Horizon Zero Dawn review round-up

Here’s a round-up of some of the key reviews for Horizon Zero Dawn. They are, for the most part, blindingly positive.

VideoGamer — 8/10

The only review you really need. Our boy Colm liked the combat and found Aloy’s personal journey compelling. 

‘Destroying large robot beasts while frantically switching between weapons is intoxicating, but the strength of Horizon Zero Dawn is in Aloy’s engaging quest to find out who she really is.’

IGN — 9.3/10

IGN was super impressed by Guerrilla’s open world, describing it as ‘full of unforgettable challenges’ and slapping an Editor’s Choice on it.

‘Across a vast and beautiful open world, Horizon Zero Dawn juggles many moving parts with polish and finesse. Its main activity – combat – is extremely satisfying thanks to the varied design and behaviors of machine-creatures that roam its lands, each of which needs to be taken down with careful consideration. Though side questing could have been more imaginative, its missions are compelling thanks to a central mystery that led me down a deep rabbit hole to a genuinely surprising – and moving – conclusion.’

GameSpot — 9/10

GameSpot was similarly awed, and praised Aloy’s ‘heroic displays of cunning, might, and fearlessness’. 

‘This is first departure from the Killzone series for developer Guerilla Games, and though you might think the team took a risk by stepping out of its FPS comfort zone to create a third-person open-world action game, you’d never know it was their first rodeo. For every minor imperfection, there’s an element of greatness that recharges your desire to keep fighting and exploring Zero Dawn’s beautiful and perilous world. Guerilla Games has delivered one of the best open-world games of this generation, and redefined its team’s reputation in the process.’

Polygon — 9.5/10

In a continuing theme, Horizon Zero Dawn scored well at Polygon. 

‘Horizon Zero Dawn thrums with the energy of a creative team finally allowed to explore something new. It builds on elements of open-world and loot-and-craft gameplay that we’ve seen before, but it does so within a context, a setting and a style that feel fresh. Horizon Zero Dawn discovers a stronger sense of its own personality in one game than Killzone ever managed across half a dozen. Guerrilla Games has long been developing some of the most buzzed-about games in the industry; with Horizon, it feels like it has finally found its own voice, one worthy of all that buzz.’

Trusted Reviews — 9/10

Another near-perfect score from Trusted Reviews, which became another site to praise the open world, as well as Guerrilla for ‘[putting] as much thought into its side quests as the main missions’. 

‘I didn’t expect Horizon: Zero Dawn to be this good. I doubt I’ll be the only one saying they were surprised that the Killzone developer has been able to deliver a game with such breadth, depth and consistently rewarding gameplay.

Couple all of that with a compelling story led by an engaging lead protagonist and you have a brilliant game, an absolute must-buy for all PS4 owners.’

GamesRadar — 9/10

GamesRadar is bloody loving it as well. 

‘Like a real ecosystem, Horizon Zero Dawn is brilliantly balanced. Aloy feels like an inextricable part of it, halfway between prey and predator. Whether you’re climbing cliff-faces with a weightless, fluid joy, hunting, or travelling through the landscape, Horizon Zero Dawn takes you on a tour of discovery. An endless sense of wonder and awe push you onward no matter what you’re doing. The more time I spend in Horizon Zero Dawn’s world, the less I want to leave. 

The Telegraph — 10/10

An actual perfect score from the Telegraph.

‘On the surface, Horizon seems like a jumble of influences but, just like the murderous machina wandering its lands, the game is far more than its component parts, delivering a gripping story, satisfying combat, and the most gorgeous video game environments I’ve ever seen. Horizon confidently carves out an identity of its own in an overpopulated genre.’

EuroGamer — N/A

C-c-c-combo breaker! EuroGamer’s review stresses that Horizon Zero Dawn is ‘far from a bad game’ that ‘can be electric’, but there are times when it becomes ‘a pale imitation of countless games that have come before’.

‘Horizon Zero Dawn is a work of considerable finesse and technical bravado, but it falls into the trap of past Guerrilla games in being all too forgettable. For all its skin-deep dynamism it lacks spark; somewhat like the robotic dinosaurs that stalk its arrestingly beautiful open world, this is a mimic that’s all dazzle, steel and neon yet can feel like it’s operating without a heart of its own.’