Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, analysis: a beautiful, although optional, facelift

For many a remaster Horizon: zero dawngiven the time that had passed since its release, it was far from necessary. However, it was one of Sony’s “new” IPs that was the most popular among players and critics, and it was improved upon with a sequel that had already arrived during the PS5 era.

Whether it was necessary or not is a question that no longer makes sense to ask, since it is a reality. And having seen the changes made in the new version, the truth is that there is nothing left over. And, despite the fact that the remaster Horizon: zero dawn This is just a graphical upgrade, and in some aspects of performance the truth is that it looks impressive on the new generation of consoles. Not such a big milestone since it was already a tasty game in the visual section on PS4. That’s why it’s difficult to know a priori whether the new updated version will be enough to pique the interest of players.

What is undeniable is the good work of Nixxes, the studio responsible for the remaster. The game itself was already so good at launch that there was quite a bit of room for improvement, which is why it shines evenor, moreover, good work by the studio when it comes to making some changes. It’s true that many of these changes, which involve lighting in certain areas, are almost imperceptible to a player with a small eye, but in other areas where the game was noticeable making the most of the PS4’s capabilities, they look much more natural and impactful in the remaster.

The horizon has system of zones differentiated by environment which now especially shines thanks to graphical improvements, from the forests at the beginning of the game to the vast deserts and jungles, including hostile snowy mountains. Moreover, with such a variety of biomes, you can always feel the life in the game: be it cars, a large number of impressive settlements or fauna. The scenarios are without a doubt one of the best elements of Horizon and one of the most incredible and beautiful that we remember from video games. Post-apocalyptic, but full of life and colors. The improvements to the graphics section also pair nicely with the particle effects in combat, which if they were already impressive in their day, wait until you see them on PS5 or a competent PC.

And in terms of gameplay, we can comment a little more than what we already told you about in our review of the original game. Horizon: zero dawn Not only was it one of the best games on PS4 at the time of its release, but it remains an example to this day outstanding game in the entire open world genre. Everything that made the original game good remains intact. And the same goes for the few shortcomings that could be mentioned.

The original work remains untouched, without falsification, without nuances or strange additions. Setting up a game that now looks impressive and that, if you haven’t played yet, will leave you speechless the first time you do so on PS5. And if so, then replaying this masterpiece in a higher quality will be an excellent 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, thanks to improvements in the graphics section, the game has become even more exciting. And many of the game’s settings feel more natural.

Now, whether or not Aloy’s story is worth repeating in your case will depend on how much you liked the original game. The costs if you have the original version are small, an extra ten euros to get the updated version, which as we say is quite a big update, but not a significant change in terms of the experience of the game itself. . If you haven’t played the original version yet, this is a great opportunity.

This is not only one of the best games of the PS5 generation, but also one of the best in terms of graphics available in Sony’s own games, a game you can’t miss even if you don’t have a PS5. , you should play. First of all because This is one of the best open world games of the last decade, and secondly, because the remaster is coming to PC. simultaneously with consoles, which opens the door to a huge number of players and puts them on the same level as Sony console users, despite the fact that the full version has been released on PC since 2020. Both for the first time. As for the latter, this is undoubtedly one of the launches of the final segment of the year.