"Horizon Forbidden West" in the PS5 test: everything is much nicer in the west

Created: 02/21/2022, 16:52

By: Sebastian Tauchnitz

Forbidden West is a feast for the eyes, especially on the PS5.

© Guerrilla Games/ Sony

Anyone who was able to get hold of a PlayStation 5 is lucky.

But so far there haven't been many games that really use the power of the PS5.

Will the new exclusive blockbuster “Horizon Forbidden West” succeed?

It's been almost five years since "Horizon Zero Dawn" was released and took the hearts of the players by storm.

In the test we asked "Is Horizon the best PlayStation game so far?"*.

So the developers at Guerrilla Games faced a difficult task when they set out to create the sequel to the PlayStation hit.

Because on the one hand they had to continue the story in a meaningful and exciting way, on the other hand they had to introduce a few new game mechanics in order not to repeat themselves.

And finally, of course, they should prove what the PlayStation 5 is capable of.

"Horizon Forbidden West" in the test: Breathtakingly beautiful feast for the eyes

To anticipate part of the conclusion: the developers have once again exceeded expectations, especially in the last point.

"Horizon Forbidden West" is without a doubt

.

Guerrilla managed to conjure up a huge, immensely varied open world that will leave you gaping in amazement at every turn.

A world of storm-swept desert landscapes, lush jungle areas, icy snowy landscapes and nasty swamplands.

A world teeming with

,

crammed with highly detailed characters, with smooth animations, stunning lighting, teeming with life, particles, flower petals - incredibly beautiful.

Even if you can't do much with "Horizon" in terms of content (which I couldn't really understand), you shouldn't miss the title.

Just to see what graphic splendor awaits us in the future.

Horizon Forbidden West

"Horizon Forbidden West" in the test: cleverly told sequel

But is "Forbidden West" just a graphics blender?

Definitely not: Behind the radiant high-gloss facade is a great game.

- and that was not necessarily to be expected.

Because the predecessor was also so good because it didn't squint at a sequel, but really told its captivating and touching story to the end.

One was almost disappointed when a sequel was teased in the post-credit scene...

Forbidden West makes the best of it in the end and finds quite

.

Already in the prologue you can feel that several people have given it a lot of thought in order to justify logically why you have to start almost from scratch with the main actress Aloy.

"Horizon Forbidden West" in the test: The secret star are the side tasks

The danger that seemed averted at the end of "Zero Dawn" is not finally defeated.

Betrayal and insidious means that Aloy must once again save the post-post-apocalyptic world.

And the brave Nora warrior, who now finally knows where she comes from and why she is in the world, does not hesitate for a second, straps on the bow and moves

to ensure peace once and for all.

She must face numerous new and old dangers, make new friends and of course experience countless adventures.

All this is logical, easy to understand and very entertaining, but rarely reaches the power and excitement of the first part.

Which is also due to the fact that the story starts off rather slowly at the beginning.

But that doesn't matter, because

side quests that you always find yourself almost forgetting that there's a world to save because of all the help, hunting quests and side quests.

The elaborately staged side quests are the secret highlight of the game.

Because they fill the world with life and stories that would have been enough for two games.

Also interesting

"Horizon Forbidden West" in the test: looting and leveling provide permanent incentives

In "Horizon Forbidden West" protagonist Aloy also explores the world under water.

© Guerrilla Games/ Sony

In addition ,

there is the motivating

and

development system, which keeps holding a carrot in front of the player's nose, which he happily chases after.

Countless weapons and armor of different grades want to be gained, acquired and upgraded, the loot spiral is spinning, and without realizing it, you've been playing for much longer than you actually planned...

In keeping with this, Aloy keeps getting

that need to be learned and mastered.

She can now glide

gently from great heights to the ground with a (superfancy)

by diving.

Always on the lookout for relics from today, the actual purpose of which is seldom if ever revealed to the people in their world.

For example, there is a wonderful debate between two archaeologists who argue over whether or not the old hard drive they unearthed was a tiny appetizer tray.

Also Read

"Horizon Forbidden West" in the test: Bizarre pricing policy is the only downer

One thing fits into the other and in the end forms a wonderful, captivating, quite demanding, but always fair game that you shouldn't miss.

The only fly in the ointment is the – to put it mildly –

that Sony shows in “Forbidden West”.

For PS5 exclusive titles, 80 euros have recently become due.

In view of the quality on offer, that's okay.

But Sony has a big problem

: Even a year and a half after the premiere of the new console, you can't just go to the store and buy a PS5 if you want one.

The thing is just chronically out of stock.

That's why

–

.

Not wanting to upset those who actually wanted to play on the PS5 but haven't been able to get hold of one yet, Sony is offering anyone who buys a PS4 variant a free upgrade option to the PS5 version.

Which, in turn, upset PS5 owners.

Because they pay more for something that others get for free.

So many grab the PS4 version and then download the 100 GB PS5 version for free.

We won't comment on whether this is customer-friendly and in the spirit of the inventor.

"Horizon Forbidden West" in the test: conclusion

None of that changes the fact that Horizon Forbidden West is a

.

A breathtakingly beautiful game with an intriguing story, great characters and intriguing side quests that will easily keep you busy for dozens of hours.

And a look into the future of PS5 gaming.

We can't wait to see more such beautiful games on the big screen!

.