For many, a remaster of Horizon Zero Dawnconsidering the time that has passed since its release, was far from necessary. However, it has been one of Sony’s “new” IPs that has had the most traction among players and critics, and that was perfected with a sequel that already arrived at the time of PS5.
Whether it was necessary or not is a question that no longer makes sense to ask because it is a reality. And seeing the changes that the new version has included, the truth is that there is nothing left over. And, despite the fact that the remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn It is just a facelift in its graphics section and in some performance aspects, the truth is that it looks impressive on the new generation of consoles. A not so important milestone, since it was already a delicious game in its visual section on the PS4. That is why it is difficult to know, a priori, if the new remastered version will be enough to awaken interest in players.
What is undeniable is the good work of Nixxes, the studio in charge of the remaster. The game itself was already so good at launch that the room for improvement was quite small, so it shines evenor more the good work of the studio when it comes to replanting certain changes. It is true that many of these changes, which have to do with the lighting in certain areas, are almost imperceptible to the player with little eye, but in other areas, where it was noticeable that the game was making the most of the PS4, They look much more natural and are much more impactful in the remaster.
Horizon has a system of zones differentiated by the environment which now shines especially due to the improvements in its graphics: from the forests at the beginning of the game to enormous deserts and jungle areas, including the hostility of the snowy mountains. Furthermore, in this variety of biomes you can feel life in the game at all times: whether due to the machines, the large number of spectacular settlements or the fauna. The scenarios are, without a doubt, one of the best elements of Horizon, and one of the most incredible and beautiful that is remembered from a video game. Post-apocalyptic, but full of life and color. The improvements in the graphics section also go great with the particle effects of the combats, which if they were already spectacular in their day, wait until you see them on a PS5 or a competent PC.
And we can comment on little more in terms of gameplay than what we already told you about in the review of the original game. Horizon Zero Dawn Not only was it one of the best PS4 games at its launch, it is still an example of an outstanding game across the entire open world genre. Everything that made the original game good is still intact. And the same for the few drawbacks that could be raised.
The original work remains intact, without adulterations, without nuances and without strange additions. A set-up of a game that now looks impressive and that if you haven’t played it back then will leave you speechless when you do it for the first time on PS5. And if you did, replaying this masterpiece, with higher quality, will be a perfect exercise if you want to rediscover the world of Aloy. In fact, we were already surprised back in the day how well it maintained its narrative aspect despite being an open world game. Now, and thanks to the improvements in its graphics section, it is even more immersive. And many of the game’s settings feel more natural.
Now, whether or not it is worth repeating Aloy’s story in your case will depend on how much you loved the original game. The outlay, if you have the original version, is not large, an extra ten dollars to get the remastered version, which, as we say, is a fairly big facelift, but not a significant change with respect to the experience of the game itself. If you haven’t played the original version, this is the perfect opportunity.
Not only is it one of the best games of the PS5 generation, it is also one of the best, graphically, of those available within Sony’s own titles, a game that you cannot miss and that, even if you don’t have a PS5, you should play. First of all, because It is one of the best open world games of the last decade and secondly, because the remastering comes to PC at the same time as consoles, which opens the door to a huge number of players and puts them at the same level as users of the Sony console, despite the fact that the full version has been on the PC since 2020. Both for the first As for the latter, it is undoubtedly one of the launches of this final stretch of the year.
