Is Horizon Forbidden West good? Let's check out some of the Horizon Forbidden West Review Scores to find out.
Horizon Forbidden West has been in our Top 10 upcoming PS5 games not coming to the Xbox Series X for a couple of months now. We're pretty sure the title is also at the top of many players' wish lists. Critics have been looking forward to this game's release, too. On Metacritic, there are now 100 critic reviews as of press time, 96 of which gave the game a positive review score. So, let's go on and discuss the review scores meted to Horizon Forbidden West.
What is Horizon Forbidden West?
Horizon Forbidden West is the sequel to the PS4-exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn (later ported to PC). It is an open-world action-adventure roleplaying game where you play as Aloy, a huntress in a robocalyptic version of the US populated by dangerous, animalistic machines. In this game, she goes past the frontiers of the known world to explore “The Forbidden West”, a post-apocalyptic version of the western United States, specifically the states of California, Nevada, and Utah. The game launches on February 18, 2022, on both the PS4 and the PS5.
Horizon Forbidden West Review Scores: 89 Metascore on Metacritic
Horizon Forbidden West currently has a Metacritic score of 89 on the PlayStation 5, out of 100 reviews.
Horizon Forbidden West, based on a majority of reviews, introduces a lot of welcome changes to the game. But still, the game oddly sits at an 89 Metacritic Score, which is the exact same score Horizon Zero Dawn had. So, what gives? If this game improves upon its predecessor, why the same grade?
Well, time has passed and, thankfully, standards have risen. This only means that Horizon Forbidden West has been able to keep up with the times, still feeling fresh in spite of being a sequel, and introduces just enough to make it stand all by itself. However, while it does have that kind of gameplay improvement, the fact that it's a sequel is very apparent in the game's story. It's very hard to follow Horizon Forbidden West's narrative without having played the first one. That's not such a big deal because Horizon Zero Dawn still holds up pretty well today, so might as well play that first.
Now, for everyone else ready to play as Aloy again, here are just some reviews that will echo your enthusiasm about the title:
12 reviewers so far have given the game a perfect grade. Among these is VGC, whose review reads: “If you’re willing to take your time and explore through the ruins of a fallen society, where every other corner is teeming with machines that you’ll need to be at the top of your game to destroy, then Horizon Forbidden West is an incredible game and a world that we wanted to return to many hours after the credits rolled.”
Not to worry those who thought the game would have perfect ratings all across the board. 12 is good enough, and there are 84 more saying good things about Horizon Forbidden West. One of them is PCMag, which gave a Horizon Forbidden West review score of 4.5/5, saying: “Horizon Forbidden West takes everything that made Horizon Zero Dawn an excellent action-adventure title, and adds more environmental variety and quest verticality to create an even better game.”
In their own 9/10 review, Inverse says: “Horizon Forbidden West is the latest in Sony’s prestigious run of polished first-person exclusives. As the sequel to 2017’s acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn, the bar is set high for Aloy’s next adventure. The first game debuted in an era before exclusives like God of War, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and The Last of Us Part II broke barriers in gameplay accessibility. In 2022, Forbidden West has a much higher standard to meet, and for the most part, it’s a resounding success.”
However, not everyone's impressed by Aloy and the world around her. While we do not agree with their assessment, we still believe they have the right to their opinion. Among these nay-sayers, Telegraph gave the game its lowest rating at 3/5 stars. Its review reads: “The example of difficult second album syndrome that most readily came to mind while I wandered these wastelands is the Stone Roses, who spent almost five years trying to outdo their era-defining, genre-defying debut only to emerge with a bloated classic rock retread that effectively ended the band’s career. That’s not to say Horizon Forbidden West is gaming’s ‘Second Coming’ – but it’s not the second coming of gaming either.”
Another lowest score came from Gamer.no, which gave the game a 6/10, saying in their review that: “Horizon Forbidden West fails to live up to its predecessor in just about every way. While the world and its many new machines are stunning, the experience is bogged down with confusing design choices and variation for the sake of variation – making Aloy's newest adventure one to forget.”
Conclusion: Is Horizon Forbidden West Worth It?
Without a doubt, Horizon Forbidden West is a wonderful game, a game of the year contender, even. However, there are a couple of visual issues that you'll have to contend with, which is shocking for a game this beautiful. Some draw distance issues and some popping elements and assets make the game somewhat disorienting at times, but these issues never get in the way of the gameplay, thankfully. All in all, Horizon Forbidden West is an experience everyone should get to experience, but before venturing into the Forbidden West, we advise players to go play Horizon Zero Dawn first before you do so.
Follow Us
Subscribe