Controls
Stealth
Difficulty
Combat Options
Quests
Biggest concern
Kim: Yeah, it’s rare you see a developer change the genre it’s known for, AND go after its first open-world game, which is an undertaking in and of itself. I was super-concerned Horizon’s controls would be a bit too complicated for me. It seemed like there was so much going on I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep up and remember all the inputs to unleash the right skills. However, I adapted to the controls really quickly; everything felt really responsive, smooth, and easy to learn. Yes, things are chaotic, especially when machines alert each other and you find yourself in the middle of a big swarm of them, but I like that Guerrilla gives you so many ways to approach the combat, and that at any time you can run away if things get too complicated and come back with a new strategy. One thing Guerilla stressed during our trip was how much it wants people to be able to play this game their way and experiment with strategies. There’s something very tactical about it; I liked planning for each situation. For instance, do I just try to stealth kill as many machines as I can? Or do I throw down a tripwire (which stuns machines with an electric wave) and then go in for kills? I like that so much of the gameplay is about learning what works for you. Did you find yourself leaning toward one tactic more than others? That tripwire was like my best friend for a good chunk of my time.
Stealth
Jeff M: I tend to go the stealth route whenever it’s offered in games, and Aloy’s sneaking skills didn’t disappoint. This was another big relief for me – some open-world games like the Assassin’s Creed series have never really nailed stealth tactics, but it felt like a viable option in Horizon. The way Aloy automatically hides in tall grass reminded me of Uncharted 4’s stealth mechanics, but I also felt like I had a wider variety of tools at my disposal. I used the ropecaster quite a bit during my playtime to pin enemies down – especially the giant corruptor I fought at the end of my demo. Did you go toe-to-toe with that thing?
Kim: I was surprised with just how effectively the stealth worked; it’s definitely the way to go to kill the machines if you can. And yes, I did take on that giant corruptor. I feel like boss battles are on a whole other level. The bosses are just so cool and massive, but all require skill and quick thinking to take down. When I played, I kept feeling this big adrenaline rush, as I dodged every which way to avoid the big attacks. Every machine has its own weaknesses and smart ways to take them down. The corruptor was insane because he could turn all these machines against you and then it’s a complete frenzy. I used the ropecaster to mount a machine and make it become my friend, haha. That was cool because mounting a machine like a broadhead allows you to outrun other machines. On the other hand, if you get off your mount, it will start attacking the other machines for you. It helps to have a buddy to distract the other evil machines. What were your big takeaways from that boss battle?
Difficulty
Jeff M:I was surprised and impressed by how difficult it was, first of all. A lot of games get compared to Dark Souls nowadays, but it evoked the same kind of pressure and challenge from me. At the same time, it felt less scripted, like these are just machines you will occasionally come across in the world – you don’t have to walk through a fog door in order to trigger a battle with them. The corruptor I fought ended up chasing me all over the forest; I would launch an attack, find out that it wasn’t doing much damage, and then be forced to retreat as I came up with a better plan. It wasn’t frustrating though, in part I think because the controls hold up and you have a bunch of options at your disposal. When I finally defeated it, I felt a real sense of achievement. I know you played more of the game than I saw at E3. Did anything new stand out during your extended playtime?
Combat Options
Did you get to do much platforming? We just saw that cool footage this week at the PlayStation event, where Aloy was climbing up one of the massive Tallneck machines. That was awesome! I’m hoping there is more of those types of interactions. I just love that it feels like there’s so much variety to every encounter. Just when I think the game has no more tricks up its sleeve, I discover all these different things. Like in my demo, I was able to stealth kill from above by running across a tightrope that connected to two big trees. Machines also look super different (and scarier!) at night, and the weather can affect the difficulty as well. You won’t be able to see those beasts as easily in the fog. The impression I got is we haven’t even seen a fraction of what you can do in that game or the world. Later on you can get a rocket launcher! Can you imagine the machines you’ll be taking down with that? Guerrilla indicated there are so many different machines they haven’t even revealed yet. I feel this great sense of excitement when I explore for that very reason.
Quests
Kim: As an RPG fan, that’s what I was most interested in, and I felt like there’s a good balance between the action and RPG elements. Guerrilla wants this game to be accessible to everyone, so it doesn’t go super deep with the upgrade system, but you find different modifications for you armor and weapons that can greatly improve them. Also, for the upgrade system, you pretty much have the freedom to pick the abilities that match your playstyle, whether that’s stealth or melee. It definitely isn’t just getting the RPG label for the sake of it. Guerrilla made this world feel alive beyond just those machines.
Various side quests are available; some you even have a choice in, and they affect the quest line and what happens down the road in your game. Don’t expect it to be like The Witcher in terms of scope and consequence, but Guerrilla definitely put an effort into making the world believable and exciting. You can hunt to craft your armor and ammo, NPCs will just call out to you for help as you explore, and then they packed the world with cool relics and other things for you to find that tell more about its history. I was impressed with how much time they spent building up the lore. It looks like areas are split by environments, so the new one we saw was the desert, which was just gorgeous even for a desert! Plus, all the tribes in these different parts have different ways of life and beliefs. There’s even quests to give you more insight on these tribes. In the end, I just feel like there’s a good mix of things for every type of player. Whether you get into the lore of games or just want memorable fights. We’ve been pretty positive throughout this, but on an ending note, let’s just discuss what you’re most excited about and what your biggest concern is.
Biggest concern
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...our-hands-on-time-with-horizon-zero-dawn.aspxKim: You’re right about that. Usually when I see games, I have a few apprehensions or things that I’m thinking, “I hope they fix that by the time the game launches.” I’ve been skeptical about Horizon because it looks so damn good, but my hands-on time made even more excited to dive in. Guerrilla isn’t revealing much about the world or story, so I’m a little concerned there. Open-world games can be difficult to tell great stories in. I feel like The Witcher 3 is one of the best examples of figuring that out, but Guerrilla did hire talent that has experience with open-world games for the narrative. With everything so secretive though, I hope all the reveals are exciting. They kept saying it will make sense for why the world came to be the way it is. I just hope it’s not a stupid, cop-out reason that makes me roll my eyes. That’s about as cynical as I’m going to get, because like I said everything else looks great and I could see myself pouring hours of my life into this. I already like that I’m rooting for Aloy. She’s had a rough life being shunned since birth. I’m sort of hoping I can leave that world feeling like she’s in a better place. Yes, I’m a huge nerd like that!
