Honestly, most open-world games feel like chores after the first twenty hours. You know the drill. You climb a tower, reveal a map cluttered with icons, and spend the next month clearing out checklists that feel more like data entry than actual play. Horizon Forbidden West is different, though. When Guerrilla Games released this sequel back in 2022, they didn't just make a bigger map; they built a world that actually feels alive, even when you aren't doing anything but standing still.
It's been a few years, and even with the PS5 Pro's arrival and the constant churn of the industry, this game remains a massive technical achievement. It’s dense. It’s lush. It's kinda overwhelming at first. You start in the Daunt, a relatively contained canyon, but once the gates open to the actual Forbidden West, the sheer scale of the ruins of Las Vegas and the San Francisco coast is staggering.
People often compare it to Elden Ring because they launched so close together. That's a mistake. They’re trying to do completely different things. While Elden Ring is about mystery and the "unseen," Horizon Forbidden West is about the "overseen"—it’s a maximalist dream where every blade of grass, every mechanical gear on a Thunderjaw, and every stitch in Aloy's Nora Anointed armor is rendered with an almost obsessive level of detail. It’s a technical showcase that still pushes the Decima Engine to its absolute limits.
The Problem with the "Ubisoft Formula" in Horizon Forbidden West
We have to talk about the map. If you open the menu in Horizon Forbidden West, you might get a mild panic attack. There are icons everywhere. Camps, ruins, tallnecks, machine sites, racing tracks, and those little green icons for "Greenshine" that you’ll never have enough of.
Guerrilla Games uses a specific philosophy. They want to reward curiosity, but they also want to guide the player. Some players find this suffocating. They feel like the game doesn't trust them to find the fun on their own. But here’s the thing: the actual moment-to-moment gameplay is so refined that the "map fatigue" usually fades once you get into a rhythm.
The combat is the real star here. Forget the human enemies—they’re mostly just distractions. The machines are the point. Taking down a Tremortusk isn't just about mashing R1. It’s a tactical puzzle. You have to scan it, identify the canisters, knock off the shock-resistant plating, and use the right elemental damage to trigger a chain reaction. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s brilliant. You’ve got a massive arsenal, from the classic Sharpshot Bow to the Spike Thrower, which is basically a javelin that explodes. Finding your favorite combo is half the fun.
Why the Story Divides Fans
The narrative picks up right after Zero Dawn. Aloy is a bit of a jerk at the start. Let's be real. She’s carrying the weight of the entire world on her shoulders, and she’s pushing her friends away because she thinks she has to do it alone. It’s a classic "lonely hero" trope, but it actually pays off in the second half of the game.
The introduction of the Far Zenith faction changed the stakes. Suddenly, we weren't just fighting prehistoric robot dinosaurs; we were dealing with literal space-faring immortals. Some fans felt this leaned too hard into "weird sci-fi" and lost the grounded, tribal mystery of the first game. I get that. But without the Zeniths, the stakes would have just been another generic "stop the blight" story. They added a layer of high-concept dread that makes the final act feel truly desperate.
The Decima Engine: A Masterclass in Lighting
If you want to see what your 4K TV can actually do, fly a Sunwing over the Burning Shores. The clouds in this game aren't just flat textures. They’re volumetric. They have weight and shadow. Guerrilla used a system that allows light to scatter through the atmosphere in a way that feels incredibly natural.
Sunset in the Forbidden West isn't just the sky turning orange. It’s the way the light hits the red sand of the Stillsands and reflects off the chrome plating of a Slitherfang. The facial animations are also worth noting. In the first game, conversations were a bit stiff. In the sequel, they used full motion capture for even the most minor side quests. You can see the micro-expressions. You can see the doubt in a character's eyes. It’s these small details that keep you immersed even when the plot gets a bit convoluted.
Mastery of the Machine Hunter: Deep Tactics
You can't just "level up" your way through the hardest encounters. You need to understand the mechanics. Most players ignore the "Tear" stat on their weapons. Big mistake. Tear is what allows you to harvest the rare components you need for upgrades. If you kill a machine with pure damage, you might destroy the very part you were looking for.
- Acid vs. Fire: In the first game, fire was king. In the Forbidden West, it’s all about Acid and Purgewater. Acid corrodes armor, making it easier to knock off parts.
- The Pullcaster: It’s not just for climbing. You can use it to rip shields out of enemies' hands. It's subtle, but it adds a layer of verticality to the combat.
- Valor Surges: These are basically "Ultimates." The "Powershot" surge is great for boss fights, but don't overlook "Radial Blast" if you’re getting swarmed by smaller machines like Burrowers or Scrappers.
The skill tree is massive. It’s actually six different trees. Warrior, Trapper, Hunter, Survivor, Infiltrator, and Machine Master. Most people gravitate toward Hunter, but the Machine Master tree is surprisingly deep. Overriding a Clawstrider and setting it to "Aggressive" mode is like having a pocket chainsaw that follows you around. It changes the game entirely.
The Burning Shores and the Future
The Burning Shores DLC wasn't just more of the same. It was a technical benchmark. Because it was PS5-exclusive (dropping the PS4 support that the base game had), Guerrilla could push the density of the environment even further. The final boss fight against the Horus—a machine we’ve seen dormant in the background since the first game—is one of the most visually impressive things ever put in a video game. It’s huge. It’s terrifying. It shows exactly where the franchise is going.
We know a third game is coming. The ending of the DLC leaves no doubt about that. The threat of Nemesis is looming, and the stakes are literally "extinction-level." But the real question is how they’ll top the Forbidden West’s world-building. We've seen the mountains, the deserts, and the oceans. Where do we go next?
Practical Tips for Your Second Playthrough
If you’re heading back in or starting for the first time, change the settings. Seriously.
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- Turn on "Easy Loot": This is a lifesaver. By default, if you don't shoot a part off a machine before it dies, the part is destroyed. Easy Loot lets you loot those parts from the carcass. It saves hours of grinding.
- Prioritize the "Nora Thunder Warrior" Armor: You can get this from the Arena. It’s arguably the best armor in the game for a combat-heavy playstyle.
- Use Smoke Bombs: They aren't just for escaping. They reset the enemy’s AI, giving you a few seconds to line up a perfect shot on a weak point.
Horizon Forbidden West is a dense, complicated, and beautiful game. It’s not perfect—the climbing can be finicky and the dialogue can be a bit wordy—but there’s nothing else that quite matches its scale. It’s a rare example of a sequel that takes everything the original did and dials it up to eleven without losing its soul.
Essential Next Steps for Players:
- Focus on the Salvage Contracts: These missions are often overlooked but lead to the "Oseram Artificer" armor, which is the best legendary melee set in the game.
- Master the "Shredder Gauntlet": It’s a high-skill weapon that returns to you like a boomerang. If you catch it three times in a row, the fourth hit causes a massive explosion. It’s the most ammo-efficient way to deal huge damage.
- Visit the Arena early: Even if you can't beat the high-level challenges, the medals you earn can be traded for purple-tier gear that will carry you through the mid-game.
- Check your "Notebook": The game tracks every machine you've scanned and lists exactly what loot drops from which part. It’s your best friend when you're trying to upgrade your bow to level five.