The machines of Horizon Zero Dawn are not animals. They are puzzles with teeth. Every encounter in this 2017 action RPG from Guerrilla Games asks you to read a creature’s behavior, find its weak points, and exploit them with the right tool. It is a system that rewards patience, and it is the backbone of one of the most respected games of its generation.
The story follows Aloy, an outcast of the Nora tribe, as she hunts for the truth about her origins. That search leads her to the ruins of a fallen civilization and to the mystery of why the world is overrun by robotic dinosaurs. The game is available on PS4, PS5, and PC, and it holds up well on all three.
Trailer, via IGDBcom.
Aloy and the Nora
Aloy is the reason the story works. She is voiced by Ashly Burch, who gives her a mix of steel and warmth. Raised by an outcast named Rost, Aloy starts her journey as an exile. She must win a rite of passage to rejoin her tribe, but that ceremony is interrupted by an attack that sets the plot in motion.
Her character arc is simple but effective. She starts as a curious outsider and becomes a hunter of truths. The game never makes her a passive observer. She asks questions, she pushes back, and she makes choices that carry weight. It is a grounded performance in a world full of machines and ancient secrets.
The Machines of the Wild
The machine roster is the game’s greatest strength. Each creature is a distinct threat.
- Watchers are small, fast, and act as scouts. They are easy to kill but alert others.
- Striders are docile mounts, useful for travel but weak in a fight.
- Ravagers carry a cannon you can tear off and turn against them.
- Stormbirds are flying titans that summon lightning and demand your full attention.
- Thunderjaws are the apex. They have disc launchers, tail spikes, and a massive health pool.
The combat system encourages you to scan each machine with your Focus tool. That reveals weak points and resistances. You can lay traps, tie machines down with a ropecaster, or override them to fight for you. The options are many, and the game never punishes you for experimenting.
A Story of the Old Ones
The plot is a slow burn that pays off. The game is set a thousand years after the collapse of modern civilization. The ruins of cities, highways, and data centers dot the landscape. The story of what happened is told through audio logs, holograms, and text files left behind by the Old Ones.
It is a grim tale. A plague of self-replicating robots consumed all life on Earth. The machines you fight were built to restore the planet, but their purpose has been corrupted. The villain, Ted Faro, is responsible for the apocalypse, and his actions are presented as a warning about hubris and unchecked power.
The game does not rush this reveal. It doles out answers in careful pieces, and the final act delivers a twist that recontextualizes everything you have seen. It is rare for a video game to tell a story this ambitious and land it.
The Open World and Its Work
The map is large and varied. You travel through forests, deserts, snowy peaks, and ancient ruins. The tribes you meet along the way—the Carja, the Banuk, the Oseram—each have their own customs and conflicts. Many side quests are tied to them, and the best ones offer real choices.
The flaws are here too. Some side quests are fetch tasks in disguise. Melee combat against human enemies is clunky compared to the machine fights. The dialogue system is shallow, with few real branches. These are not fatal problems, but they are noticeable.
Visuals and Sound
Horizon Zero Dawn is a technical showcase. The PS4 original was already beautiful. The PS5 version runs at a smooth frame rate and supports high dynamic range. The PC version, released in 2020, offers even more detail, though it had some launch bugs that were later fixed.
The score, composed by Joris de Man, mixes tribal drums with orchestral swells. The machine sounds are distinct and memorable. A Watcher chirps. A Thunderjaw roars. The audio design pulls you into the world as much as the visuals do.
The game is long. A main story run takes about thirty hours. A completionist run can take sixty or more. The pacing holds up, with new machines and new areas introduced steadily.
The Score and the Legacy
Horizon Zero Dawn earned a critical score of 8.9 out of 10. It is a fair number. The game is not flawless, but its strengths are substantial.
It is a game about looking at the past to understand the future.
I give it a 9 of 10.
Key Facts
- Title: Horizon Zero Dawn
- Developer: Guerrilla Games
- Release: 2017 (PS4), 2020 (PC)
- Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC
- Main story length: Approximately 30 hours
- Critical score: 8.9/10
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