Horizon Forbidden West Reviews
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Horizon Forbidden West will be going live for PlayStation 4 and 5 in just a few days, on February 18, 2022. And if you plan on playing Guerrilla's open-world action RPG at or around release, you might be interested in checking out some reviews for the game first.
But before we get to those, here's a quick promotional video announcing a curious initiative where unlocking a particular achievement in the game will result in a tree being planted:
For the release of Horizon Forbidden West*, we want to do something to help nature... with you. Just like how Aloy fights to save the Earth in the game, we can do something together to help our planet.
Play Horizon Forbidden West and unlock the “Reached the Daunt” trophy before March 25th, and we, in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, will plant a tree across the country to help complete 3 different reforestation projects.**
So let's grab our controllers and play for our planet!
Eurogamer Scoreless:
It's a real shame. While it's undoubtedly another accomplished game in terms of technical achievement and sheer visual spectacle - I'm reminded again of those incredible faces, and one particularly outstanding underwater level - I've enjoyed Forbidden West less than Zero Dawn. The main story has major issues, and the level design made it difficult for me to play the way I had previously enjoyed, while making a lot of the newer systems feel redundant. Beyond that, the sense is of a game where Guerrilla has cobbled together RPG building blocks often without making them work within the context of its own game, and in some cases actively worsening Horizon Forbidden West as a result. I don't expect groundbreaking innovation, but with using well-established elements there's always the danger of them having been done better elsewhere. Unfortunately, with Horizon Forbidden West that's often the case.
IGN 9/10:
A triumphant combination of enthralling combat, top-tier creature and character design, and a captivating open world, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast and fantastic showcase for the power of the PS5. Although the return of a couple of familiar series trappings and a noticeable lack of freeform climbing never threatens to derail the enjoyment, it does leave it falling frustratingly short of something revolutionary. Major evolutionary steps have firmly been placed in the right direction, however, and there’s no doubting the many, many hours of fun to have with Aloy, who stakes her claim further to be one of this generation of gaming’s greatest characters. Guerrilla has outdone itself yet again with Forbidden West, and at this trajectory, neither the horizon nor the sky's the limit for what could come next.
WCCFTech 9/10:
Horizon Forbidden West is a worthy sequel to Zero Dawn in every way, proving that Guerrilla is no one-hit wonder when it comes to the action RPG genre. This huge and beautiful world has an incredible amount of things to do and most of them are really fun, thanks to improvements to combat and traversal. The game also features another great storyline that will get fans talking about the inevitable sequel.
Game Informer 9.25/10:
Horizon Forbidden West reaches a new high bar for Guerrilla Games. It does more than surpass its predecessor; it takes Horizon’s fiction to captivating places and builds a rich world that rewards you for the effort you put into it. Mostly, it’s an entertaining experience, complete with jaw-dropping moments and unforgettable fights.
Shacknews 9/10:
Horizon Forbidden West is an ambitious game that builds off the strengths of its predecessor in almost every way. The world is a more interesting place to spend time, the combat has evolved, and the visuals have taken leaps that exceeded my expectations even with the generation jump in hardware. It’s a shame that outside of the core cast there is a depth lacking for most of the characters, and leaving color blind options out of a game that uses color in its mechanics is a miss on otherwise great accessibility options. What I can’t let go of, though, is just how good Horizon Forbidden West is everywhere else. I need to find all the weapons. I must unlock all the skills. I’ve got to know what’s in those Relic Ruins or solve the puzzle and defeat the boss in the Cauldron. Horizon Forbidden West is absurdly good in so many ways that it borders on must-play for open world aficionados.
NME 4/5:
Horizon Forbidden West is a competently made and fun action-adventure that channels Monster Hunter during its big boss encounters, and every Sony-made open-worlder during the gameplay. Still, there’s a reason these games are churned out each year. Forbidden West is stronger than its predecessor and rewards you for investing your time with a series of fun weapons, gadgets and narrative beats, but it still can’t resist getting in its own way.
RPG Site 8/10:
Where does the curtain fall, then? Is Horizon Forbidden West a middling game in search of something stronger? No, for its strengths are too mighty and its weaknesses, too minor. Nor is it merely decent; the clever sci-fi worldbuilding pushes it well past such words. It’s flawed but enamoring, breathtaking but seldom as bold as it could have been.
Twinfinite 5/5:
Horizon Forbidden West is a spectacular sequel to one of the PS4’s best exclusives. Its narrative is one of its biggest strengths, with unforgettable characters and twists and turns that maintain a solid pace throughout, and its combat has been expanded on, adding in new mechanics, weapons, and ammo types to make eliminating machines and humans an immensely satisfying experience. All of this is wrapped up in a world entrenched in lore that feels more alive and meticulously crafted than its predecessor with visuals and animations that bring that special blockbuster feel Sony’s exclusives are now renowned for to the PS5. Bugs and glitches can occasionally take the shine off it, but with many addressed by the day one update, these are likely to have less of an impact on your experience. Horizon Forbidden West is a must-play if you own a PS5 and an easy GOTY contender in 2022.
CGMagazine 9/10:
Since I got my hands on my copy of Horizon Forbidden West, I have not been able to put it down, let alone play anything else. I am obsessed with this game, and I sincerely hope there will be DLC content to go along with it at some point soon.
Guerilla Games has made one of, if not, the best sequels that I have ever played. There is so much to see and do that I can’t see myself ever getting bored. It is a masterpiece that should not be overlooked, least of all by RPG fans.
