Is Horizon Forbidden West Worth It? Absolutely.

As an avid PlayStation fan who has sunk over 50 hours into Guerilla‘s machine-filled frontier, I can definitively say that Horizon Forbidden West is a must-have exclusive worth every penny of its $70 price tag. This open world masterpiece addresses every weakness of Zero Dawn while massively expanding the scope and quality of the experience. For PS5 owners seeking an immersive adventure combining blockbuster storytelling with strategic action RPG combat, Forbidden West is easily one of the best games available today.

Refined Gameplay Improves on a Winning Formula

Forbidden West retains the basic framework of Zero Dawn but enhances nearly every system, providing more flexibility and options without diluting what made the original work. The addition of the Shieldwing glider and Pullcaster grappling hook enables creative new approaches to exploration and puzzle solving. Underwater sections add a completely new dimension to the environment traversal. The workbenches offer granular control over customizing your gear loadout, letting you tweak elemental affinities, ammo types, and handling stats to create the weapons that best fit your style.

The skill trees expand with several powerful new melee abilities like the Resonator Blast and Combat Override, while Concentration and slow-mo arrow nocking return to reward perfectly executed draws. All of these refinements result in elevated freedom in approaching encounters. You‘ll swap between stealth silent strikes, traps, arrows, and close combat based on the situation and your chosen build. I often found myself enthusiastically switching tactics mid-fight to counter formidable enemies. The gameplay improvements help Forbidden West‘s combat realize its full potential.

Table 1: Key Forbidden West Gameplay Enhancements

A Compelling StoryFilled with Memorable Characters

Beyond refined mechanics, Horizon Forbidden West spins an engrossing sci-fi tale centered around Aloy‘s mission to stop a deadly terraforming system and secure a future for the planet‘s inhabitants, both human and machine. Guerilla‘s writers have crafted a narrative arc that builds momentum and emotional investment as Aloy uncovers secrets of the old ones‘ extinction, betrayal by an AI named Tilda, and her own miraculous origins. Excellent voicework from Ashly Burch brings Aloy to life, aided by the best facial animations I‘ve seen in any game to date. Each dramatic beat landswith impact thanks to subtle lip curls, furrowed brows, and lifelike reactions that sell the stakes. I grew genuinely attached to Aloy and new allies like the determined Tenakth warrior Kotallo. Their portrayals give warmth and humanity to each new revelation.

Many major story moments still stand out in my mind weeks later: the exhilarating opening sequences avoiding Regalla‘s rebels during the Tenakth tribe‘s visit to Plainsong, the revelation of Nemesis‘ imminent attack, exploring the ruins of San Francisco and Las Vegas to uncover secrets of the old ones, Tilda‘s sinister plan to reboot life via GAIA. These gripping sequences had me racing to play every spare moment I could. Horizon‘s narrative quality rivals any AAA single-player game. For those who value an impactful and thought-provoking story above all else, Forbidden West delivers an experience sure to satisfy.

Strategic, High-Stakes Combat

While the story pulls you forward, the combat design had me relishing every encounter with Forbidden West‘s spectacular roster of machines. Each species boasts unique weaknesses to identify and attack methods to counter. A few examples: frost and acid help break through Snapmaw armor, fireworks well against Scroungers, and Shock damage is effective against the reptilian Sunwings. With the workbenches, I could fine-tune my loadout specifically for tackling harder machines. Stocking up on ice and shock ammo primed me for bringing down Slaughterspines and Tremortusks. Planning ahead and smartly utilizing your arsenal feels very rewarding.

Toppling a towering Thunderjaw or Stormbird after several minutes of intense, methodical aim and positioning is simply exhilarating. These behemoths move with realistic agility, requiring you to constantly re-position and exploit brief openings. Fighting two at once can be thrillingly chaotic. The Revitalizing Surge skill lets you recover on a perfect dodge, enabling risky swift strike burst damage chains. I also love using the Shieldwing to pepper airborne foes with arrows. The flexibility to adapt mid-fight prevents encounters from ever growing stale. After 50 hours I still eagerly approach each crowdluring a dangerous new machine, excited to test my abilities.

Sales and Reception Show a Worthy Sequel

Horizon Forbidden West has received universal acclaim as an improvement over Zero Dawn from both professional reviewers and players:

• 88 Metacritic. With 75 critic reviews averaged, Forbidden West scores an impressive 88 on Metacritic across PS5 and PS4, higher than the 87 for Zero Dawn.

• Top 5 Highest Grossing Launch of 2022. Forbidden West had the 5th highest grossing launch out of any 2022 game in the US according to NPD data, beating out Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Impressive for a new IP.

• 2.5 million copies sold in 1st month. Sony reported that Forbidden West sold 2.5 million units globally during its first month. This aligns with other PlayStation flagships like God of War (2018).

• Trophy Data Shows Strong Engagement. As of April 2022, over 50% of players earned the Reached the Daunt trophy for completing the main story. And nearly 20% unlocked the Platinum, indicating a very thorough playthrough. This level of engagement is rare and signifies an adventure worth savoring.

The stellar critical and commercial reception proves Guerilla has delivered a sequel that improves upon the original while standing on its own as a must-play PlayStation exclusive.

Comparisons with Elden Ring: Two Masterpieces

Elden Ring stands as Forbidden West‘s closest competition, as open world action RPGs combining fluid combat with rich exploration. FromSoft took their formula to new heights, pioneering open world design for soulslikes. The Lands Between realizes a staggering sense of place and intrigue. Yet Forbidden West‘s vibrance and accessibility offer just as compelling an experience tailoredto different tastes.

Where Elden employs subtle environmental storytelling, Horizon features fully voiced side quests fleshing out each character met. Forbidden West offers extensive HUD options and difficulty tweaks to accommodateplayer challenges that would shatter Elden‘s mystique. Aloy provides a clearly motivated hero‘s journey compared to the Stranger left to project motivations onto. Ultimately both represent masterpiece achievements pushing gaming forward in distinct ways. PlayStation fans will find equal joy uncovering Forbidden West‘s ancient secrets as they do piecing together Elden‘s mysticism and challenging its demigods.

Table 2: Elden Ring vs Horizon Forbidden West Comparison

Length, Replayability, and Dollar Value

Completing Forbidden West‘s critical path story takes approximately 30-35 hours. For those seeking to fully explore every corner, complete all side content, and max out your level, playtime easily exceeds 80+ hours. The world remains compelling to revisit in New Game+ with enhanced visuals or to try different difficulty settings. Compared to a standard $60 game that may offer 15-20 hours, Forbidden West packs 3-4 times as much qualitycontent. The value proposition against cost is quite favorable, lining up with other Sony 1st party tentpole releases. Fans of narrative adventures may play mainly for the story, while those who love tinkeringwith builds and experimenting will find endless ways to replay.

Table 3: Estimated Horizon Forbidden West Gameplay Hours

Given the sheer volume of content and value against the standard $60 pricing model, Horizon Forbidden West assuredly deserves its premium $70 price tag.

An Absolute Must-Play for PS5 Owners

In closing, as someone who grew up obsessed with games like Ocarina of Time and Mass Effect 2 that transported you to fully realized worlds, Horizon Forbidden West earns a spot right alongside those classics. Guerilla‘s seamless fusion of sci-fi storytelling, Strategic combat, and breathtaking exploration makes this an easy recommendation. The team behind Killzone has impressively pivoted to deliver a new franchise representing PlayStation at its very best. Fans craving memorable narratives and Warfare against intricately designed robotic creatures simply cannot miss this adventure. While PS4 gamers will have an excellent experience too, Forbidden West shines brightest on PS5, and truly justifies the new console purchase. If you own Sony‘s latest machine, this journey into the frontier should be at the very top of your wishlist. Horizon Forbidden West stands tall as an instant classic and a must-have PS5 exclusive.