Two games released in 2017 changed open-world games for me – one is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; the other was Horizon Zero Dawn. While Zero Dawn has a lot of traditional open-world elements, I really enjoyed the game for 3 reasons – It had an amazing post-apocalyptic story, the combat was stellar, especially fighting a Thunderjaw for the first time, and the visuals were like Keanu Reeves going “Woah!” for a PS4 game. However, after playing the Sequel, Horizon Forbidden West (review) on the PS5 in 2022 and then revisiting the first game, the visual upgrade for the PS5 is quite noticeable, especially with the environments, animations and in-game conversations.
While the world debates whether a game released in 2017 needs a “remaster” there are a few reasons why Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster is worth checking out.
- It’s a mere Rs 500 upgrade if you already own the game
- It looks and performs absolutely stunning on the PS5 and I am guessing, it will perform even better on the PS5 Pro.
- If you skipped the game back in 2017 or have just got a shiny new PS5, this is the game version to play!
We aren’t going to go through the standard Story, and Gameplay, as that hasn’t changed. This is a visual and audio upgrade to the game. So to sum up the story, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic earth where the planet is overrun by machines and mankind has gone back to the era of living in caves and praying to objects they don’t understand. You don the role of Aloy, an inquisitive orphan who is skilled with the bow and arrow and circumstances push her in the direction of becoming the hero to save the day.
Redone visuals
The only way to see a difference in the visuals is to play the opening hours of the game for both PS4 and PS5 versions. Start with the PS4 and you will be like, “This doesn’t look so bad. Why did they remaster it?”. Then play the PS5 version and you’ll be like “Yup! That’s Why”. The visual uplift from the character animations to the foliage and even the way the environments are lit are all breathtaking. While the game still doesn’t support Ray-tracing, the lighting, especially in indoor environments is something that stands out.
Immersive world
Speaking of the environment, the world has also undergone a fresh treatment. The villages appear to be more populated and there is more wildlife and foliage. In fact, and I only noticed this after watching the Digital Foundry analysis of the game, there IS different foliage based on where you are in the environment and that’s really cool!
The conversations are better than Starfield
Remember Starfield? Remember how people criticised it for being too old school in the way the conversations between characters are represented? Well, Horizon Zero Dawn was released back in 2017 and received the same criticism back then! Developer, Gurella Games took this feedback and redid the way conversations took place in Forbidden West. The same treatment has been given to the conversations in Zero Dawn.
The developers say, “A big change in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the addition of over 10 hours of additional motion-capture data for characters, directed and captured by Guerrilla at their motion Capture Stage in Amsterdam, making the game’s conversations much livelier and in line with those in Horizon Forbidden West. Implementing this additional data was handled by our technical artists and animators”.
Better audio and haptics
If you can make out the 3D audio in the PS5, you will know that it is immersive, especially in games that utilise the tech well. For Zero Dawn the developers have “completely revamped the sound mix, now supporting PS5 Tempest 3D Audio Tech for higher-order ambisonics and Atmos rendering for an immersive soundscape. Our sound design has also seen major improvements, with hundreds of improvements both in-game and in the cinematics”. So yes, the audio is a lot better especially during combat when you have a lot of action happening all around you. Yup! It holds true for that big climactic fight at the end of the campaign.
Sony’s DualSense controller is truly a game changer. A simple trick, like keeping the trigger tight when your quiver is full of arrows and letting the trigger go completely dead when your quiver is empty is one subtle yet immersive trick the developers use in Forbidden West, and the same has now appeared in the prequel! The same goes for the haptics in the game which I have started taking for granted, especially after enjoying Astro Bot so much!
What’s the price of entry?
If you already own the game, then the Rs 500 price of entry is totally worth it to revisit this adventure, especially if you haven’t played The Frozen Wilds DLC which is a part of the package. Also, during the “play at home” initiative back in 2021, Sony gave away Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition for free. So if you claimed it back then, you are eligible for the upgrade. If you are new to gaming or new to the PS5, then you will have to shell out Rs 3000 for the game. Some might think this is expensive for a 7-year-old game, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But for first-time players, it is a good deal and for those like me, who were procrastinating to revisit this adventure, the upgrade is an awesome excuse to revisit a great story and engaging gameplay updated with great visuals for an immersive experience.
Editor’s score 8.5/10
Pros
- Updated visuals look great
- Updates dialogues and cutscenes make the game quite immersive
- Takes advantage of PS5 features like 3D audio and haptic feedback
- Ready to take advantage of the PS5 Pro as well
Cons
- No Ray-tracing
More Info:
Developer: Guerrilla Games, Nixxes Software
Publishers: PlayStation Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing LLC
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
Reviewed on: PS5
We played a review copy of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered provided by Sony
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