Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered 2024 (5/10)

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered has graphics that still feel remarkably impressive considering the original game came out in 2017. The combat system is genuinely outstanding. Hunting robotic creatures with a bow is an incredibly smart and satisfying design choice. It is also one of the best examples of trap mechanics being used effectively in an open-world game. On the hardest difficulty, the gameplay becomes truly rewarding and delivers a very satisfying combat experience.

Personally, I think the visual style of the original version looks better than the remaster. The skill trees feel somewhat generic, which is disappointing because the core gameplay mechanics deserved something more ambitious and creative. The story also feels a bit too small compared to the scale and uniqueness of the world they created.

The character progression has some issues as well. The transition from an outcast child to a heroic figure does not feel as emotionally powerful or convincing as it could have been. My biggest criticism, however, is the lack of enemy variety. The game clearly had the potential for many more machine types and combat encounters.