Horizon Forbidden West will be improving everything wrong with the first game

Horizon Zero Dawn became an instant hit when it launched in 2017, selling 10s of millions of copies and solidifying Aloy as a lifelong PlayStation mascot. Even so, the game was not perfect, and featured some noticeable issues. Thankfully, the upcoming Forbidden West sequel is looking to fix all of them.

In a piece published by Game Informer (who has collaborated with Guerilla Games to get some exclusive hands-on with the game), fans were told of the many ways in which the upcoming open-world sequel is improving upon its previous entry.

As reported by Game Informer – and according to the game’s narrative director Benjamin McCaw – Horizon Forbidden West will feature ‘better cinematics’ including “full motion-capture, better facial animation, and a top-tier cast”. The first game was highly cinematic, however in smaller cutscenes and encounters, animations were certainly paired back. It is good to see this will not be the case.

The game will also feature ‘livelier locales’ which has been achieved through “an improved crowd system, better animations, and much better audio. So everything should feel a little bit more authentic and lifelike.”

As mentioned previously, the game will come with a wholly revamped skill tree, making the game much more RPG-like. On top of this, players will also be able to use their scanner for increased information, including being able to now “learn everything from if a machine has a key upgrade resource to if a part is indestructible,” and can also “uncover if one of their weapons is detachable and can be used for your own gain.”

Other improvements include better side quest rewards; a cleaner and less cluttered HUD; improved relationship building with side characters, and the ability to create jobs for upgrade parts – offering great quality of life improvements.

Horizon Forbidden West is looking to be a majorly ambitious game. Despite this, it is encouraging to see Guerilla Games focusing on the little things, making the upcoming experience as refined and exciting as possible. Horizon Forbidden West launches on the 18th of February.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of these improvements? Are you excited for the game? What one improvement do you want to see? Let us know down below.

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