I think Horizon Forbidden West is a great game, but it wasn’t the leap forward that I and many others dreamed of. However, its ending left me after a third part, so it seemed like the best thing to do was fill in the gap with an expansion. Having spent about 10 hours doing and exploring absolutely everything in the Los Angeles area, I can safely say that Burning Shores delivers on that promise, although I fear Horizon still lacks that special “something”. , which keeps it from falling into the shadows of other highly anticipated games that are just around the corner.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, here the main story (with a few minor exceptions) has been pushed aside and the focus is on the story itself. Aloy. Of course, Burning Shores begins by taking us to Los Angeles in hopes of finding something that can help us deal with the looming threat that’s revealed at the end of the base game, but it’s mainly an excuse for Aloy , see new places and meet new people and fight new machines. The most shocking thing about the story is the introduction of Seyka
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Y What a visual journey. Los Angeles is, simply put, the San Francisco of the Forbidden West. A San Francisco with lava spewing volcanoes creating a magnificent contrast of clear blue waters dotting the gorgeous beaches, resulting in a lush green desert with hot red lava flowing through it. I can see why Guerrilla ended up making it a PlayStation 5 exclusive when everything looks significantly better, and that’s before I mention the gameplay.
Because that’s what surprised me the most. Burning Shores isn’t just a prettier Forbidden West in Los Angeles with a little more history and lore. The new robotic enemies are really different from what we’re used to, both in design and behavior. Great additions that I won’t reveal here and bring back memories of the first battle against these robotic dinosaurs in Horizon: Zero Dawn. It’s exciting to see how something completely new spices up the formula which was to become all too familiar by the end of my stay in the Forbidden West. It also helps to have new tools, skills, and environmental hazards to play with.
Relocating the action to Los Angeles makes sense new ways to destroy the machines in new, engaging and satisfying ways. Either by shooting explosive crystals that can deal massive damage themselves, or by destroying enemies by having destructible structures fall on them. All of this combined with new enemy combinations and better designed combat areas logically increases the fun of using your favorite and improved weapons during so many hours of gameplay.
read new weapons and skills You are the icing on the cake. As with the new enemies, I don’t want to spoil the best and most notable surprises (although Sony chose to do so in the trailers), but let’s just say that a few new weapons have replaced some of the ones I liked mostly because they are powerful and different from what we are used to. Even the grappling hook has become a lot more handy, allowing you to quickly destroy injured enemies with a sweeping critical strike. A handful of new Valor Surge abilities also take certain playstyles and tactics to another level. All of these choices combine to make Los Angeles your playground.
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The same applies outside of combat. Sightseeing, searching for collectibles and Easter eggs, or solving puzzles won’t get boring when a flying mount can swim underwater, geysers give you a boost as you glide, and there are plenty of recognizable landmarks everywhere. Nothing groundbreaking, but just enough to make it fresh and worthwhile.
Something that isn’t quite worth it are the boss encounters that Guerrilla has encouraged. The last boss is certainly a visual spectacle, but it doesn’t bring anything new in terms of gameplay. It may be fun, but it also reflects the franchise’s flaw in not knowing how to reach its full potential.
Still, Horizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores is a must-read for fans of the game. Running and flying around Los Angeles is absolutely great, the new weapons and enemies are fun and fresh, while the story introduces new characters and small details that will obviously play a less or more remarkable role in the third part, as practically announced. But don’t expect Horizon Forbidden West 1.5 if that’s more of a sidestep, much like The Frozen Wilds is meant to be.