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[Triggerhappytel]

Horizon's combat is terrible, there's not even a lock-on feature

You want a lock-on for the archery?! This is a fuckawful idea.

 

[Bedlam]

Loved the Witcher 3 (eventually, despite some flaws) and I'm currently halfway through Horizon.

Yeah, the characters are maybe the single thing that Horizon game is a bit weak on. But it also does quite a few things better than TW3, not just gameplay things either. For example, I like the dynamic waypoints way better than the minimap in TW3 (and don't tell me I can turn it off, most quests are designed with it in mind). I feel like I'm way more immersed in the world of Horizon due to not having to look at a minimap and following the dotted line constantly. Just one example.

Anyway, both are great games with unique strengths and weaknesses. Great times for playing games, guys!

Horizon's combat is terrible, there's not even a lock-on feature

Is this sarcasm or what?

I even deactivated soft-lock-on in Horizon completely because I want to aim manually. Playing on hard and the game provides the exact right amount of challenge for me. I love how menacing bigger machines and herds of machines still feel. Never had that kind of feeling in TW3.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

It's definitely something GG could improve on in the sequel. I loved the supporting cast in TW3. That said, I still liked quite a few of the characters in Horizon, especially Sylus, Erend and Vanasha.

 

[wapplew]

You want a lock-on for the archery?! This is a fuckawful idea.

To be honest, I don't mind they add auto aim/lock on as accessibility option. UC4 have that, played survivor mode with auto aim on and had a blast.
That being said, I think GG already provide enough assist like bullet time to help my poor aim, it's really thoughtful. Thanks GG.

 

[black070]

Horizon's combat is terrible, there's not even a lock-on feature

This is a bad opinion.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

I don't really see how anyone could describe Horizon's combat as 'terrible'. There's a good number of varied weapons/tools to choose from, it rewards strategy and planning your attacks, and it can be really exciting when you're facing off against a machine you haven't encountered before. Picking up a weapon you've knocked off a machine to take it out is ridiculously satisfying too.

I usually loathe combat trials but I actually liked them in this game.

 

[valeo]

Geralt hardly uses ranged combat and the melee combat sucks in horizon so it wouldn't work.

Oh, no way - really?

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Story and lore wise i did not expect HZD to get any where near TW3 .
They had 3 games and books and have done a master full job using them.
Still HZD main story was not bad and lore was done rather good.
Looking forward to see where GG goes from here.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

Nah you're right in a way. Horizon suffers a little since it's largely Aloy's story.

This is key.

Gerald is the protagonist in the Witcher series, but the story isn't actually about him, lol. He is a cog in a grander scheme.

 

[v1oz]

That would make sense, since Horizon isn't based on a series of novels. It's hard to compete with detail in the story and characters in this case.

That's not to take anything away from CDProjectRed, as they have brought it all together very well.

This. You can't compare something like Horizon which only exists for the sole purpose of being a video game. To a massive literary work comprised of decades worth of books, short stories and comics. The Witcher series has been around since the 80's there is a massive amount of lore, canon, storylines and characters. I bet GG only had months not years to write the storylines for their game.

 

[Keasar]

People talk about how The Witcher 3 had a advantage of establishing characters through the earlier games and works over Horizon. However, how many of the characters in the games were actually in the books versus created for the games themselves?

I am pretty sure that Gaunter O'Dimm, Olgierd Von Everec and the Bloody Baron (Phillip Strenger) were in none of the books or any medium of The Witcher before. Those are some of the most memorable characters in gaming of all time for me. I don't think it's fair to say that The Witcher had the advantage of the books when it only counts for a couple of recurring characters while many are exclusive to the games.

And I agree with OP, much as I liked Horizons gameplay, in the end The Witcher 3 will be the game that sticks with me the longest for telling me stories that I will remember. Horizon had cool dinosaurs and a depressing setting once you started to get the background but I in the end will not remember Aloy or any of her friends, cause none of them were really fleshed out.

And it is hard to beat a character who has a fucking terrifying children's rhyme that is seeped into everything.

His smile fair as spring, as towards him he draws you. His tongue sharp and silvery, as he implores you
Your wishes he grants, as he swears to adore you. Gold, silver, jewels - he lies riches before you
Dues need be repaid, and he will come for you. All to reclaim, no smile to console you
He'll snare you in bonds, eyes glowin' afire. To gore and torment you, till the stars expire

 

[tiebreaker]

I have fond memory of places where I met Strombirds. NPCs? Not so much.

 

[bedlamite]

Zelda BoTW and TW3's worlds have set the bar incredibly high, Horizon's may be as pretty but it's nowhere near as memorable.

Combat in Horizon is sublime though, especially in hard mode with aim assists turned off. WC3 and Horizon are rather different games but if you were to do a comparison, Horizon bow combat>>>WC3. Hell, while we're at it I prefer Horizon's combat to Zelda's.

 

[Freeman76]

This. You can't compare something like Horizon which only exists for the sole purpose of being a video game. To a massive literary work comprised of decades worth of books, short stories and comics. The Witcher series has been around since the 80's there is a massive amount of lore, canon, storylines and characters. I bet GG only had months not years to write the storylines for their game.

Yes you can when one tries to mimic the other in so many ways!

 

[Prithee Be Careful]

People talk about how The Witcher 3 had a advantage of establishing characters through the earlier games and works over Horizon. However, how many of the characters in the games were actually in the books versus created for the games themselves?

I am pretty sure that Gaunter O'Dimm, Olgierd Von Everec and the Bloody Baron (Phillip Strenger) were in none of the books or any medium of The Witcher before. Those are some of the most memorable characters in gaming of all time for me. I don't think it's fair to say that The Witcher had the advantage of the books when it only counts for a couple of recurring characters while many are exclusive to the games.

And I agree with OP, much as I liked Horizons gameplay, in the end The Witcher 3 will be the game that sticks with me the longest for telling me stories that I will remember. Horizon had cool dinosaurs and a depressing setting once you started to get the background but I in the end will not remember Aloy or any of her friends, cause none of them were really fleshed out.

And it is hard to beat a character who has a fucking terrifying children's rhyme that is seeped into everything.

I feel the same honestly. TW3 is a completely original story, so the moments and quests (and attendent fuckery) which help to bring out these characters are entirely their own creation.

The point I'm trying to make here isn't 'who is better', it's just me thinking about what I want from the next HZD and why I think in my memory, it doesn't hold as cherished a place as something like TW3, despite, being a very good game in its own right.

 

[Strangelove77]

How are these two games comparable? They're not even the same genre.
Witcher 3 has two games already established, not to mention that Witcher 3 can be 100+ hours long. Horizon is about 20+.
Think about how much dialogue a side character in Witcher 3 has compared to Horizon. Think of how many times you visit the same places and talk to the same people. Of course the characters are going to be fleshed out more.
In the end the games are focused on different things. Geralt is a cog in his world, but Aloy is the main character of the game. Geralt is also pretty much a perfect male character if you choose him to be, which most do. Aloy is her own character.
Also, Horizon has a way better plot. A LOT better. Horizon did the best it could with its time and genre.

If you want to talk camaraderie and characters, at least compare Witcher 3 to another rpg, like Persona 5. Or 3. Or 4. Which have way better and more memorable side characters and companions than Witcher 3.

Honestly, you're comparing a top 3 game(Witcher 3) of this generation to a top 30(Horizon). That's my personal opinion anyways. Almost no game touches Witcher 3. It's just a very unfair comparison in a lot of ways.

 

[Keasar]

I feel the same honestly. TW3 is a completely original story, so the moments and quests (and attendent fuckery) which help to bring out these characters are entirely their own creation.

The point I'm trying to make here isn't 'who is better', it's just me thinking about what I want from the next HZD and why I think in my memory, it doesn't hold as cherished a place as something like TW3, despite, being a very good game in its own right.

Of course. That is not to say at all that I didn't enjoy HZD and wouldn't wanna see a sequel (I really do). I do think that The Witcher 3 set a new bar in terms of storytelling (until Nier Automata, right now the top tier of just ripping that bar apart, shoving the pieces in your throat and kicking you while you're lying down choking on it, crying) which I think many more games should try and aim for when it comes to story and characters.

I also wanna point out that I have yet to even read the books of The Witcher but I felt a strong connection to characters like Triss, Zoltan, Dandelion, Yennefer and Ciri who my entire interaction is with is through the games.

 

[Incandenza]

Aah... another fine example of how every thread involving Witcher 3 will devolve into arguments about the combat, regardless of whether the topic/OP has anything at all to do with that aspect of the game.

 

[Prithee Be Careful]

Aah... another fine example of how every thread involving Witcher 3 will devolve into arguments about the combat, regardless of whether the topic/OP has anything at all to do with that aspect of the game.

 

[SomewhatGroovy]

I mean, can't you just see locations in HZD as a trigger to memories of the time you spent with Aloy and not NPCs?

I am willing to wager a great many if us who spent hundreds of hours with W3 don't remember a lot of it's side characters. At least I don't and I have well over 300 hrs in that game.

 

[Peroroncino]

Nope, not talking rubbish. Horizon is a good game, but TW3 is on another level.

What you're saying about locations triggering memories happens to me as well. I have fond memories of TW3's world and its characters, I have none of HZD. Horizon is a mechanically sound game, but to me it lacks the heart of TW3.

There's some truth to the bolded.

For me, the biggest drawback of Horizon is its world, it's compact and feels very artificial because of it, also the wheather sort of... happens instantly like flipping a switch, similary with day/night cycle. Didn't have that problem in Witcher 3, everything felt cohesive there, well, still feels, 'cause I'm currently re-playing it, again. And Horizon is still waiting for me to even finish it, it's a sound game, well polished one, but it just doesn't compare for me.

Oh, almost forgot, no collectibles, fuck collectibles.

Geralt hardly uses ranged combat and the melee combat sucks in horizon so it wouldn't work.

This.

 

[Catdaddy]

I have more memories of the machines/enemies in HZD than NPCs, whereas in TW3 I have more memories of NPCs than enemies. The machines provide a fine supporting cast.

Still love both games and at some point this year plan on firing up TW3 again…

 

[Prithee Be Careful]

I mean, can't you just see locations in HZD as a trigger to memories of the time you spent with Aloy and not NPCs?

I am willing to wager a great many if us who spent hundreds of hours with W3 don't remember a lot of it's side characters. At least I don't and I have well over 300 hrs in that game.

I think that's the point really. Most of the memorable story beats in HZD don't happen around communities, but in the large abandoned facilites from the past. For me, a location becomes memorable by the stories that unfold there. To take TW3's Novigrad as an instance and compare it to HZD's Meridian:

Meridian's main story beats are investigating

Spoiler

Olin's House

and foiling

Spoiler

Dervahl's assassination attempt

. Those are the two that stick out in my mind. The first mission is merely two or three minutes work and a single puzzle, the second probably about twenty minutes through a fairly linear and scripted sequence.

Now compare this to Novigrad: it houses literally dozens of side quests which take hours to complete, many of them are crucial to the game's outcome (particularly side stories for Triss, Djikstra/Phillipa and Dandelion), not to mention huge chunks of main story which also unfold there. This before you even talk Gwent tournaments and other hidden areas.

When I turn a corner into a courtyard and think, oh ,this is where I fought those dwarves during Hattori's mission, or oh, this where I appeared in that stupid play with Priscilla, or here's where I stole those horses with Ciri...

I don't really get that with Meridian, becuase they didn't really take full advantage of the grand locations they built.

 

[YankeeDonB]

How are these two games comparable? They're not even the same genre.
Witcher 3 has two games already established, not to mention that Witcher 3 can be 100+ hours long. Horizon is about 20+.
Think about how much dialogue a side character in Witcher 3 has compared to Horizon. Think of how many times you visit the same places and talk to the same people. Of course the characters are going to be fleshed out more.
In the end the games are focused on different things. Geralt is a cog in his world, but Aloy is the main character of the game. Geralt is also pretty much a perfect male character if you choose him to be, which most do. Aloy is her own character.
Also, Horizon has a way better plot. A LOT better. Horizon did the best it could with its time and genre.

If you want to talk camaraderie and characters, at least compare Witcher 3 to another rpg, like Persona 5. Or 3. Or 4. Which have way better and more memorable side characters and companions than Witcher 3.

Honestly, you're comparing a top 3 game(Witcher 3) of this generation to a top 30(Horizon). That's my personal opinion anyways. Almost no game touches Witcher 3. It's just a very unfair comparison in a lot of ways.

I like Persona, especially 4, but couldn't disagree more with the bolded. I think having played W3 in between P4 and 5 is part of why the characterization in P5 feels so flat to me. Most of the characters are one-note cartoons. The difference in translation quality (truly top tier in The Witcher, in Persona not so much) definitely contributes to this.

 

[bunkitz]

I never thought about it, but I have to agree with OP. As much as I love Horizon, it pales in comparison to The Witcher 3 with regards to characters and their relationships. It also helps, of course, that there is a truly established history between these characters, be it from the novels or the previous games. As opposed to Horizon, where we, as the players, are not only introduced to these characters, but so is Aloy. They're all brand new, and yes, the history exists, but it's just... not as fleshed out, I suppose.

In a way, I guess Horizon's present-day world is just a backdrop, whereas the focus is obviously on the ancient, "metal world" and its secrets. In The Witcher 3, their lives are right there, front and center. You're a part of it and everything that's happening at that moment affects them one way or another.

Still can't decide which game I prefer, though...

 

[EatChildren]

CDPR's worldbuilding and sense of presence and purpose to the landscape and set pieces, and the history interweaving all these things, especially the cast, is borderline unmatched in The Witcher 3. It's borderline overwhelming how thematically and contextually coherent and cohesive the worldbuilding is, and the synergy amongst the whole team required to pull this off. Even in the absence of scripted NPCs and quest arcs, there is an abundance of nuanced detail in the topography, clutter, and props to communicate events and history. You can track the location of conflicts, where stalemates have occurred, victories and losses based on conquered villages, and so on. In the act of playing The Witcher 3, traversing the world and communicating with its verbose cast, it's effortless to immediate correlate characters and events to specific areas and the context for their presence. It's arguably the most organic open world game ever made, at least for worldbuilding and presentation.

I'm not even entirely convinced it wasn't a fluke.

 

[TWrecks310]

I agree with you OP, but what you're saying is more a symptom of a larger problem. Horizon's world doesn't truly feel like an interesting open world to explore, it feels like a setting where you move from waypoint to waypoint. I very rarely am compelled to explore, and when I do I already know what will be there thanks to it being on my map. Compare that with Breath of the Wild, where the exploration is inherently a part of the game and the world feels much more alive.

I don't mean to compare the two games, but I think it's an interesting case of modern open world design. I like Horizon quite a lot, even if I haven't finished it yet with Persona taking up all my time.

 

[Ahasverus]

HZD pales SO MUCH in comparison to the Witcher. The sidequests are so bland, their attempt at a diverse world come off as forced and "toy-box" like, the plot is so predictable, I mean.. No, HZD doesn't hold a candle to the Witcher and MUCH LESS in the characters/writing department. Everyone is a quirky badass in Horizon. There is real people in TW3.

People calling HZD "Witcher-like" made me run and buy the game. Now I can't wait to finish it to replay TW again.

 

[Ahasverus]

I'm not even entirely convinced it wasn't a fluke.

The other 2 Witchers are also excellently written. Especially 2. However 3 does have more variety in characters and situations.

 

[obeast]

But it also does quite a few things better than TW3, not just gameplay things either. For example, I like the dynamic waypoints way better than the minimap in TW3 (and don't tell me I can turn it off, most quests are designed with it in mind). I feel like I'm way more immersed in the world of Horizon due to not having to look at a minimap and following the dotted line constantly. Just one example.

You are totally right - this was an inexplicable oversight by CDPR. The minimap undercuts one of TW3's best features, which is observing and navigating its big, beautiful world. I'm slowly replaying TW3 on a PC with a mod that replaces the minimap with a floating marker (which itself can be toggled), and it's a massive upgrade. I've realized that in my previous playthrough(s) I had spent much of my time staring at the minimap rather than navigating the world organically.

It would have been so, so simple to provide an alternative to the minimap. An unforced error in an amazing game.

 

[sugarhigh4242]

No accounting for taste, I guess. For me outside the major major cities, I really have no association with W3's cities, and I never cared for the sword combat. For me, the aspects of Horizon that remind me of W3 are the parts I don't like. And the tactical combat still blows me away.

 

[Crayon]

I agree generally. Horizon's charters, locales, etc are leaving my cold even tho I want to like it. Last time I was playing it, I found myself comparing it to robotron of all things. When I'm done all I can remember is shooting robots coming from all sides.

 

[hydruxo]

I absolutely loved Horizon, but really my biggest issue with the world in that game is that the towns feel like they're just...there. In Witcher, you can wander through villages and go in homes, talk to NPCs who have interesting things to say, find interesting loot/etc. Witcher 3 towns/villages feel like you're there. Everything is so lively and full of world building that you forget you're even playing a game sometimes.

In Horizon, you don't have much of that at all. Other than the collectibles, there's not really much reason to explore the nooks and crannies of the world in Horizon. You'll never find any weapons or armor lying around (

Spoiler

outside of the Shieldweaver armor which is a quest

). The villages also feel like a facade at times (a gorgeous facade, but still), with too many buildings you can't go in and nothing to really compel you to explore those areas fully.

 

[Bedlam]

In Horizon, you don't have much of that at all. Other than the collectibles, there's not really much reason to explore the nooks and crannies of the world in Horizon. You'll never find any weapons or armor lying around (

Spoiler

outside of the Shieldweaver armor which is a quest

). The villages also feel like a facade at times (a gorgeous facade, but still), with too many buildings you can't go in and nothing to really compel you to explore those areas fully.

I found that refreshing in Horizon, to be honest.

I definitely don't want every open-world to be crammed with loot in every corner. It was fitting for a slower paced game like TW3 but in Horizon it would've been in the way of the flow I think. I appreciate the light-version of that aspect with the loot crates in Horizon and there was not a single moment where I wished for more interactive drawers and chests to be there in the world.

Not every aspect of Horizon needs to be like TW3.

 

[Elandyll]

I agree generally. Horizon's charters, locales, etc are leaving my cold even tho I want to like it. Last time I was playing it, I found myself comparing it to robotron of all things. When I'm done all I can remember is shooting robots coming from all sides.

Then I'm sorry but you're doing it wrong.

There isn't that many side quests in HZD (21 if memory serves) but they almost all have a tie of some sort to either world building or a tie to the main quest on some level.
Witcher 3 has truly amazing side quests (everybody loves The Bloody Barron), but also shit ones (there is literally a DAI style goat fetch quest, and the game is literred with "go kill X stuff after following its tracks", which interestingly enough some W3 fans seem to decry in HZD), and frankly the main quest is imo a near total shit show (due to its failed artificial agency, and the nonsensical Ciri flashbacks - I love Ciri btw), whereas the main quest is where HZD shines (particularly from the mid point to the end, with an incredibly emotional epilogue imo).

So yeah, I agree that on amount of content (world size, amount of activities, number of interesting characters huilt over 3 games...) and number of interesting side quests W3 has the lead.
On pretty much anything else I'd say it's highly debatable, but I know that's not where most of Gaf's heart is.

In the end, W3 is an amazing RPG, truly an incredible achievement from CDPR on many levels.
But imo it doesn't remove anything from HZD which is an other achievement from GG, and particularly on story, characters and world building, for a first new IP in particular, and considering this is where many were expecting them to fail.

 

[Peroroncino]

Now compare this to Novigrad: it houses literally dozens of side quests which take hours to complete, many of them are crucial to the game's outcome (particularly side stories for Triss, Djikstra/Phillipa and Dandelion), not to mention huge chunks of main story which also unfold there. This before you even talk Gwent tournaments and other hidden areas.

Some side-quests in Novigrad are amazing, like trying to solve a string of gruesome murders or when we mingle with the criminal underbelly etc. CDPR somehow managed to make the city big, but also found the time to actually fill it with quality content so it doesn't feel like an empty husk or a hub where we just go to restock or take some quests to do in the wilderness. I also like those minor scenarios, like a peasant role-playing with a strumpet, merchants getting mugged, elves being subjected to racism, we're always free to interfere if we feel like it, or ignore it altogether, though it's often hard to ignore if you see non-humans or 'witches' burning for not being 'normal'.

But it's not all doom and gloom, there are also positive things happening inside its walls, Priscilla's performance, Gwent tournament, performing in a play that we heavily influenced, attending a kickass party etc. - add all that stuff together and it all makes for one cohesive and immersive package called Novigrad. By the time I had to leave the city and go back to the wilderness there was this overwhelming feeling of being 'alone' again on the road, without the 'busyness' of the city, without Geralt's friends etc.

Oh, and as far as the combat is concerned.

I've always been in the 'combat is serviceable' camp when it comes to Witcher 3, however as I've been re-playing it lately on a higher difficulty something really clicked this time, not sure why, but I'm having legit fun when I'm slicing foes.

Even made a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iykb7DwZEr8

 

[Griss]

Totally agree, OP, but holding Horizon up to The Witcher 3 is setting a ludicrous bar to surpass. Guerilla made huge leaps in their storytelling when they made Horizon, the fact that they fell well short of the best writing in any modern RPG is no crime.

And yeah, I'd agree that Horizon's humourlessness and bland characters are its biggest problem. I can't remember more than three or four characters from the game, and I can't remember laughing out loud once. And there was not a single Nora character other than Aloy and Rost that I didn't strongly dislike - the Nora were utterly dull morons I couldn't get invested in whatsoever. On the other hand, the actual story of Zero Dawn was brilliantly worked and perfectly paced. But the character moments and side quests were mediocre indeed.

There are few greater pleasures in gaming than going back into TW3 and riding through the world and remembering all the good times, though. The memories are so insanely strong with that game... feels almost like you lived it yourself.

 

[Zakalwe]

The characters in HZD are one of the game's weakest points. They're mostly bland with really mundane takes to tell.

A few characters stand out, but even Aloy (as well designed as she is) doesn't have the best arc in the world.

Writing/characters is not the game's strong suit (although I do like the world and story, even if it is all fairly generic fantasy/sci-fi).

 

[Kumquat]

I agree with OP, W3 is way better than HZD with respect to world building and support characters. But you have to take into consideration that W3 is the third game in the series based on a established book series. So they have more material to work with.
I think what the writers at GG have done for HZD is really great. If you go through the different notes, audio clips, etc you will be amazed at the amount of detail in the back story. I think this being GG's first rpg and being a foremost action game, the emphasis on story telling through gameplay took a back seat. I would really recommend going through the various notes and audio logs found in the game, it was really fascinating and I would even go ahead and say it is great science fiction.

I agree. I really want to see that world and visit it. Even more than the glimpses I get from the vantage points though those are great too. I am a CDP fan boy but man, GG knocked it out of the park, especially for people who have been stuck doing Killzone games for an eternity. I can't wait to see what they can do for round 2.

 

[CentralScrutinizer]

After going back to Witcher, I was really disappointed in Horizons graphical technology. The constant brightness fluctuations (especially at night) and fog issues, I can't play that game without thinking about all these annoying issues I have with its graphics and it's very distracting to me. I never had any of this with Witcher. The world just existed and I was fully immersed in it.

I really can't get past that brightness issue in Horizon. I have no reason why it happens and it kills the game for me

 

[His Majesty]

Yennefer, Triss, Zoltan, Dandelion, Dijkstra, Bart, Keira, Roche, Letho, Shani, Olgierd, Gaunter O'Dimm, Vlodimir, Cerys, Hjalmar, Crach, Regis, Anna Henrietta, .... I could go on and on. So many interesting three-dimensional characters to it's quite hard to compete with this.

Not to mention that a lot of characters have already been fleshed out in previous games or books. But CDPR makes it work and the best characters are maybe even the new ones (Olgierd, Gaunter, The Baron,...).

 

[Peroroncino]

Yennefer, Triss, Zoltan, Dandelion, Dijkstra, Bart, Keira, Roche, Letho, Shani, Olgierd, Gaunter O'Dimm, Vlodimir, Cerys, Hjalmar, Crach, Regis, Anna Henrietta, .... I could go on and on. So many interesting three-dimensional characters to it's quite hard to compete with this.

Not to mention that a lot of characters have already been fleshed out in previous games or books. But CDPR makes it work and the best characters are maybe even the new ones (Olgierd, Gaunter, The Baron,...).

Gaunter O'Dimm is probably the best

Spoiler

'villain'

I've ever encountered. I could easily see him returning in the next Witcher game that is set sometime after trilogy concluded.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

That would make sense, since Horizon isn't based on a series of novels. It's hard to compete with detail in the story and characters in this case.

That's not to take anything away from CDProjectRed, as they have brought it all together very well.

Lots of interesting characters in the Witcher 3 are completely original and not featured in any of Sapkowski's novels though (or featured barely).

 

[Tyaren]

Aloy is actually more of a lone wolf than Geralt is, except for Rost she lets no other character close to her. Geralt in comparison has several close friends, lovers and Ciri.
Camaraderie is hard to achieve if you have no camarades yet. Let's see how Aloy is doing in Horizon 2, when she has had more time to open up to characters around her. She laid a great foundation though, helping and working with so many people on just her first journey.

Regarding world building in general, Horizon is a completely new IP, build from scratch. The Witcher game series derives from a well established series of books. No wonder that The Witcher games can do much more in that regard. Again, let's see how Horizon 2 is doing.
I think Horizon already did a great job though. It far exceeded my expectations. I loved the story, lore and details of its world.

 

[City 17]

HZD suffers from the audiolog/audiobook syndrome, it's a lazy way of story telling/presenting the lore.

While the source material is decent, they have a lot to learn about a more refined/natural way of presentation.

 

[Kin5290]

Well said OP. The games are not close. Horizon was a good first try but Witcher is a masterpiece.

A masterpiece with pretty garbage gameplay is not a masterpiece.

And I actually kind of liked The Witcher 3's combat gameplay personally.

Furthermore, The Witcher 3 is a magnum opus built off of a decade of experience and iteration. Horizon: Zero Dawn is a studio shooting for the moon by attempting something they have never attempted before and becoming remarkably successful in their one attempt. As GG learns from their experience creating HZD there is nothing saying that they won't be able to achieve the same heights of creating a breathing, living world.

One thing's for sure though: the game studios from the Anglosphere have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Kin5290]

The characters in HZD are one of the game's weakest points. They're mostly bland with really mundane takes to tell.

A few characters stand out, but even Aloy (as well designed as she is) doesn't have the best arc in the world.

Writing/characters is not the game's strong suit (although I do like the world and story, even if it is all fairly generic fantasy/sci-fi).

Does Geralt? Not really.

 

[The Pope]

Open World RPG's 8th Gen

1) TW3
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2) Horizon

 

[Mossybrew]

OP makes a legit point. Horizon was a great game, but W3 certainly has better stories to tell and a lot more character interactions.

 

[Pankratous]

Haven't played Horizon but I totally get what you mean about W3.