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For those who are playing Horizon and Zelda, which world do you enjoy exploring more?

The Dude

The Dude

Member
Two new games with big open worlds, which of the two would you say you enjoy more and why? Or do you love both just as much equally?

I think they're 2 of the best recent worlds we've been able to explore, but there is always one some might prefer over the other and for me I think that thread on Zeldas open world has me thinking about them both since I'm knee deep in both atm.

For me the nod goes to Zelda and here is why. I feel Zeldas world is a little more rewarding to explore.. I absolutely love horizon as a game but I've found that exploring the world was beautiful but I didn't really feel like I was doing a whole lot other than farming some mats. In zelda I'm finding myself just more eager to see what puzzles I can find for seeds, or bomb holes, or what's over that mountain, or on top of that mountain etc... Zelda brings out more of the Explorer in me and it's why I'm loving that Aspect to death.

Horizon is a superbly crafted video game, but the issue I have is you have this huge world that feels so detailed and gorgeous but I find that the incentive to explore isn't strong for me, i get my quests and I sort of bee line thru them and while I try to explore I'm still just struggling with incentive.

So for me zelda gets the nod with its open world, I think it's one of the most detailed, hand crafted and explorable worlds in gaming history.

So for those that have played them both, which world did you or did you enjoy exploring more in these two excellent games?
 
0

0racle

Member
As much as I am loving Horizon, I dont see what is so appealing about its world. It all feels very samey. Its beautiful, thats for sure but it all has a been there done that type of feel. Its so realistic that its almost boring? I am not too sure how else to put it.

Zelda from what I have played introduces creativity which is fundamentally the main ingredient in encouraging exploration.
 
K

KenOD

a kinder, gentler sort of Scrooge
I'll grant Horizon has the more interesting world for a story and history to it, but Breath of the Wild is the one that keeps surprising me by what I find, small little stories that I can talk to with friends about (especially when they differ from each other), and has all sorts of hidden secrets.

That and I just like snowboarding down things.
 
V

Vital Tundra

Member
It's no contest. Zelda. It's just so grand and interesting, with tiny little secrets that I can't stop loving. Zelda is a game about true exploration, and they built a world that promotes it and makes the player want to go around finding every nook and cranny. Horizons world is great and all, but it's similar to many other open world games in regards to me wanting to explore it to its fullest, and that's not that much.
 
The Dude

The Dude

Member
I love horizon but I feel that world has so many areas I'll never see because there's just no major incentive to explore it and that hurts a bit. Not that I couldn't just go and explore it but a little more reason to head out would of done wonders imho.
 
S

Soulflarz

Banned
Vital Tundra said:
It's no contest. Zelda. It's just so grand and interesting, with tiny little secrets that I can't stop loving.
Click to expand...

This is probably the shorthand answer for most, and in reality, they're structured very differently so it's not really comparable. The topic may as well be "do you prefer style x of open world or style y", since it's not much to do with the games themselves but instead how different styles of open world are enjoyed.

ie- zelda is an open world sandbox-ish feel of sorts w/ heavy detail on the world while horizon is a much more traditional 'open world' style
 
O

oreomunsta

Banned
OP, I agree with you.

Zelda does a good job at rewarding your curiosity. Ninty really understood the player's curiosity and how to keep a person going
 
Ceallach

Ceallach

Smells like fresh rosebuds
Horizon feels like an excellent take on the traditional open world design. Zelda feels like the next evolution in it. You really can explore however you want, and do things however you want
 
The Dude

The Dude

Member
Yea horizon is I think takes what other genres tried to do and it did it all very good, the open world felt like the pinnacle of the current formula.

As you guys said, Zelda is the next evolution in open worlds.. I find myself just lost in it completely.
 
U

Uzukii

Banned
When I was playing both I'd play Horizon during the day (all day) and Zelda at night (in bed). I liked Horizon more until I got close to the end and lost interest. So now I'm liking Zelda more, because after beating Horizon I had no interest in going back to do all the optional stuff.
 
F

flipswitch

Member
I've been playing both non-stop throughout its launch, and Zelda easily beats it in exploring. I hope GG make the world more interesting in the sequel, because it looks stunning, but there's not much you can do in it besides the machines.
 
R

Rizific

Member
Unquestionably zelda. I dropped horizon once loz came out and have no desire to come back until after I'm done with loz.
 
C

Chris_Rivera

Member
I don't see why they need to be compared, as they both merit acclaim. But hey, dis neogafs bread and butter. Very market researchy type of questions, maybe a touch of circle-j
 
J

JimJamJones

Member
I'm 60 hours into Zelda and am still finding new places and things I haven't explored yet. I'm even going back previously visited places and finding new things to do. Horizon's world is great, but Zelda's open world is on a whole 'nother level when it comes to exploration.

Breath+of+the+wild+comp_e18a54_5949828.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Z

zulux21

Member
given I hated combat in zelda due to weapon breakage, and hated climbing anything in zelda due to the slow speed and quit playing zelda after a few hours because I was bored and didn't want to explore anything due to those... and on the flip side horizon was one of my favorite games of the Gen I am going to have to give the nod to horizon for me despite the fact that I got bored of exploring horizon after a while.
 
R

Run Jump Stomp

Member
Zelda by a mile. This isn't to say anything against HZD, its just that Hyrule is a world in a class all by itself. So immersive and compelling. I think playing HZD and BotW concurrently is a mistake. I honestly would prefer to wait to play HZD, but a viewer bought it for me so I feel like waiting would be rude.
 
P

Primethius

Banned
Horizon for me. Zelda has lots of interesting points but they are strewn about a largely bland world. Some zones are more interesting than others but it's too big for its own good.

Horizon feels much more condensed in comparison and makes the exploration feel more rewarding as a result, not to mention just being more interesting from a visual perspective.
 
M

MaximusPrimus

Member
Ya, Zelda is definitely the world I love exploring more, but maybe only cause i'm not done yet.

Although, I can honestly say that going from Horizon in 4K + HDR, and then jumping right into Zelda on Switch docked mode, was the most jarring experience ever. Zelda graphics fucking suck comparitively.
 
S

SuperRaddy

Member
Horizon is a great game, not taking anything from it... But it just doesn't compare to Zelda for exploration and discovery.
 
B

bigboss370

Member
I'm finding the world in Horizon way more interesting and fun to explore. So much so i've dropped Zelda and gone back to Horizon, even though i've already finished it.

Will definitely dive in more with Zelda later, but Horizon has captured my imagination better.
 
S

Silvard

Member
I haven't played Zelda yet, but I've 100% Horizon and while it's a beautiful world beyond words and very well designed in a way that every little corner looks both natural and like a closed world level or set piece, there really isn't much in the way of exploration. Outside of a view or a random datalog, there's really no reward in it. I had more fun exploring and getting lost in something like Morrowind than in Horizon. Which does lead me to add that I feel that Horizon's world is a bit wasted with a lack of content and interactive NPCs, but they were going for focus instead of breadth. It is breathtaking to traverse though.
 
I

Inf3cted_b3ast

Member
Considering this is Guerilla's first attempt at and open world game, I think they did a great job laying a great foundation. I personally loved exploring in Horizon (I haven't played Zelda and probably not any time soon). The sequel to Horizon will be a culmination of all the knowledge they've gained while creating Horizon.
 
G

gdt

Member
Zelda is the most rewarding open world game ever, so you can't really compare Horizon to it on that level. Horizon was amazing, and what a story and combat system and all that.

But BOTW....man. This is something else.

Edit: however, it is true there's nothing there to explore or find or enjoy in the open world. Just pick up a quest and do it or go farm. But that's like every open world game. Hopefully BOTW shows devs the joy of a truly packed unpredictable open world.
 
P

Primethius

Banned
SuperSonic1305 said:
Horizon should have had hundreds of collectibles so you'd have a reason to explore it.
Click to expand...

It's great that it doesn't. I think that's what I like about both games world design. It's not about the material reward. Both don't do that very well. It's about the actual exploration.
 
R

RootCause

Member
Horizon has much better combat that's more satisfying ,and Zelda does a lot better in exploration. Both of them are open world, but they're focusing on different things.

Two of the best games I've ever played.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Horizon is my game of generation so far. I prefer its world in terms of setting, design, graphics, enemy types etc.

But Zelda's world still wins in this type of comparison as I generally dislike exploration and I love exploring that world.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
Honestly, neither. Zelda's dungeon and puzzle design is top notch, but overworld traversal feels really slow and boring. I haven't played enough Horizon to have much of an opinion about it yet, though, but I personally prefer the style of having waypoints that tell you where things are, so I'd give Horizon the edge.
 
P

PeakPointMatrix

Member
I haven't played Zelda yet (or any Zelda for that matter), but I think it will have a hard time topping the story and characters in Horizon for me. I love Aloy as a character and the mystery of her origin and dynamic with the world is really intriguing to me. The writing is sharp and there are some great world building character moments.

I have no doubt Zelda will have pockets of that, but it seems like it's stronger aspects are in actual gameplay and world. I really value a good story and main character in games of this size, so Link being a mute may be what has kept me from flocking to Zelda titles in the past. I'm looking forward to seeing how I react once I land a Switch + BotW copy.
 
D

DMONKUMA

Junior Member
RootCause said:
Horizon has much better combat that's more satisfying ,and Zelda does a lot better in exploration. Both of them are open world, but they're focusing on different things.

Two of the best games I've ever played.
Click to expand...

I'll agree on this as well. The combat against the machines in horizon is ridiculously satisfying. My only grip with it is the melee combat is not great and I wish there was a it more variety in weapons.
 
R

RevenWolf

Member
Zelda for me.

While the setting and overall story are interesting in horizon, I felt like I was just playing another Ubisoft open world game in terms of the structure of the world.

Zelda on the other hand is the first open world game I've played where I've just gone and explored the world.
 
W

wumster3000

Member
Was playing Horizon while playing BoTW. I had to stop playing Zelda in order to finish Horizon because the world was consuming me.

Zelda for me.
 
Mihos

Mihos

Gold Member
My heart wants to say Zelda, because Nintendo needs it more.. but if I was double blind/anonymous, I would say Horizon. It is just gorgeous.
 
L

LordofPwn

Member
Horizon is a beautiful interesting world filled with interesting creatures.
Zelda is full of wonder and charm and rewards you for exploring.

I really enjoyed Horizon but I'm having more fun with Zelda
 
G

Griss

Member
Zelda and it's no contest.

In Zelda the sight lines are constantly open and you can climb anywhere. You constantly feel like you have a good grasp of the lay of the land, and where you've been and where you're headed.

In Horizon you have this narrow field of view of whatever's in front of you, and it's peppered with these stupid UI collectible markers, and you can't really interact with the environment much, and barely vertically at all.
 
H

Hixx

Member
Zelda. Put 50 hours into it and I went back to Horizon and I fucking hate not being able to make my own route to places. And while, admittedly, I'm not very far into HZD at all, I'd be amazed if there's a moment in this game as cool as climbing to the top of a certain mountain in BotW.

I don't think I've played an open world game with such relaxing and rewarding exploration like there is in BotW. They absolutely nailed that.
 
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