Horizon: Forbidden West – A Contender for Game of the Year 2024

In early 2017, I spoke with Guerrilla Games’ Jan-Bart Van Beek about his initial concept for what would become Horizon: Zero Dawn, how the studio crafted this universe, and the efforts the team made to ensure this new IP would stand out.

This was one of those interviews where I felt a bit guilty because I hadn’t played the game, even though it had been available for more than six months by that time. I was intrigued, but to me, Horizon: Zero Dawn was just “that game with robotic dinosaurs I need to try someday.”

Then, in April this year, I had the good fortune to meet Van Beek at the BAFTA Game Awards… where I officially apologized for not having played his game before our discussion, as both Zero Dawn and its sequel, Horizon: Forbidden West, are comfortably among my favorite PlayStation games of all time. (It’s a tough competition between them and Insomniac’s Spider-Man games. Please don’t judge me!)

Let’s discuss the elephant in the room: the ‘robotic dinosaurs’ are more than just cool-looking enemies to defeat. They are integral to a combat system that I find truly refreshing.

The vast majority of games I play tend to feel like battles just boil down to ‘wear down the enemy health bar until it’s depleted.’ If it’s a boss encounter, you may need to find a weak spot for quicker damage, but generally, it’s about hitting until exhausted. In Horizon, the component-focused nature of the machines allows for something significantly more varied and ultimately more enjoyable.

Examine any machine you come across and you can identify vulnerable parts of the creature – and damaging them can have significant consequences. Destroy the antenna, and your opponent may well be unable to call for backup. Ignite a tank of combustible liquid with fire arrows, and you may trigger a chain reaction (i.e., a massive explosion) that halves its health. Tear off its cannon, and you can use it yourself. Remove the claws from burrowing machines, and they won’t be able to hide underground anymore. You strip them of their advantages and turn them to your own, and I struggle to find other games where that is the case.

You strip away the machines’ advantages and turn them to your own, and I struggle to think of other games where this happens.

In many games, especially open-world titles, I tend to avoid combat where possible. It’s not why I’m there; I just want to explore the world and experience the narrative. Fights can feel like irritating interruptions (I still haven’t dared tackle a Gleeok in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom). However, with Horizon, I genuinely divert from my intended route to challenge even the mightiest machines.

Detours are another delight here. The side quests are so well-crafted, the characters so endearing and relatable, that I often feel compelled to set aside my mission to help find a missing tribesman, pursue that rogue machine, or clear out that troublesome rebel camp.

After completing a major quest or reaching a significant location, the protagonist Aloy often reminds herself that she will need to return later; typically, I would dismiss this as padding or a way for the developer to make me linger a bit longer – but given my investment in the primary mission that preceded this statement, absolutely, I intend to come back. I want to see what unfolds next. I want to uncover everything.

Aloy is yet another reason that draws me back. I worry that the term ‘strong female character’ may eventually lose its meaning and become patronizing, but in her case, it’s entirely genuine.

Expertly voiced by Ashly Burch, she has a clear moral compass, takes absolutely no nonsense from those who disrespect her or her time, and shows compassion for those in need. Aloy genuinely cares, so I care (hence the previously mentioned detours).

All of the above applies equally to Zero Dawn, but Forbidden West is distinctly in the realm of ‘bigger, better, more’ sequels. It enhances every aspect: more machines, more weapons, more types of quests, more Horizon.

The environment is far more diverse than that of its predecessor; alongside snowy peaks and arid deserts, you now have jungle-like zones, towering redwood forests along the Pacific coast, sandy shores, and ruined areas that feel much more familiar than those in the previous game.

Everything comes together to create a game I simply cannot put down. I may get distracted by newer releases, but I quickly find myself roaming the Forbidden West once more.

The foliage-covered remnants of the Golden Gate Bridge serve as the cover image for the game, but (and I really don’t want to spoil anything) just wait until you see what Guerrilla has done with Las Vegas. Oh, and let’s not forget, you can override a pterodactyl-like machine and soar over the entire area while another machine lets you glide underwater – both of which are exhilarating.

All of this is elevated by the fact that the game is consistently stunning. It feels as though Guerrilla is squeezing every ounce out of the PS5 to ensure this world looks as vibrant and captivating as possible. Of the many hours I’ve invested in this game, a considerable portion has been spent in Photo Mode, desperately attempting to capture the beauty of the Forbidden West.

Encounters with machines that might take around fifteen minutes can turn into nearly an hour because I’m constantly trying to capture the best screenshots (ready to showcase on social media and/or share with the GamesIndustry.biz team the following morning).

But – as is often the case with me – it’s the storytelling and writing that keeps me returning.

I was astounded by Zero Dawn’s unique take on a post-apocalyptic world reclaimed by nature. By the time the mystery of how and why such a transformation occurred was revealed at the conclusion of the game, along with the unexpectedly complex origins of Aloy herself, I wasn’t certain how a sequel could possibly surpass it. With the setting and backstory already established, I was expecting an ‘And here’s what happened next…’ kind of narrative. However, Forbidden West expands on its predecessor in numerous ways.

Sure, the sequel introduces a new location…