Support NeoGAF

[ItsTheNew]

I have beaten both, 100+ hrs in Zelda first, then I beat Horizon's main campaign.
Honestly it was hard to play Horizon at first (ended up loving it later) because the emphasis on climbing and mobility wasn't a top priority like it is in Zelda. Whether people like to admit it or not, they are very similar games but just focus on other things. Horizon has a more intricate story and combat, but Zelda has better sandbox style gameplay and being able to experiment in combat.
However! My fiancé played through Horizon first and found the graphics, combat, And story duller in Zelda.
Honestly, whatever one you play first it will take an adjustment when it comes time to swap.
If you had to ask me which ones better, the exploring and experimentation in Zelda is so fun that I want to play more of it just for the hard mode DLC.

 

[Silurus]

Playing Zelda first ruined Horizon for me. I just wanted to climb anywhere.

 

[Zakalwe]

Hot take: Zelda is better, but both games lack a certain something in their open world. A sense of real place, they both feel like pretty arenas for the mechanics more than actual worlds that feel compelling to explore in their own rights.

 

[jrush64]

I started playing Horizon first and was enjoying it, albeit the game didn't really blow my mind. Then Zelda came out 2 days later and completely blew my mind. The first 60 or so hours of Zelda are some of the best if not the best I've ever experienced in a game. It's that good. I have over 200 hours in it and I"m not done yet. I'm not using any guide or map for Zelda so I'm discovering everything for myself. I have 63 shrines done.

I went back to Horizon and I still can't play it so I'm taking a break from it until Zelda is fully out of my sytsem.

 

[Chû Totoro]

Lifeline, you're being disingenuous. Oh, wow, would you look at that, nobody's surprised.

Nobody is being called a liar or a troll for liking Horizon more than Zelda.

Boogalogist's post got called out because he claimed to find over 120 shrines in 50 hours with the game
and while finding 120 shrines in 50 hours is incredibly unlikely but not technically impossible
finding over 120 is impossible
because there's only 120 shrines in the game.

Thank you.
Now I agree if people should be capable of enjoying a game without the need to claim that other games are bad it'd be nice
If OP has the chance to play both he shouldn't hesitate!

 

[mazillion]

Hot take: Zelda is better, but both games lack a certain something in their open world. A sense of real place, they both feel like pretty arenas for the mechanics more than actual worlds that feel compelling to explore in their own rights.

I think Zelda has a very compelling world to explore, lots of things that draw you in out of your natural curiosity. The problem is that after a certain point you already know what's going to be there and the mystery is gone.

 

[Smasher89]

Plot is a ton better in Horizon, Zelda got decent exploring and is basicly "get sidetracked: the game" I think i kinda prefered Horizon due to the progression system, and that I played 50% of zelda (only 107 korok seeds) and felt I had seen everything, which I of course hadnt.

 

[ambar_hitman]

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.)

I bought Switch for Zelda and SMO and after 2 days I can safely say it's worth it for Zelda alone. I platinumed HZD too. Both games are awesome and must play IMO. Though Zelda is more special.

 

[Joe Condor]

With Zelda DLC coming soon and a huge backlog I can't see myself trying HZD anytime soon.

 

[HStallion]

I think Zelda has a very compelling world to explore, lots of things that draw you in out of your natural curiosity. The problem is that after a certain point you already know what's going to be there and the mystery is gone.

I think another thing to note is if you don't feel like fucking around with the sandbox based systems which I rarely did after about a dozen hours that the game loses a lot of its shine. I just started running past most enemies and things in the environment because I just wanted to get done with it.

 

[Deku Tree]

This is such a divisive comparison because each game is a AAA first party exclusive on different platforms.

 

[Zakalwe]

I think Zelda has a very compelling world to explore, lots of things that draw you in out of your natural curiosity. The problem is that after a certain point you already know what's going to be there and the mystery is gone.

The world was compelling for me due to the mechanics and hidden secrets, but after a while I felt like I'd had my fill of those and the actual world lost a lot of appeal.

Games like Skyrim had an almost opposite effect where the actual mechanics weren't as engaging but it felt like I was actually exploring somewhere real which is a hugely compelling draw.

Both Horizon's and Zelda's open worlds felt a bit sterile to me in this regard.

I did enjoy both games though, don't get me wrong!

 

[jamesmccloud]

Zelda is in its own league, but Horizon is excellent as well. As others have said, combat is (little) better in Horizon, exploration is the king in Zelda.

Main thing bothering me in Horizon are the stiff animations though, it is a shame that the people are way too often very plasticky looking. Zelda sidesteps this with its artstyle. Woth Horizon the closest comparison for me is Witcher 3, which has leagues better facial animations in cutscenes.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

Zelda feels like what you'd get if you took the old Looking Glass / Ion Storm guys and had them make a physics-driven game in a huge open world.

Horizon is Ubisoft Game but better.

 

[Floex]

Having come from Zelda to Horizon I'm having a hard time to adjust. Horizon is obviously gorgeous to look at but it doesn't have the personality of Zelda.

Maybe I'm a little open-world fatigued and will come back to Horizon at a later date.

 

[KLoWn]

No matter which side you people are on, you really needs to watch this:

Just watch the Dunkey video

It's fuckin hillarious.

How about the terrible "dungeons", empty world (no, 900 Korok seeds do not count as worthwhile content) and forgettable music?

Wow. So much wrong in one post.

 

[13ruce]

Enjoy both and don't compare them cuz it's ridiculous both are fantastic.

 

[Wamb0wneD]

1) There are not 'over 120 shrines'.

2) On a first run, 120 shrines in 50 (or even 60 taking that '+' to mean 'a bit more') hours sounds impossible without cheating/using guides, which defeats the purpose of the game.

3) You claim to have literally scoured the world for every single major game marker, including one that is literally inside Hyrule castle, but then could not be bothered to finish it, when after that you would be so OP you could wander through the front doors of the castle and finish the game in 5 minutes.

He probably just googled how many shrines there are to look like he knows what he's talking about.
Literally making shit up and pretending to have played the game just so he can say he liked another game better. One of the more pathetic console war posts I've read here in quite a while.

 

[aeroslash]

Zelda is a much better game IMO.. i kept playing Horizon wanting to do things i did in zelda.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

He probably just googled how many shrines there are to look like he knows what he's talking about.
Literally making shit up and pretending to have played the game just so he can say he liked another game better. One of the more pathetic console war posts I've read here in quite a while.

This type of thing probably happens all the time on GAF. This dude just happened to get caught in his lie.

I vastly prefer one of thees games to the other, but there's no way I'd just make shit up to try and make my point.

 

[ReitStuff]

FWIW I played Horizon immediately after finishing BOTW and I felt zero fatigue at all. They really are totally different.

 

[Ahasverus]

Horizon has two types.of mission: the less common Uncharted climbing and kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill til you mean it.

Really pretty game with good story (surprisingly so) but variety is not it's strong part, at all. One of the most repetitive AAA games I've ever played.

 

[Alebrije]

Both are great but not the similar I even consider them very different

If you like story driven games Horizont is the best , if you like exploration Zelda surpasses Horizont.

Both have great gameplay , Horizont has better AI but Zelda better animations and enemies behave.

Zelda has a lot of fun stuff to do, so fun and entertaining that story pales and you frequently avoid follow it in order to just wandering in the continent. Horizont gameplay is great but not as fun as Zelda , exploration is limited and the map is not as big as it seems, but story and side missions are fun.

 

[funkystudent]

Completely different games.


Zelda is totally different from most open world games out there but that also means its kind of hard to describe and you might also not like it. I know I bounced on it around 20 hours in.


Its my first Zelda game so I dont see the franchise as sacred and a lot of the "it does it because thats what they do in Zelda" stuff just annoys me.

For example no voice acting outside of major cutscenes makes the world feel so empty and lifeless.



But there is stuff to like there. Shrines are dope but everything I do in between then just feel like they would fit in the misc quests category in Witcher 3.

 

[Papo Swing]

I have beaten both, 100+ hrs in Zelda first, then I beat Horizon's main campaign.
Honestly it was hard to play Horizon at first (ended up loving it later) because the emphasis on climbing and mobility wasn't a top priority like it is in Zelda. Whether people like to admit it or not, they are very similar games but just focus on other things. Horizon has a more intricate story and combat, but Zelda has better sandbox style gameplay and being able to experiment in combat.
However! My fiancé played through Horizon first and found the graphics, combat, And story duller in Zelda.
Honestly, whatever one you play first it will take an adjustment when it comes time to swap.
If you had to ask me which ones better, the exploring and experimentation in Zelda is so fun that I want to play more of it just for the hard mode DLC.

Had a similar experience. Started both alnost at the same time. Dropped Horizon for a bit because I was loving the gameplay of Zelda more and was getting confused. Put 100 hours in it and went back to Horizon and fell in love with it too thought I had issue with the climbing and at the same tine it made me force the climbing at times lol.

Both amazing games. Zelda edges Horizon in gameplay a bit since I had more fun with that. But Horizon has an amazing story that hit a chord with me like nothing since maybe Last of Us in PS3.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Wow. So much wrong in one post.

I think there's some truth to the music part. It's one of the few disappointments I had with the game. I felt that the theme song used in the E3 2016 trailer was far above anything else in the game, and the amazing song used in the Switch Presentation trailer isn't even in the game, or at least I never heard it. That was one of the tracks that made people confident that it was going to be one of the best soundtracks of the year. The disappointment in the soundtrack was driven home a lot more for me because I played Automata immediately after BotW. As that's a soundtrack that wastes no time letting you know that you're in for something special.

 

[Peroroncino]

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.)

If you like Ubisoft-style open world games then Horizon should be up your valley as it's the best ubi-open world out there despite not being made by Ubi, if you however despise them, then definitely go for Zelda.

 

[KLoWn]

For example no voice acting outside of major cutscenes makes the world feel so empty and lifeless.

What? What has no voice acting got to do with the world feeling "empty and lifeless"?
It's still populated, and "lifeless" is the last thing I'd call BotW.

If that's the way you feel then that kinda sucks, because you're going to miss out on a lot of great games on account of them not being fully voice acted, and with that becoming "empty and lifeless".

I think there's some truth to the music part. It's one of the few disappointments I had with the game. I felt that the theme song used in the E3 2016 trailer was far above anything else in the game, and the amazing song used in the Switch Presentation trailer isn't even in the game, or at least I never heard it. That was one of the tracks that made people confident that it was going to be one of the best soundtracks of the year. The disappointment in the soundtrack was driven home a lot more for me because I played Automata immediately after BotW. As that's a soundtrack that wastes no time letting you know that you're in for something special.

Well, I can't tell people to like it if they don't, but stating it as a fact kinda irks me (not that you did that, the other guy did).

The themes each of the champion's have alone have already made their way into my list of the best Zelda music.

And in case anyone who haven't played the game is curious:
Urbosa's Theme
Daruk's Theme
Revali's Theme
Mipha's Theme

 

[Wamb0wneD]

This type of thing probably happens all the time on GAF. This dude just happened to get caught in his lie.

I vastly prefer one of thees games to the other, but there's no way I'd just make shit up to try and make my point.

Yeah probably... The lenghts people go on internet forums.

Well, I can't tell people to like it if they don't, but stating it as a fact kinda irks me (not that you did that, the other guy did).

The themes each of the champion's have alone have already made their way into my list of the best Zelda music.

And in case anyone who haven't played the game is curious:
Urbosa's Theme
Daruk's Theme
Revali's Theme
Mipha's Theme

This so much. Just because the music isn't blasting through the speakers all the time doesn't mean the music is bad or nonexistent.

 

[plagiarize]

What? What has no voice acting got to do with the world feeling "empty and lifeless"?
It's still populated, and "lifeless" is the last thing I'd call BotW.

If that's the way you feel then that kinda sucks, because you're going to miss out on a lot of great games on account of them not being fully voice acted, and with that becoming "empty and lifeless".



Well, I can't tell people to like it if they don't, but stating it as a fact kinda irks me (not that you did that, the other guy did).

The themes each of the champion's have alone have already made their way into my list of the best Zelda music.

And in case anyone who haven't played the game is curious:
Urbosa's Theme
Daruk's Theme
Revali's Theme
Mipha's Theme

And goddamn Tarrey Town.

 

[Huge Succeeded]

This so much. Just because the music isn't blasting through the speakers all the time doesn't mean the music is bad or nonexistent.

well I'll bold that in total agreement.

most of the time, when someone says BoTW's music is bad or that it doesn't exist, I get the feeling that they're saying that because BoTW's OST isn't entirely comprised of quaint catchy midi loops that bury into your soul over several hours of straight play like all their other favorite Zelda games.
but the tunes themselves are as good as they've ever been.

Hateno Village has my favorite theme in the entire series.

 

[Kolx]

As with a lot of Nintendo games, Zelda felt fresh and brought something new to the industry, with great gameplay.

Horizon was a technical showcase, but iterative and simply a more polished version of what we've been playing for the past decade.

What is the next evolution that Zelda is bringing that didn't exist before? after playing it for many hours I can't find anything new Zelda is bringing to the table other than climbing whatever you want. Bad story, mediocre combat, forgettable NPC, a dialogue that was written by a 12-year old, only 4 short dungeons (only one of them took me more than ~1 hour to finish), one of the worst end game boss fight (the 4 dungeons bosses are not that great either), no voice acting most of the time and when there is one it's mostly bad & even link is fuckin bad in the game. The game is fun because if it wasn't I wouldn't have discovered ~60 shrines so far and opened most of the towers, but I'd never understand the praise the game gets despite its many flaws.

 

[Joe Condor]

And goddamn Tarrey Town.

Hateno Village (Day) - Zelda: Breath of the Wild Soundtrack
Hyrule Castle - Zelda: Breath of the Wild Soundtrack
Hyrule Castle (Interior) - Zelda: Breath of the Wild Soundtrack

 

[Nipo]

I'm playing Horizon now and feel like I'm missing something. The story is good but the quests don't measure up to Witcher 3. The combat is dull since it is basically: hide in bush, throw rock, whistle, silent strike, repeat.

I'm only 10 hours in so hopefully it turns around at some point.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

I'd never understand the praise the game gets despite its many flaws.

The game is fun

.

 

[Kolx]

.

Horizon is fun. Many games are fun yet non got the level of praise Zelda did.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Horizon is fun. Many games are fun yet non got the level of praise Zelda did.

I guess at lot of reviewers found Zelda more fun. But if you found Horizon more enjoyable, great.

 

[KLoWn]

Horizon is fun. Many games are fun yet non got the level of praise Zelda did.

Maybe Zelda is just more fun to more people?

 

[Kolx]

I guess at lot of reviewers found Zelda more fun. But if you found Horizon more enjoyable, great.

But that's my point, the game has many flaws that affect the enjoyment you get from the game. The game isn't just being described as more fun than Horizon, it's being described as the best game ever by many reviewers and gamers which is something I'd never understand with the game being weak on many fronts.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

But that's my point, the game has many flaws that affect the enjoyment you get from the game. The game isn't just being described as more fun than Horizon, it's being described as the best game ever by many reviewers and gamers which is something I'd never understand with the game being weak on many fronts.

Well, two things are possible here:

- Things you perceive as flaws aren't flaws to everyone
- The game's fun-factor overshadows most of its problems

 

[Tavernacle12]

I wish you could smush each game together in a blender and play what comes out the other end. Zelda's ease of control, mobility, traversal, fun combat, mystery, and puzzle solving mixed with Horizon's graphics, enemy design, combat options, quests, story, and crafting system. I essentially played both back to back and in Horizon I kept getting annoyed at not being able to climb while in Zelda I kept getting annoyed I couldn't craft more arrows during combat.

 

[Kolx]

Well, two things are possible here:

- Things you perceive as flaws aren't flaws to everyone
- The game's fun-factor overshadows most of its problems

Fair enough.

 

[KLoWn]

But that's my point, the game has many flaws that affect the enjoyment you get from the game. The game isn't just being described as more fun than Horizon, it's being described as the best game ever by many reviewers and gamers which is something I'd never understand with the game being weak on many fronts.

Well, two things are possible here:

- Things you perceive as flaws aren't flaws to everyone
- The game's fun-factor overshadows most of its problems

^This.

The Last of Us is being hailed as one of the best game's around too, but to me it's at the most a 8/10.

 

[Farside]

Playing Zelda first ruined Horizon for me. I just wanted to climb anywhere.

Honestly, whatever one you play first it will take an adjustment when it comes time to swap.

Which one you play first influences how you react to the other seems to be the overwhelming opinion.

Oh, I forgot HZD is getting that DLC, too.

 

[HylianTom]

I started playing Horizon first and was enjoying it, albeit the game didn't really blow my mind. Then Zelda came out 2 days later and completely blew my mind. The first 60 or so hours of Zelda are some of the best if not the best I've ever experienced in a game. It's that good. I have over 200 hours in it and I"m not done yet. I'm not using any guide or map for Zelda so I'm discovering everything for myself. I have 63 shrines done.

I went back to Horizon and I still can't play it so I'm taking a break from it until Zelda is fully out of my sytsem.

I am deeply, deeply envious of folks who get to experience Breath of the Wild for the first time. It's one of those experiences that'll stick with you, especially if you just jump in and wander the countryside at your leisure.

 

[Drewfonse]

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.)

I'm sure my opinion won't be popular, but I was in the exact same position as you, OP, and bought a Switch and Zelda, thought it was good, beat it and immediately sold it and my Switch. There's just not anything else coming, including Odyssey, that got me excited. Unless you're really into the other games that are coming, skip it, Zelda is not worth buying a system for. I enjoyed Horizon more.

 

[TsuWave]

I'm playing Horizon...The combat is dull since it is basically: hide in bush, throw rock, whistle, silent strike, repeat.

this is just wrong lol

 

[Equanimity]

I have played Zelda: BotW for roughly 230 hours and I'm about to start my second play through of Horizon Zero Dawn, and I can say with utmost certainty that Horizon has the edge, in my opinion.

 

[Regginator]

Watch this comparison video:

https://youtu.be/aVPXKdSEGNQ

I was gonna link this very same video.

And as others have said, OP, both games share very little besides being open world. Horizon (obviously) looks better from a photorealistic visual perspective, and the combat is pretty cool, but everything else it gets beat on by Zelda. Especially when it comes to the interactivity of said open world. With all due respect to Horizon, but it only looks good, whereas the physics from Zelda is so ridiculously well done. From a gameplay perspective and "breathing" world there's so much more variety and player freedom in BOTW.

Look the above video if you want know what I mean.

 

[Boogalogist]

Yeah. Sorry guys. My estimate's quite off. Should be 100+ shrines and quite a lot of hours. Let me check again later.

BotW at 109 shrines:

Playtime about 80 hours