You can make a sequel bigger and better with Horizon Forbidden West. It’s got a new map, more monsters, a huge skill tree, and new movement tricks. Best of all, it fixes issues with the original game and makes exploring more fun. If you have to save the future world again, you’ll want it to be awesome. I didn’t really like Horizon Zero Dawn, but the story was great. In cities, the field of view was too narrow, which made me nauseous. Melee combat isn’t my thing either. In Forbidden West, towns aren’t cramped and locked away through narrow gates. Besides underwater exploration, you can also glide through the air like in Breath of the Wild. The details in the sunken cities, deserts, mountains, and jungles will amaze you. You’ll love how pretty Forbidden West is in photo mode.
The gameplay is pretty similar to the original. You can hunt machine herds with a bow and arrow or melee them. There are also new weapons and trick arrows. Except for one, I didn’t really like the weapons, but maybe I need more practice. Even with tweaks, melee combat still feels disjointed. I still prefer shooting stuff with a bow. New tools add another dimension to exploring, and introduce new puzzles to solve. Besides new skill trees, there are new ultimate skills called Valor Surges in the sequel. It really changes up the combat and makes you feel powerful.
I’ve had the game almost two weeks, and I’m not even close to finishing the main quest. There’s a lot to do, and it doesn’t feel pointless. Side stories make the world feel alive, and rewards matter. Due to the huge skill tree, you need a lot of skill points, and leveling up (max 50) won’t give you enough. Since they don’t feel like a grind, I’ve just been exploring this vast new world. Along the way, you’ll meet new and old friends. I haven’t made much progress with the main quest, but I know the set up will be awesome. It’s just that there’s no urgency to save the world despite how dire things are supposed to be, and that’s my only complaint.
