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Set six months after the first game’s conclusion, Aloy is traveling far and wide to prevent the world from spiralling into another mass extinction. Ominous storms brew in the sky, and an unusual red plant is spreading rapidly across the country, killing all flora and fauna in its wake. Her search for answers leads her to the titular Forbidden West, a dangerous region that’s home to the volatile and deadly Tenakth tribe. Of course, all sorts of obstacles present themselves, not least of which is Regalla, a Tenakth rebel waging civil war with her followers and an army of machines at her command.<\/span><\/p>\n With Zero Dawn unveiling such a fascinating history and constantly presenting you with immense revelations, the sequel was always going to struggle to do better. Forbidden West’s narrative may not quite have the same impact as the original, but it still has its fair share of \u201cWTF\u201d moments, and the way the story is presented is certainly an improvement. Audio logs are still here, but most of the plot is conveyed in a more organic way.<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, conversations with other NPCs are improved as well. Quest givers and merchants are afforded far more personality this time around, and all conversations are now livelier than the static back and forth headshots seen in Zero Dawn. The game looks astonishingly good 99 per cent of the time, but with such polished presentation, things like eyes darting around or poor lip syncing are more noticeable. It’s not the end of the world, but a shame when the rest of Forbidden West is so beautiful.<\/span><\/p>\n Horizon Forbidden West, especially on the PlayStation 5, is breathtaking. It\u2019s one of the most impressively realised wilderness games you\u2019ll ever play. On PS5, you can regularly walk from interiors right into the wide world, without loading screens. This gives players incredible freedom in their journey westward, exploring gorgeous vistas, expansive lakes, and crumbling ruins swallowed by desert sands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Joshua trees and flatlands give an immediate sense of place \u2014 and Forbidden West even lets players explore decaying ruins of actual American cities. These landmarks punctuate Forbidden West\u2019s story about climate crises and the excesses of the ruling class. Though the last game ended with a battle against the rampant AI Hades, humanity\u2019s victory did not repair the lethal machines that were originally part of a terraforming project meant to save the Earth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The off-kilter system has created unstable weather patterns, blighted farmlands, and polluted waterways \u2014 and Guerrilla Games\u2019 overgrown rendition of the West Coast is a plausible projection of our real-world climate degradation.<\/span><\/p>\n Aloy\u2019s expanded traversal tools, while flawed, greatly aid the player in exploring this world. The developers took obvious cues from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, adding a glider to Aloy\u2019s toolkit and more handholds for her to climb on. In Forbidden West, Aloy can scale mountains, the peaks of which offer grand rewards: a gorgeous view, a height advantage against enemies, and the opportunity to glide over ravines and rolling pastures alike.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Swimming is also a singular joy, once you\u2019ve unlocked a tool that allows for infinite underwater breathing. You\u2019ll spend hours watching swimming machines, and exploring the richness of marine life clinging to crumbling buildings. With Forbidden West\u2019s better fast travel system \u2014 it\u2019s free to travel between discovered campfires, while traveling from anywhere to a campfire costs one fast travel pack \u2014 this all weaves into a rich exploration experience, whether you\u2019re fast-traveling or running from place to place, enjoying the abundance of the world around you.<\/span><\/p>\n The machine designs are brilliant, with some new additions like the fearsome Slitherfang providing some of the game’s best fights. As before, you can equip many different weapon types, including new ones like powerful Spike Throwers and the Shredder Gauntlet, which launches discs that deal damage for a short time before returning to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nxtmag.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-19-164741-1024x573.png\")
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