Dutch developer Guerrilla seemingly achieved the impossible with Horizon Zero Dawn. After a decade slaving away over first-person shooter series Killzone, the studio effectively retooled itself as a maker of open world RPGs, and sold tens of millions of copies in the process. The intellectual property has since seen the release of a sequel and a PSVR2 spin-off, with a family-friendly LEGO adaptation imminent.
This remaster from Nixxes initially seemed superfluous when it was rumoured, but a $10 upgrade fee and the ability to import save files from the PS4 version has won fans over. And we have to say it’s an outstanding upgrade, bringing the original release closer to its successor Horizon Forbidden West. That means you can now play the two titles back-to-back with very little compromise, a goal Sony was also eager to achieve with its two The Last of Us titles.
Presentation is the key differential between the 2017 title and this PS5 upgrade, as the gameplay remains unchanged. That means you’ll still be controlling flame-haired huntress Aloy through a series of tropical biomes, as she explores a post-apocalyptic sandbox populated by mechanical dinosaurs. The sci-fi story is captivating throughout, tackling topics from two different timelines, as it deals with the politics of the present day and the cataclysmic events that led to the world’s current state.
In some ways, the story in this inaugural entry is far more focused than its follow-up, with the twists much more impactful. It’s a shame a lot of the major beats occur off-screen, as many of the revelations are reserved for audio logs, but it’s riveting stuff – even if it borders on ridiculous at times. The protagonist makes for a fun conduit for everything that occurs too: she’s as baffled and bedazzled as you will be.
Perhaps the weakest part of the game are its side quests, this being Guerrilla’s first foray into the RPG genre after all. These do improve in the Frozen Wilds expansion, included here, but there’s a gulf between the optional content featured in the first game and Forbidden West. Nevertheless, Nixxes has re-recorded over 10 hours of motion capture and completely re-shot some cutscenes, bringing conversations closer to what you see in the sequel.
This is one element that goes above and beyond what you’d expect from the average remaster, and that’s consistent across the entire release. This is a real labour of love that transforms an already handsome title into one of the best looking games on the PS5. For example, foliage has been completely redone to more closely match the plants and scenery seen in the concept art, while the whole game has been meticulously relit to make the lighting more realistic.
More modern Decima tech improvements have been back-ported into this game to improve the overall atmosphere, such as the Anubis Cloud Engine which adds density to the release’s skyboxes. The water – one of the worst visual aspects of the original – has also been redone, and now ripples naturally as Aloy moves through it. These may all seem like small improvements, but they’re quite transformative when taken as a whole.
There are also much better materials and textures in this new version of the game, with certain surfaces deforming as Aloy moves through the environment. The aforementioned foliage famously didn’t react to the heroine’s body in the original, but now it bends and distorts as she pushes through it. Some of these details don’t quite hit the same highs as Forbidden West, but they’re extremely close, and the two titles definitely sit side-by-side.
This is all running at 60fps, of course, with support for the PS5 Pro promised when the supercharged system launches later in the year. The image quality on a standard system is already exceptional, and while there is an option to play in native 4K at 30fps, it’s not worth the frame rate hit, such is the overall quality of the Performance Mode.
Outside of the visuals, the audio mix has been remastered and now takes full advantage of the PS5’s proprietary 3D audio technology, which doesn’t get talked about enough. The sound is absolutely astonishing throughout, as the groan of machines in the far distance are offset by the whoosh of swirling winds and the dusty thud of nearby human footsteps. DualSense support has also been integrated, with Aloy’s bow-and-arrow acting as the perfect complement for the pad’s adaptive triggers.
Our only criticism, and this is true during the review period but may later be patched, is that earned Trophies do not transfer to the remaster. This means if you were hoping to pick up your progress to polish off the Platinum, it’s not currently possible, as you won’t automatically unlock any of the gongs you earned in the PS4 version. Your actual game progress will transfer across, however, making this an irritating oversight for a project that seems so thoughtfully executed in every other department.
Conclusion
Horizon Zero Dawn is very much one of Sony’s standout projects of the past ten years, and this superb remaster by Nixxes puts it among the best looking games on the PS5. While the side-quests and supporting content don’t quite match up to sequel Forbidden West, the more focused story is arguably better than its successor, and it’s presented almost flawlessly in this remastered format.
