Finishing up HZD before FW and hard disagree. The melee combat in ACV is leagues better than spamming light-attack-light-attack-heavy-attack-critical-strike in HFW. However, if you're in melee combat you've already essentially failed in this game. Still it's not great. Contrast with that in ACV.
If we're just talking about, who has better combat encounters period, HZD wins just because it is more than melee combat, but that hardly means ACV (or ACO or AC. . .O v2.O) had terrible or boring combat.
. . .and hands down the acting and overall writing in ACV is better than HFW. As someone mentioned way too many of the NPC's in HFW are stilted and deliver their lines like their lifeless soulbots. Ashley Burch and Lance Reddick are CLEAR standouts in the game and the story is definitely engaging, but no way is it trounced by what is on offer from HFW, particularly the last two AC's (I haven't played Origins).
Like, I get people love to kneejerk shit on UBI-Openworlds but this criticism feels like wild hyperbole.
I have played every single AC game aside from Odyssey and Horizon is leagues ahead in pretty much every department aside from maybe graphics where they are pretty much on par with each other depending on which AC game we are talking about. Origins and Unity yes, but Valhalla and Odyssey cant compare.
The combat in AC games is an afterthought. We cant compare the melee combat in AC games to a shooter like Horizon, but in terms of depth, Horizon is leagues ahead. Comparing melee in Horizon to melee in AC is like comparing bow and arrow combat in Horizon to bow and arrow combat in AC. It makes no sense.
AC needs to completely revamp their combat. It has gotten comically bad in Valhalla. I thought Origins was a good reset, but they wasted all that potential when they shouldve just focused on what GOW was doing. Right now, In valhalla, it is simply awful. Hits dont have any impact, no feedback, animations are cartoonish which sucks for a series that had industry leading animations in the PS360 era. Horizon's combat feels tight, responsive, and its enemies are aggressive and fun to fight.
I really liked AC2, Brotherhood, Black Flags, Unity and Origins, but the combat has been the one thing thats been a constant disappointment. The fact that it has only gotten worse is a shame too. I almost wish they went back to how OP they made you in Black Flags and Unity because of how terrible their current combat engine is.