astounding experiences. It's one the best games I've played in a while.
It looks and feels incredible to traverse this world. The design and technology work cohesively to achieve a world-building vision that is tactile, visceral, and very immersive. I often avoided mounts and fast traveling because taking the long way was just so pleasurable. And maybe I would discover a new secret along the way? Unfortunately, Ubisoft-style map markers for most of it rob you of much of the delight of discovery. Also expect red herrings and some empty areas. I'm OK with that: I'll always prefer less but better content. (*cough* Assassin's Creed: Valhalla *cough*) And even when there's no "stuff" to find, there is plenty of memorable atmosphere.
Tech side note: I did not have any crashes in over 130 hours of play. It took minimal tweaking to get over 60 FPS at 4K, and it felt fluid and satisfying throughout. HDR is non-gimmicky and really adds to the look and feel.
I'm not a fan of the Horizon backstory. It's at once too convoluted and too reductive: The downfall of humanity ends up being all about the eye-rolling drama between a handful of immature people on the one hand, and an all-powerful and yet stupid Greek pantheon of AI on the other. It's all quite Marvel-esque and trite. The living characters are also severely one-dimensional over-the-top caricatures. Happily, again, the design and technology come to the rescue. The facial and gesture animations breathe so much life into the blandness that the first game, Zero Dawn, could never overcome. Aloy is an uninteresting protagonist, but at least you're able to experience and sympathize with her single-mindedness, lack of patience, and passive-agressive Midwest nice. I don't especially like her. But I can't help but respect her.
The best stuff is in the littler stories: the inter-tribal politics and intrigue, individuals and their passions and losses. The themes do get a bit repetitive in a game so big, but I still experienced many surprising and delightful moments.
As I said, there are too many systems, though you can safely ignore anything you don't like. There's a lot that's not my cup of tea: I avoided most weapon types, potions, and the cooking system. Also, Forbidden West copies from The Witcher 3 by introducing an in-game board game, but it's so ill-conceived despite being so elaborate. It's not worth complaining about specifics here, but the bottom line is: it sucks. Another annoying piece of side content is the various combat challenges. Look, combat is generally fun and emergent in Horizon, but when push comes to shove it falls apart. Uncooperative cameras, getting stuck in terrain, enemies that can throw you into stun loops, all lead to chaos and frustration. You can brute force your way through this crap in the main quests, but the challenges won't let you avoid the worst of it. They're very not fun and shine an unfortunate light on the game's weakness.
But enough complaints. What a beautiful and great game. And it's big: Even the Burning Shores DLC is big. A gripping and enjoyable experience pretty much from beginning to end. Two thumbs up from me.