I Played Horizon: Zero Dawn And Now Have THINGS TO SAY
Mar 31, 2017 23:26:56 GMT -5
Trurl, LazBro, and 6 more like this
Post by Tea Rex on Mar 31, 2017 23:26:56 GMT -5
I'm sure you have questions. Let's go by most important to least important.
Can you hump people!?
Nope.
What?? The story is about a dinobot killing 19 year old who's on a quest for self-discovery! Surely part of that discovery is smooching.
No, sorry. No humps, no smooches, not even suggestive eyebrows from our main character, Aloy. The game makes it clear that Aloy considers her quest far more important than finding someone to hump. And the writing does support this - she was raised in isolation, and she's kind of thorny and very single-minded when she's on a task.
That isn't to say that there aren't people in the game who are clearly attracted to Aloy, or people that she may find attractive (there's some subtle voice work and writing on her side to that effect). But her quest is far more important, and it was neat that it was addressed.
Wait, people?
Yeah, people. This game is hella diverse. Beyond a female protagonist who isn't designed as half beach ball, and who has actual fucking armor on that covers her vital areas, and who isn't part of a "be a dude or a lady" selection, you have people of all shapes, races, genders and sexualities wandering this world. And it's played as being just...normal. Even mental illness is addressed. And the reason for the diversity is also explained in-game.
Religion and tribes (divided by culture, not race) are what separate the people into different factions. And religion, the good and the shitty parts of it, is also addressed.
Well, damn, I was hoping for humping. Are the side characters at least cool?
Hella cool. Now, there's not a lot of them, and you aren't fighting in a party - think Witcher, not Dragon Age - but the ones you meet are written well, and I, personally, grew kind of attached to a few. The voice work and the side quests for them are all pretty great, too - lots of variation in the quests, and fantastic vocal work by the entire cast, even the 'extras'.
What about the baddies?
There's a few of them. Various levels of baddies.
Oh. Well, are there any that I will love to hate?
Oh my god, yes. Oh, man. There's a couple that you want to throttle.
Will I get to throttle those guys with my bow and arrow!?
Dude, spoilers.
Damn it. Fine. About the side quests - any shitty ones?
Okay, here's the deal - this game is actually pretty small for an open world game. Every side quest counts. And the developers obviously took that to heart. Each side quest has a story, each feels important, each allows you to meet someone who gives you a better understanding of how this world works. The collectibles are really the only things that feel "fetch-quest" ish, but even those come with very decent rewards, or there own tales.
Aw, so the world is kind of small?
Compared to other open world games, yeah. This isn't Skyrim or The Witcher or Fallout 4, here. It's rendered beautifully, and everything you see can actually be found in reality, and it IS still a good-sized map. And there are other reasons to explore the landscape aside from the collectibles. The world is filled with bits of data you can uncover by poking around, for instance. And it's just pretty, man. But compared to other open world games, yeah, sure, it's small.
Again, though, because of the size of the map, it does feel like the writers and developers had the ability to put more quality in the quests, as I said above.
Speaking of this world - fucking dinobots and a bunch of tribal cultures in the far future?
Yup!
They explain why the world is like this, right?
Yup!
Is the explanation cool?
SO cool. And very detailed. They even explain the why of the dinobots! And you get a shitload of emotional payoff from the storyline.
So, uh. How is it, with the dinobot hunting? And hell, the combat in general?
Oh, man. Okay, so when I play combat-heavy games that aren't FPS, I tend to roll as a sniper or a tank - either I'm in teh shadows killing from afar, or I deck myself out and go in swinging. I pick one and I am that way the entire game.
This game. Man, it just refuses to allow you to choose a single strategy throughout. You absolutely cannot hide in the shadows all the time any more than you can pummel something to death every single time. I pummeled, I sniped, I dodged and weaved with a bow, I threw grenades. Yes, I probably sniped more than anything, but this game forced me out of my box. Further, I never use traps and potions beyond the standard health potion in most games, nor do I bother keeping more than one set of armor, because I trick out something I like and roll with it. This game? I figured out quick that if I didn't use potions, traps, and constantly switch between my various specialized armors, I would end up dead quickly.
The combat also made me sweat more than any game since Bloodborne. I had to think on my feet, and try different tactics dependent on my situation.
Oh, so the combat is like Bloodborne?
Jesus FUCK, no! This game pushes you out of your box, it doesn't push you out of your box into a pile of angry scorpions. The fighting is sometimes quite challenging, not soul-devouring.
Anything you aren't a fan of?
Eesh, the health system is super kinda weird. I've never worked with something like that before. That is honestly my only real complaint.
What's your overall impression?
I think it's pretty great. The combat is fun, Aloy, the main character, is a great lady to hang out with for a while, the NPCs are fun, the quests are fun, the story and world are engaging. Totally worth it.
Can you hump people!?
Nope.
What?? The story is about a dinobot killing 19 year old who's on a quest for self-discovery! Surely part of that discovery is smooching.
No, sorry. No humps, no smooches, not even suggestive eyebrows from our main character, Aloy. The game makes it clear that Aloy considers her quest far more important than finding someone to hump. And the writing does support this - she was raised in isolation, and she's kind of thorny and very single-minded when she's on a task.
That isn't to say that there aren't people in the game who are clearly attracted to Aloy, or people that she may find attractive (there's some subtle voice work and writing on her side to that effect). But her quest is far more important, and it was neat that it was addressed.
Wait, people?
Yeah, people. This game is hella diverse. Beyond a female protagonist who isn't designed as half beach ball, and who has actual fucking armor on that covers her vital areas, and who isn't part of a "be a dude or a lady" selection, you have people of all shapes, races, genders and sexualities wandering this world. And it's played as being just...normal. Even mental illness is addressed. And the reason for the diversity is also explained in-game.
Religion and tribes (divided by culture, not race) are what separate the people into different factions. And religion, the good and the shitty parts of it, is also addressed.
Well, damn, I was hoping for humping. Are the side characters at least cool?
Hella cool. Now, there's not a lot of them, and you aren't fighting in a party - think Witcher, not Dragon Age - but the ones you meet are written well, and I, personally, grew kind of attached to a few. The voice work and the side quests for them are all pretty great, too - lots of variation in the quests, and fantastic vocal work by the entire cast, even the 'extras'.
What about the baddies?
There's a few of them. Various levels of baddies.
Oh. Well, are there any that I will love to hate?
Oh my god, yes. Oh, man. There's a couple that you want to throttle.
Will I get to throttle those guys with my bow and arrow!?
Dude, spoilers.
Damn it. Fine. About the side quests - any shitty ones?
Okay, here's the deal - this game is actually pretty small for an open world game. Every side quest counts. And the developers obviously took that to heart. Each side quest has a story, each feels important, each allows you to meet someone who gives you a better understanding of how this world works. The collectibles are really the only things that feel "fetch-quest" ish, but even those come with very decent rewards, or there own tales.
Aw, so the world is kind of small?
Compared to other open world games, yeah. This isn't Skyrim or The Witcher or Fallout 4, here. It's rendered beautifully, and everything you see can actually be found in reality, and it IS still a good-sized map. And there are other reasons to explore the landscape aside from the collectibles. The world is filled with bits of data you can uncover by poking around, for instance. And it's just pretty, man. But compared to other open world games, yeah, sure, it's small.
Again, though, because of the size of the map, it does feel like the writers and developers had the ability to put more quality in the quests, as I said above.
Speaking of this world - fucking dinobots and a bunch of tribal cultures in the far future?
Yup!
They explain why the world is like this, right?
Yup!
Is the explanation cool?
SO cool. And very detailed. They even explain the why of the dinobots! And you get a shitload of emotional payoff from the storyline.
So, uh. How is it, with the dinobot hunting? And hell, the combat in general?
Oh, man. Okay, so when I play combat-heavy games that aren't FPS, I tend to roll as a sniper or a tank - either I'm in teh shadows killing from afar, or I deck myself out and go in swinging. I pick one and I am that way the entire game.
This game. Man, it just refuses to allow you to choose a single strategy throughout. You absolutely cannot hide in the shadows all the time any more than you can pummel something to death every single time. I pummeled, I sniped, I dodged and weaved with a bow, I threw grenades. Yes, I probably sniped more than anything, but this game forced me out of my box. Further, I never use traps and potions beyond the standard health potion in most games, nor do I bother keeping more than one set of armor, because I trick out something I like and roll with it. This game? I figured out quick that if I didn't use potions, traps, and constantly switch between my various specialized armors, I would end up dead quickly.
The combat also made me sweat more than any game since Bloodborne. I had to think on my feet, and try different tactics dependent on my situation.
Oh, so the combat is like Bloodborne?
Jesus FUCK, no! This game pushes you out of your box, it doesn't push you out of your box into a pile of angry scorpions. The fighting is sometimes quite challenging, not soul-devouring.
Anything you aren't a fan of?
Eesh, the health system is super kinda weird. I've never worked with something like that before. That is honestly my only real complaint.
What's your overall impression?
I think it's pretty great. The combat is fun, Aloy, the main character, is a great lady to hang out with for a while, the NPCs are fun, the quests are fun, the story and world are engaging. Totally worth it.
(something I find annoying to begin with actually but can usually ignore)
