Hunting mechanical dinosaurs with bows and arrows, in a gorgeous post-apocalyptic jungle – what’s not to like?
Horizon: Zero Dawn is on track to be a seriously good-looking PS4 exclusive, with Guerilla Games stepping out of the shadow of the Killzone series for the first time in over a decade.
We got a new look at how the game is shaping up with a new trailer, released this week ahead of E3. Here’s what we learned.
5) ALOY HAS A MYSTERIOUS PAST
We didn’t just learn lead character Aloy’s name – we also got a lot of backstory.
She’s part of a tribe of outcasts and nomads, kicked out of another settlement on less than pleasant terms. We spotted at least one flashback to Aloy’s younger self, and the tribal leaders on her side have a few secrets they aren’t telling her about her past.
That “identity confirmed” tease at the end, too – did Aloy somehow survive the apocalypse as a baby, and come from a world before the robots took over?
4) IT’S NOT JUST YOU AGAINST THE ROBOTS
Sure, taking down dinosaur-sized robots with little more than a bow and arrow has us all kinds of excited, but you’ll be facing off against human enemies too.
With at least two warring tribes fighting for survival, it won’t be an easy journey to uncover your past. Hand-to-hand and melee combat looks certain, and it looks like Aloy will take a beating on at least one occasion – we’ll have to wait for the next reveal to see how she escapes.
Your bow might see most of the action, but a spiked staff or spear makes a brief appearance towards the end of the trailer.
3) ROBO-DINOS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
The robo-creature shown off in the reveal trailer looked more like a Tyrannosaurus Rex than any animal alive today, but that doesn’t mean Horizon’s bestiary will be stuck in the Jurassic period.
We spotted crocodiles, giant birds, deer-like machines, and even a charging rhino. Or possibly an elephant – we’re not sure.
Either way, they range in size from human-height to a colossal 60 feet or more, with the giraffe-like things above stomping through the trailer’s opening half.
2) YOU’LL BE EXPLORING LONG-DEAD CITIES
It won’t just be open savannah, mountains and jungles making up Horizon’s gorgeous post-disaster Earth. You’ll be exploring cities too – albeit ones that have long since fallen to nature.
There’s no mistaking the street signs, roads and buildings of a once prosperous America, covered in vines, rusted under the sun and barely surviving as a testament to what came before.
We’re guessing there might be a few leftovers hidden throughout these once populated areas for you to salvage, in order to stay one step ahead of the robots.
1) IT’S LAUNCHING MARCH 3
…at least, it is if you live in the UK. The rest of Europe gets to pick it up a few days earlier on March 1. Those lucky devils living in North America get it a day sooner, too. It’ll launch on PS4 in the US on February 28. South Africa will likely take its cues from the UK, as usual, so we’re at the back of the line.
Yes, that’s later than originally planned. It was supposed to launch later this year, but Guerilla pushed it back to apply some more polish.
As if that wasn’t heartbreaking enough, we also got to see the limited Collector’s Edition version of the game we won’t be playing until at least 2017. It’s packed with gear, including an art book, steelbook case, some in-game kit, a custom PS4 theme, and oh yeah – a 9in statue of Aloy.
Is it March yet?
