Have you ever dreamed of being surrounded by enemies - monsters and humans alike? As you prepare for combat you assess the landscape, check to see where important resources are, double check you have enough ammo, etc. You then assess your enemy movements and as they are about to pounce your arrow is ready to go. Suddenly you are attacked, you dodge-roll out the way, just as a massive dinosaur-like machine jumps towards you. You slide out of the way and take aim, time slows down, you focus just that little bit more and you identify the weak spot. If you can just make this shot, you will be in the clear.

You fire off, the enemy catches fire and runs the opposite direction, you take a few moments to assess where the rest are, you fire a number of arrows into the air just before moving off to the side to attack the next oncomers. The arrows land and hit, they are acid tipped and it burns the human attackers. Two more are running at you. You take out your trusty (powered up) javelin spear and launch it at them, it hits both at the same time. Bullseye. The enemies are thinning out now, you set some explosive traps, and lead them straight into it before turning on a sixpence and throwing a slicing disc at the remaining beasts. All around you are mangled bodies of your enemies. It’s time to restock.



The above doesn’t quite do it justice, but it’s a glimpse of what Horizon Forbidden West’s combat feels like. Similar to Horizon Zero Dawn, the combat is a definite selling point for the game, with so many techniques and options that you can’t help but smile through every combat encounter. With a number of new weapons and improvement to the UI and flow of the combat, Forbidden West definitely surpasses the original in this regard. Throw in the DualSense’s haptic feedback ability and you will find yourself feeling more immersed than ever before. There really is something special about the combination of the DualSense and shooting a bow and arrow - more so than anything else I have experienced with the PS5 controller.

The story in Forbidden West is far more streamlined too. (SPOILERS for the first game ahead) The events take place just a short while after the completion of Zero Dawn, where Aloy, equipped with knowledge of how she came into being and what needs to be done to prevent another world destruction, travels to the Forbidden West in search of her enemies and more information on Gaia. Having defeated Helis in the previous game, Aloy is now revered across the world as being the “Savior” - a title she is not overly comfortable with.

Similar to Horizon Zero Dawn, the combat is a definite selling point for the game.

The game’s narrative is as much about the world and its exposure to the threat, as it is Aloy discovering more about herself and where she fits. It’s this emotional thread that weaves a truly beautiful story; one that is increasingly engaging as it goes on. The character development through Aloy’s self-reflection as well as her interactions with other characters and tribes really puts together a brilliant story throughout. While audio logs and letters still find their way into the game, these are not nearly as vital as in Zero Dawn. Instead, the story is much more reliant on cinematic cutscenes and NPC interactions… although I will admit some of the discussions went on a bit too long.



The story does take a while to get going. The “prologue” is filled with bits and pieces from Zero Dawn, and while the gameplay is amazing (more to come on that) from the start, the story feels like a bit of a mess. Only when you reach the actual Forbidden West area and new threats are introduced does the game and its themes really take off.

That said, the prologue section is worth it just for the scenery and the gameplay alone. It’s a great little introduction to the mechanics of the game and immediately pits you against one of the best enemies throughout (I’d prefer not to spoil this). It reintroduces you to the Horizon world and just how dangerous it can be, while also bringing you new mechanics and weapons - which will be vital as you go on.



The gameplay in general is incredible throughout as you build Aloy’s skill base and abilities, together with all the exploration that is available in the world. The standard “defeat and loot” is there as expected, but outside of the main quest there are a plethora of objectives to keep you busy. The good news? While Zero Dawn’s side missions often felt tacked on, pointless and repetitive, Forbidden West does a complete 180 on this.

For many of the instances, I actually enjoyed the side missions more than the main quest line. Not only do the side stories intertwine with the main storyline, but the NPC characters involved have far more weight, and even play a part in aspects later down the line, so it’s not all for nothing. In some of the quests you will also earn new weapons and skills, making the time invested well worth it.

The expanded world and requirements of Aloy truly add a lot of value and playability to the game, and do not feel as lazy as in Zero Dawn.

Outside of quests, you will need to find time to spend exploring the world, and I highly recommend you do so. You will find yourself involved in random encounters saving inhabitants from the rebels or a wandering beast, or you will take part in the new Ruins sections which have puzzle elements and great rewards should you solve them. Then there are revel camps to take out, often providing important intel or technology and upgrades. The Tallnecks return as a means of getting the lay of the land, and climbing those simply never gets old. In all, the expanded world and requirements of Aloy truly add a lot of value and playability to the game, and do not feel as lazy as in Zero Dawn. A definite nod to Guerrilla Games learning from their past.



There’s a lot more to love about Forbidden West. Aloy’s skill tree is extensive and no matter which direction you upgrade first, you will see the benefits. Along with items such as longer concentration (slowing time) and more melee combos, you will also unlock special abilities for specific weapons and other items, all of which add to your arsenal when taking on the many enemies that inhabit the world. One of the greatest aspects of the gameplay is that there is no one way to approach situations. You can be stealthy, which I would recommend, but even if you take on enemies head-on, you will have enough abilities to do so. Even changing tactics mid-battle can be beneficial.

Some of the new weapons are great to use and again highlight how brilliant the combat is in Forbidden West. The new throwing spike is a superb addition, as are some of the new arrow modifiers, but at the end of the day the bow and arrow combat with the addition of the weak areas discovered on the various enemies simply cannot be beat. There’s just something special about it all that you will find yourself wanting to take on more battles rather than avoiding them.



Forbidden West consists of a number of hub areas alive with opportunities and their own mini-storylines. The political aspect of the story is truly unique and engaging, and adds a lot of weight to your decisions in-game. Throughout the hub will be side missions, NPCs to engage with and a fantastic board game called “Machine Strike” which can be likened to The Witcher’s Gwent. Machine Strike is great fun and strategically challenging. It has a great tutorial which makes the game seem a lot simpler, but expect some challenging boards later on in the game.

As always, there are some hitches to mention in Forbidden West. While the exploration is generally amazing, I found traversal to be relatively clunky. There’s an odd disconnect when moving through certain terrains where it feels a bit glitchy and the movement feels a bit rigid. Even jumping down from higher platforms feels strange where Aloy almost gets stuck to the ground for a second. It really ruins the fluidity. In Forbidden West you can pretty much scale up any of the mountains or cliffs and by simply activating Aloy’s Focus device, you will see platform areas that will allow Aloy access.

There’s an odd disconnect when moving through certain terrains where it feels a bit glitchy and the movement feels a bit rigid.

It’s great that you can go just about anywhere, but the platforming also lacks fluidity. If you are used to Uncharted’s climbing sections then Forbidden West will certainly frustrate you. I also found a number of odd glitches and clipping elements while moving through some of the areas and especially in the hub areas through taverns or similar areas. It certainly isn’t game-breaking, but does take away from some of the polish.



Many of the above issues are easy to ignore considering just how beautiful Horizon: Forbidden West is in all other aspects of its visual representation. Character models and voice acting are absolutely showing off the PS5’s capabilities and that smooth 60fps gameplay cannot be ignored. There is the option to scale it down to 30fps for the benefit of better visuals, but I found the 30 frames not to my preference. That said, I took a number of photos in the higher res, and they truly do speak for themselves.

Horizon: Forbidden West is a marvel when you consider the overall presentation, the wonderful characters and immaculate world that we get to explore. Throw in the superb DualSense features and it becomes one of the most complete packages when showing off the PS5’s capabilities. Guerrilla Games truly have learned from their run out with Zero Dawn and have improved in almost every aspect. The gameplay is engaging and addictive and the story is moving and wholesome, and of course filled with a great deal of cinematic action set pieces which will have you grinning with enjoyment. The more meaningful side quests as well as the new and returning weapons and enemies make for one excellent game. Yes, there are some technical aspects which could still be polished up, but overall Forbidden West is a fantastic experience.



*PS5 Review code provided by PlayStation