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Zelda/Horizon: Zero Dawn Comparison Question

F

Farside

Unconfirmed Member
Trying to decide whether or not to buy a Switch and I keep getting stuck on the fact that the one game I really want at the moment, Zelda, seems to be very similar to the game I am currently playing, Horizon: Zero Dawn. I base this on several Youtube videos gameplay videos.

For those that have played both, if I am loving Horizon, and really don't need or want another open-world adventure game, should I skip paying $460 for the Switch and Zelda?

(And I'm really not trying to turn this into a "one game sucks" and "the other game is great" thread, honestly.)
 
D

DecoReturns

Member
They are not really similar at all honestly.

I think you should off on a switch until another game interest you. Unless you got something else in mind then just Zelda
 
K

Kyzer

Banned
Both amazing and unique, not a problem. There are definite similarities but not enough to step on each others toes. Horizon is all about the combat where zelda is more about exploration.
 
C

c1d

Member
I found Horizon to be more combat-focused whereas Zelda was definitely more exploration-focused. I bought the Switch for Zelda and didn't regret it at all.
 
F

Farside

Unconfirmed Member
DecoReturns said:
They are not really similar at all honestly.

I think you should off on a switch until another game interest you. Unless you got something else in mind then just Zelda
Click to expand...

Well, Kart 8, Spaltoon, and Mario, but Zelda is the only one at first.

And for everyone stating they are not similar, is it the puzzles for Zelda that is the biggest difference?

Ah, the combat/exploration aspect is an interesting difference.
 
M

mindsale

Member
Kyoufu said:
I played both and they're not similar at all.
Click to expand...

Both games have open worlds where towers reveal more of the map (giraffe-o-saurs in Horizon). Both have bows and a sense of dread with the exploration because any mob can kill you, and from both games' enemies you collect loot for crafting and upgrading outfits.
 
M

MegaSackman

Member
anorrismain.jpg
 
S

SanguineShark

Member
I honestly prefer Zelda over Horizon in terms of practically everything, maybe minus story but I'm not far enough into Zelda to really say.

Even the bow, really. The bow in Horizon feels like a hitscan weapon (It's not, but it doesn't behave like a bow really should in terms of arc), and it took a little time to get used to. In Zelda, you need to arc your shots a lot more, and I never realized how important that is before playing Horizon.

The world also feels more alive due to the interactivity between you and the environment in Breath of the Wild.

Horizon is by no means a bad game, but Zelda is in a different league.
 
F

Farside

Unconfirmed Member
Another reason I'm on the fence is that PS4 has nothing interested in, besides TLoU2 and maybe God of War, while Switch has a number of cool games.

I guess I am making my choice typing the above lol
 
B

Big One

Banned
They're only superficially similar to each other.

One game is based around a character-driven narrative with mechanics centered around hunting monsters.

One game is based around survival and pretty much gives you freedom to do whatever the hell you want...and climbing, lots of climbing.

Both are amazing games but are very different.
 
DirtyLarry

DirtyLarry

Member
I was only playing Horizon: Zero Dawn then I got my Switch.
I have only played Zelda since then. And I really enjoyed Zero Dawn.
I just personally enjoy Zelda that much more.

Zero Dawn is a way more daunting game, at least in my opinion.
Zelda is generally a more pleasurable experience, which is why I currently enjoy playing it more.

I also must add I do not get a whole lot of long gaming sessions. I am lucky if I get an hour straight and it is usually more like 30 minutes here, 45 minutes there. Zelda fits that schedule better as well. I never felt as i I was in a groove with Zero Dawn as a result of that schedule. Zelda is more conducive to bit size chunks in my opinion.
 
F

Farside

Unconfirmed Member
Gators300 said:
Watch this comparison video:

https://youtu.be/aVPXKdSEGNQ
Click to expand...

Oh, wow. Thanks for that.

DirtyLarry said:
I was only playing Horizon: Zero Dawn then I got my Switch.
I have only played Zelda since then. And I really enjoyed Zero Dawn.
I just personally enjoy Zelda that much more.

Zero Dawn is a way more daunting game, at least in my opinion.
Zelda is generally a more pleasurable experience, which is why I currently enjoy playing it more.

I also must add I do not get a whole lot of long gaming sessions. I am lucky if I get an hour straight and it is usually more like 30 minutes here, 45 minutes there. Zelda fits that schedule better as well. I never felt as i I was in a groove with Zero Dawn as a result of that schedule. Zelda is more conducive to bit size chunks in my opinion.
Click to expand...

And thanks for that. Now I just have to find a damn Switch.
 
Z

Zackat

Member
They aren't really that similar.

They just got compared a lot because they were both good games that released a few days apart.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
Personally, I wouldn't jump straight from one open world game to another. Get stuck into a totally different genre, then you'll minimize the chances of fatigue (I actually think Zelda can definitely be fatiguing)
 
S

selfconfessedcynic

Member
They are ENTIRELY different games. Horizon is essentially a third person shooter RPG with an amazing story. Zelda is a puzzle/sandbox game with (IMO) a very underwhelming story - or at least little emphasis on it.

Will they feel kindof similar? Only initially until the differences become more apparent to you.

Is it worth buying a switch for Zelda after beating horizon? Well, that's what I did and I only somewhat regret it. Zelda is good, though I enjoy it far less than other people seem to. I actually wish I had gotten a Wii U instead so I could play the other Wii U games then sell the system since they're maintaining their price pretty well second hand.
 
E

Eusis

Member
They're similar in the same way you can say Mario and Sonic are similar, in that they belong to the same genre (roughly) and share some mechanics, but otherwise are very, very different games.
 
T

Tricky I Shadow

Banned
I'm 145 hours into Breath of the Wild and don't regret buying a Switch solely for it. It's a really good game.

I played Horizon for a good 25 hours and just couldn't get into it. I'll try again, but from what I played of it I was pretty bored and just didn't care about the story or characters.
 
F

Farside

Unconfirmed Member
Poimandres said:
Personally, I wouldn't jump straight from one open world game to another. Get stuck into a totally different genre, then you'll minimize the chances of fatigue (I actually think Zelda can definitely be fatiguing)
Click to expand...

Yup. That's what I was really worried about, too.
 
T

Trace

Banned
Farside said:
Oh, wow. Thanks for that.



And thanks for that. Now I just have to find a damn Switch.
Click to expand...

That video is blatantly trying to take shots at Horizon, they're totally different games. Zelda is a physics playground where u climb whatever and do stupid shit with the physics, Horizon has better combat and a tighter story. Personally though they don't really play anything alike except for the fact that they're both open world and have bows.

I do love how Zelda plays but there's only so much open world I can take at once, since you're effectively doing the same thing for like 50+ hours.
 
Nameless

Nameless

Member
Horizon - story, characters, combat

BOTW - freedom, experimentation , puzzle solving

Both are beautiful beautiful and reward exploration in different ways.
 
C

Conciliator

Banned
Horizon is sort of like a great evolution of the Ubisoft/Farcry formula with a great new world.

Zelda however really goes to the bone on open world design, deeply rethinking ideas about progression, the map, interactivity, and traversal.

Play em both if you can
 
B

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
They both use the top face button to jump which apparently pisses some people off so there's that.
 
E

elshoelace

Member
I started finally playing Horizon and played Zelda at release and they really don't feel similar at all. You won't be disappointed getting Zelda.
 
Tal Shiar Agent

Tal Shiar Agent

Member
Horizon is a 9/10 while Zelda is a 7/10.
yes its a joke referencing the Jim Sterling reviews kerfuffle


But really they aren't similar games, but open world fatigue is a real thing, so pace yourself.
 
F

Farside

Unconfirmed Member
I really appreciate all the replies (and no one shitted-up the thread!). I'll beat Horizon and then make a serious effort to find a Switch.

Thanks again, folks.

Conciliator said:
Horizon is sort of like a great evolution of the Ubisoft/Farcry formula with a great new world.

Zelda however really goes to the bone on open world design, deeply rethinking ideas about progression, the map, interactivity, and traversal.

Play em both if you can
Click to expand...

Yeah, this seems sound advice. :)
 
R

R00bot

Member
Zelda is a completely different beast what with the physics and stuff, although you have to consciously look to use the physics in interesting ways and could easily play it as a normal game and have way less fun. Dunkey's video is a brilliant example of how just messing around with the world can be fun in itself.
 
H

Huge Succeeded

Banned
SG-17 said:
Horizon is a 9/10 while Zelda is a 7/10.
Click to expand...

eeeeeeeh
they're both pretty damn good games by most metrics
sorry for singling you out
you're not the only one bringing declarations of quality into this thread
speaking generally, though, i dunno why anyone would do that, because the warz right now are going stronger than I've ever seen on gaf and we all know what that sort of thing will do to this thread

SG-17 said:
But really they aren't similar games, but open world fatigue is a real thing, so pace yourself.
Click to expand...

where these two games are concerned, regular ass fatigue is what OP should be worried about. that's potentially 200+ hours of gameplay if you combine the two
 
HoldenGatsby

HoldenGatsby

Member
Horizon: Zero Dawn is a better open world game than Breath Of The Wild, in my opinion.

I did buy a Switch just for Zelda, and I thought it was a totally fine game, but I don't think it's a good Zelda game by any means. It's an open-world game with a Zelda theme, which is all well and good, but it isn't the Zelda game that I wanted.

Horizon, on the other hand, is the first game where to me the story reinforced the idea of the open-world structure. I enjoyed my time with Horizon much more than I did Zelda.

I wouldn't honestly advise buying a Switch just for Zelda and as someone who did exactly that, I hope you'll believe me when I say that right now it just isn't worth it. Wait for a sale, or until a couple more games come out for it.
 
Z

Zareka

Member
They're not really that similar, but I'd personally say Zelda is the far better game. You can't directly compare them, though.
 
G

georgc

Member
Finished horizons two days ago and been playing Zelda for about a week. They are not similar at all. But both great. You get more freedom and crazy cool gameplay mechanics in Zelda but the story, characters and combat loop in Hzd made me come back and be the first open world game I completed since RDR and before that GTA3. So yeah they are both great.
 
Q

Quasar

Member
Farside said:
Trying to decide whether or not to buy a Switch and I keep getting stuck on the fact that the one game I really want at the moment, Zelda, seems to be very similar to the game I am currently playing, Horizon: Zero Dawn. I base this on several Youtube videos gameplay videos.

For those that have played both, if I am loving Horizon, and really don't need or want another open-world adventure game, should I skip paying $460 for the Switch and Zelda?

(And I'm really not trying to turn this into a "one game sucks" and "the other game is great" thread, honestly.)
Click to expand...

I wondered about that too. Currently playing Horizon, and just bought a Switch so I did wonder if i should put off playing Zelda till after I finish Horizon and have a break with some other game.
 
R

R00bot

Member
Conciliator said:
Horizon is sort of like a great evolution of the Ubisoft/Farcry formula with a great new world.

Zelda however really goes to the bone on open world design, deeply rethinking ideas about progression, the map, interactivity, and traversal.

Play em both if you can
Click to expand...

This to the max. I had three other friends who played through Zelda at the same time and we compared notes. Despite us all thinking we had played through the game in the intended order we had actually all done it in different orders. It was really exciting discussing it with them at the time and realising just how open our experience was to change.
 
B

Big One

Banned
Conciliator said:
Horizon is sort of like a great evolution of the Ubisoft/Farcry formula with a great new world.

Zelda however really goes to the bone on open world design, deeply rethinking ideas about progression, the map, interactivity, and traversal.

Play em both if you can
Click to expand...
This is probably one of the better comparisons. Horizon is like Assassin's Creed formula if Assassin's Creed formula didn't blow chunks and was refined to a tee. Breath of the Wild is a different type of open world game from anything you've seen before outside of maybe Minecraft; but with more narrative purpose and a beautifully fleshed out world with stuff to find and discovered in every section of the game.
 
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