Oh, I also want everyone to know this is not going to be a spoiler free comparison either, as I will be discussing my actions through the game as I go on.
Starting off my time with Horizon: Zero Dawn was both an awe inspiring and frustrating event. I was one of a handful of players who experienced a cinematic crash during the games opening when Rost is carrying a baby Aloy to her naming ceremony, an traditional ceremony where a child of the Nora is given their name. Turns out, I had to restart my system and let my game finish updating and installing first. To be safe I deleted my saves and I was off to journey through the fascinating, frightening, and fantastic machine filled world of Horizon: Zero Dawn. As I started the game I was introduced to Aloy, our protagonist, and Rost, her mentor, a pair of exiled Nora who lived on their own outside of the society that had shunned them for life. Aloy, longing for existence, is scared off and falls into ruins of the old world where she finds herself a 'Focus', an ancient artifact that allows her to see the weaknesses and detect machines. Doomed to a lonely existence Rost teaches Aloy the ways of the hunt after an encounter with Nora villagers not only scars Aloy, but also leaves her asking the question of why. Why is she outcast? Why does she not have a mother? And why do the others treat her this way? Determined to find these answers she turns to Rost to teach her.
As she grows and learns the ways of the Nora hunters she takes part in the Nora tradition of the Proving to earn her way back into Nora society and to win the favor of the Matriarchs so that she may discover her past. However the Proving is attacked by people who see Aloy as a threat. Before the proving I assumed a number of tasks to help citizens of Nora, or outcasts around the small valley you have access to, some of these were simple small machine hunts, or gathering supplies. I learned the basics of Horizon: Zero Dawn's simple, yet impressive stealth mechanics, and how to most effectively hunt both machines and animals for the resources necessary to not only survive, but thrive in the hostile world. You see, not only are you up against the machines, but you are also competing against an ever demanding inventory and item management. You need to be careful when encountering a fight to be as efficient as possible as you are limited in your inventory and must constantly be crafting additional arrows, traps, and potions in order to survive. This is something I'd normally find repulsive in a game, but the simplicity that Horizon allows me to do it, and while still staying in combat, even if I need to make arrows, is something that doesn't actually interrupt Horizons fast paced and honestly addictive combat.
As I progressed through the story, acquired a tripcaster and fire arrows I was ready for my first challenge, hunting a fearsome Sawtooth. At this point I had little understanding of the games trap mechanics, and monster luring/AI potential so I foolishly rushed in to a fight I was unprepared for, and while I survived it taught me two valuable lessions: 1) Use stealth and my focus to my absolute advantage, and 2) when encountering a machine for the first time prepare for the fight as if you will not win unless you use every trick in your arsenal. I barely managed to survive my encounter, but with reinforced will and determination I was ready for much larger hunts. I won't really be saying much about the proving, but to say that it is your first time encountering human enemies, which have the potential to be much more deadly simply because they have the ability to not only attack, but also overpower you at range, so you must use your environment to your advantage.
It was after this I had my first taste of real answers though, even if they weren't exactly the ones I was looking for. I awoke to find myself in the most sacred place of the Nora, where only Matriarchs may reside, but I was told that I was birthed from the mountain the Nora live on, not exactly the answers I wanted, but it was a start. I also learned that I was the spitting image of a woman who lived over 1000 years prior, but with the door to where I came from sealed shut I was unable to gather the few answers I needed more, so I was appointed the rank of Seeker, and sent outside of Nora lands to uncover the truth of my place in the world, and the past of the "Old Ones" (the humans who created the machines). However, not all was at peace for long, for the humans who attacked us also had a way to corrupt machines into fighting for them. Most machines are programmed to either run from people, or engage them. Well an overridden machine will fight with the humans who overrode it. So as I was leaving, I encountered my first true test, The Corrupter, a 3 legged terror that could launch grenades, throw rocks, and target missiles at me from a decent range. Remember about how I said to be prepared, well I was not. An interesting fight against a highly mobile target I learned the true tenacity of these enemies, and understood them as an incredible threat.
After a draining fight that took almost all of my healing resources from me, and completing the main quest line I decided to spend my accumulated skill points on a few character upgrades. While Horizon does offer skill trees, it does so in a manner that is both unique and rewarding. These trees are broken down into stealth, combat, and resource gathering. I decided the most important thing was upgrading my healing abilities and to take full advantage of stealth by increasing the damage my silent strikes did. Additionally after this fight Aloy was determined to find out how these machines could be corrupted, thus unlocking the override ability. The first real taste of overpowering machines. So with my new toy in hand I set out to mount my first machine and explore the larger world around me.
After leaving the relative safety of home, and setting out into the brave new world, I was eager to discover what awaited me. It turns out, more than I could have ever wanted. From journeying to assist the Nora war party to get revenge, to my first experiences with Horizon's Assassins Creed esque Tallneck, which allows Aloy to have access to local map information eincluding outposts, locations of campfires (and fast travel locations), and machine locations too. While it's not especially unique, they all have a unique challenge when it comes to climbing them as you can't directly jump on to them, but instead need to find some sort of cliff to reach their back first. Continuing on my journey, in a completely unprompted move, I reached and started to explore what is called a Cauldron, or a factory where machines are made. These Cauldrons offer unique challenges that pit you against patrolling machines and a boss fight of sorts, the rewards at the end is an upgrade to your Override ability that lets you control the machines related to that Cauldron.
Shortly after conquering the Cauldron, I decided to reinvigorate my exploration and push on through the main story to the wondrous city of Meridan. Meridan is the home of the Carja, a tribe who worships the sun and believes their king to be the suns will on Earth. This is where I got sidetracked from the main questline. You see, when you get here a few things are revealed to you about the attack on Nora, so naturally I decided that was important to me and off I went to save the day. Well, it turns out that randomly running off can be a bit of a bad idea as you need to be careful, or fast, around the map because bigger machines are not afraid to flex their muscles to defend their territory, and random patrols of humans, both friendly and non, are wandering almost at what seems every turn. Also, one of my favorite little mini quests: the bandit camps. As you travel you meet people, well one of them is looking to kill bandits who show up. Part of the trick to this is not going in arrows flying, but instead taking a more stealthy approach because if you alert them they will sound the alarm which will only bring in reinforcements and make your life miserable. But after clearing three camps I was back at my quest to attack the Shadow Carja who attacked Nora, a missions which proved most fruitful.
Towards the end of my time with Horizon I decided my life would be remiss without at least trying to get some collectibles, and while most of these have the standard open world feel to them, they are also not as simple as run over here and grab this because you often will either have to fight, or sneak your way to your objective, or complete climbing challenges for Banuk statues. These minor changes added a refreshing approach to the dreary monotony of open world sandbox games like this, and Horizon is a true treat, and a real charmer. And while I did take on one more mission, I won't go into details as it does contain major plot spoilers to reveal some of the events of the past, but suffice it to say I left the mission hungry for knowledge of what the events I was mission were. Horizon: Zero Dawn is a true blessing in a modern era of dry shooters, overzealous indy games, franchise circlejerks, and ultimately lackluster RPGs. The few minor issues and complaints I have about the game are vastly overshadowed by the areas the game excels in far better than I could have even hoped for.
As I said earlier, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are games that use similar mechanics at their core, but execute them in vastly different ways. While Horizon takes open world elements and revitalizes them in refreshing and truly remarkable new ways, Zelda....doesn't.
To start off Zelda to me was nothing if not interesting. Not only did I play it on the Switch, but I also haven't properly sat down with a Zelda game since Wind Waker came out the first time. That being said, I did do plenty of preparation for this Zelda to make sure I knew what I was getting into, and some areas just fell short.
I'd like to start off by saying though Breath of the Wild is a good game, it's just not a great game, and while it does give the Switch a strong leg to stand on, I feel as if that leg could use a bit of help. The art, design, and music are all a wonderful change, everything feels fresh and reinvigorated, a wonderful new world to explore all over again. However this beautiful world is also ripe with imperfections and poor design choices. One of my biggest complaints with the game is that tons of game areas, and subsequently large portions of the map are just open areas with little to do or explore. I found myself in some places traveling a large portion of Hyrule regretting my decision to not take a horse, or running aimlessly with a world that seemed hardly alive and breathing. Yet I digress.
The game begins with Link waking from a 100 year slumber to the ruins of Hyrule from a battle with Gannon, and a has yet to recover. You find an old hermit who lives isolated on a plateau where you have been stranded as well. He reveals to you that you have been asleep for a long time and suggests that you start out by using your Sheikah Slate to learn of the area by attaching it to a console in the valley, doing so not only reveals the map, but also raises a series of shrines on the plateau as well. These shrines are like mini dungeons, the first 4 give you abilities that you will use to solve puzzles through the game. The old man requires you to solve 4 of them on the plateau before he will give you his glider so you can leave safely.
After completing this he reveals he is the former king of Hyrule and that his daughter, Zelda, has been trapped in a 100 year battle with Gannon and that it is up to you to save her. More or less you can go right for him and get pwned, or you can go through and free the 4 great beasts (machines) from his control. These machines were created by ancient hylians to fight Gannon when he eventually returned, but he corrupted them and killed their chosen champion (each race has a champion to pilot the great beast), and wounded Link, but Zelda locked him away to restore his powers.
After learning all of this I set out to free the beasts and arbitrarily headed to the bottom right one first (which I guess is the one you're supposed to go to) in the Zora domain. Before this however you are tasked with learning a bit more about what all happened from Impa and about the Sheikah slates, which is interesting and can provide some good insight into the story and the world around Link. Really what you learn is that the Sheikah is ancient technology designed alongside the great beasts and the whole store of reincarnation and fighting Gannon that Zelda is known for. Also you find out that no one is really working with Gannon this time around, like yea some people just don't like Link, but no one wants Gannon to succeed.
So anyrate I was off to the Zora domain to...and I died. Death happens in Zelda, a lot. So save often, which isn't an issue since saving is only a couple of buttons away at all times. But that doesn't make it less annoying. After reloading and going around the stupid Guardian in my way I met the Zora prince, who tasked me with the long long walk to the top of the mountain to the Zora domain where it was perpetually raining. So off I went. This is where the artificial size comes into play, pretty much a whole section of the map was brought down to being just a canyon and a lake. Normally not a problem, but for a game that touted its size at every turn it really doesn't do the game any favors. After arriving at my destination I am greeted in a less than positive way as you learn the princess Mipha disappeared after falling in love with a Human (Link), so they have been more or less banned from entry.
Well you are recognized by the King who makes an exception, telling you that it is up to you to set things straight and that you must calm the great beast (a giant elephant) and stop it from constantly making rain as not to drown the rest of Hyrule. First, however, you must gather lighting arrows from a giant lion who really doesn't want to share. This part was kind of annoying as it was a stealth section that required you gather arrows from trees and grass while avoiding an enemy that could literally detect you through stone, which wasn't fun. After a couple of tries however I managed to get the arrows and it was time to take on the dungeon. I was tasked with riding on a Zoras back, and using these arrows to disable these engines on top of the elephants shoulders to stop the water flow, after completing this four times the main "dungeon" was unlocked. Calling it a dungeon really doesn't justify it, what you need to do is sync your Zelda Switch (Sheikah Slate, as that's pretty much what it is) to these terminals to unlock the master terminal and fight Ganons corruption to free it.
After a successful battle you are treated to the happy go lucky cutscene where all is now right and well in the Zora domain, and the king invites you back anytime. My original intentions were to travel counter clockwise from there, so naturally I headed North, to my certain doom. This is the Goron realm (and apparently the suggested 4th because its the hardest too). So much surpirse to me on my climb that I literally catch on fire, so I tossed that notion out of my mind and turned right around to regear myself, open my guide, and find out where the hell to go. Turns out I needed to go clockwise to the Gerudo instead. So off we went.
As I arrived there I found out 2 things, 1 the desert is hot, and 2, I needed some new clothes, unfortunately though before I could set out to get my sexy Link outfit my time with Zelda for the purposes of this review had come to an end. Parts of it were frustrating, like the vast openness of some areas, yet the artificial size of others, and the seemingly impossible random mobs that would show up for almost no reason. But other parts were more than enjoyable like the vast array of colorful characters. I still believe that Zelda would benefit from the addition of a leveling system to reenforce some of those RPG elements that it seems to be teetering on, and a more well thought out crafting system that it so desperately craves to have with the new weapon system, from braking from killing 3 enemies to be replaced by a useless weapon the enemy was holding was not enjoyable and made me want to preserve my more powerful weapons for the inevitable boss fights that never came.
There you have it folks, the two compared, and because this is a review I will give my ratings down here. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild scores 8.5 great beasts out 10, because while refreshing for Zelda, it is full of tired tropes that we have seen all too often elsewhere, and if it weren't for the wonderful characters and great storytelling it wouldn't have scored this high. Horizon Zero Dawn on the other gets 9.5 terrifying Thunderjaws out of 10. This is a true exemplar of a game with very few and minor inconsistencies, Aloy is a wonderful character that you can help but get attached to. I hope people find this helpful and informative, next up is Mass Effect.
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