In 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the games that proved that the gaming scene was entering a new era in visual fidelity. I got a chance to try the game on PS4 at a gaming café that time, and it definitely surprised me. Years later, I played the game in its entirety with my 1050 Ti and regretted not being able to fully experience the Horizon-verse visuals. Although I was initially skeptical about the remastered version, I couldn’t control my desire to be immersed in the game’s world again.
So, I was excitedly waiting for the release of the newly remastered game. Thanks to a copy provided by Sony, I was able to join in and experience it again. I’ve once again finished Aloy’s adventure in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by terrifying machines, and here’s my review of the remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn by Studio Nixx and Guerrilla Games.
Aloy’s first quest to save the world
After being announced at E3 in 2015, Horizon Zero Dawn, the first installment of the Horizon franchise, was released in 2017. It’s been seven years and most gamers are well familiar with Aloy’s stories. If you’re a newcomer or a veteran and looking for a recap: HZD is a science fiction adventure set in the post-apocalyptic United States.
Players will begin their journey as Aloy who is searching for knowledge about her origins and the world she lives in. Thus, to find the answers to these mysteries, you must navigate the treacherous lands of America infested with animal-like machines. The story is completely intact in the remastered version but it is Packed with lots of visual and accessibility upgradesThat said, we won’t go into detail about the lore and instead jump straight into the visual upgrades.
Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered in all the right ways
Studio Nixes was tasked with the duty of bringing the world of Horizon to life in the remastered version. Thus, they collaborated with Guerrilla Games (the studio behind Horizon Games) to bring the best of the visuals without tampering with the beauty of the original. There have been a lot of subtle improvements that have really enhanced the experience and I’ve discussed them all below:
leaves
Even if you have not played this game before, you would know that the beauty of this game blossoms from the ruins of a desolate earth filled with lush green forests, tall grasses, etc. Therefore, the first thing you immediately notice is how The team has refined the leaf to the level of Forbidden WestNow, the world looks much denser with different flora for the different biomes you explore.
You’ll spend most of your time exploring different areas rather than buildings. Thus, each place you visit along the way is remarkably different from the others, thanks to better foliage. Not only have they increased the amount of vegetation from the original, but they have also reworked the way the alloy interacts with the foliage which increases the realism.
Although they have nailed it in the cards department, there was one small concern that fans had already pointed out during the announcement. The issue is the neon-green vegetation which looks strange in some places. I remember having no issues with them in the original and that’s why it’s worth noting. However, the old game’s color palette (orange) has been changed slightly to suit the vegetation and create a colorful experience.
character model
Aloy remains as beautiful as ever, with her hair changed to a peach complexion, skin tone and a more detailed appearance in line with the sequel game. This level of detail was applied not just to Aloy but to all character models in the game. All characters have received adequate treatment To become a more realistic and detailed version of yourself. Additionally, the way characters react to environmental changes has been improved and this adds more realism to the scenes.
Also, remember how conversations in older games seemed a little unusual in the original game due to the lack of complex facial expressions? Well, Nixx has successfully fixed it 10 hours of additional motion-capture data,
Conversations are one of the primary factors that drive these games forward and this much-needed change brings them to life. Characters are now more expressive than before and better convey the intended emotions, with improved facial and body animations. But there were very few instances where lip sync was missing.
textures and lighting
As I made my way through other familiar areas like Meridian, Citadel, etc., I started to notice how the developers have tweaked the textures of the areas and surrounding ancient buildings by borrowing assets from the sequel. It may be hard to notice at first, but since I’m coming back to this world after playing in a simple setup at the time, it seemed pretty amazing to me right from the start.
There is another big change completely renovated lighting system Which is a game-changer in my opinion. The shadows have also been updated and benefit from improved lighting. Thus, the shadows of buildings, trees and characters are now well defined. Lighting has greatly improved the atmosphere of the game by enhancing all the light sources you encounter such as light from the machine’s head, torches illuminating the inside of buildings, lens flares in daylight as you explore, Etcetera.
In the original game, characters suffered from overshoot lighting resulting in a strange appearance. Now, this problem has been successfully fixed with overhauling dynamic lighting Which changed the scenery to a great extent. Thanks to the new lighting, the characters look very lifelike with true skin tones. This is much better than characters’ skin turning pale in the snow or becoming excessively dark in sunlight, as seen in the original game.
water and reflection
Even though the original game still looks amazing today, water is not part of the main attraction of the game’s visuals. Luckily, they have been fixed here as the water looks more natural Better water caustic and reflectanceIn comparison, Forbidden West included fully detailed water physics and details, but it’s a welcome change that gets rid of the previously shoddy system.
Dual sensing and audio improvement
The remastered version finally brings support for DualSense controllers. Thus, you can make full use of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers during exploration and in combat. Audio signals are also played from your speaker’s controller such as when using focus. Overall, the Dual Sense controller really adds to the level of immersion in the game.
There is another aspect that Nixxes has also done very well and that is the audio department. Just like the visuals, the audio has also been reworked to further enhance the immersion, including sound mixing, dialogue, etc. So, make sure to grab your headphones or supported speakers to experience all the sounds of whichever country you visit.
Accessibility Features
In line with the new graphical mode options, the games come with several accessibility options such as the option to remap control buttons, aiming assistance with motion, co-pilot, etc. In short, you get to play with a lot of options aimed at simplifying your gameplay. So, make sure to visit the accessibility section to make things work in your favor.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered: Demo
The newly remastered version of the game is more attractive than ever, but how well does the game play? I am sure this question would have immediately come to everyone’s mind after seeing the amazing gameplay.
Don’t worry friend, because the game runs very smoothly in all three modes without any interruption. If you don’t know, you can play the newly remastered version in three different graphics modes, such as ‘Favore Resolution (native 4k/30fps),’ ‘Favore Performance (upscaled to 4k/60fps),’ and ‘ Balanced (4K/40fps).’
Comment:
Balanced mode is only supported on displays with VRR, so if you have a 60Hz TV (like in my case), you’ll need to select either Resolution or Display mode.
During my playthrough, I switched between my 4K TV and 2K monitor to test three different graphics modes and encountered only minor issues in the review build. During my time with the game, it crashed suddenly twice, but thankfully the save files saved me from frustration. Another example is when I found that the background of the scenes was getting distorted and when the scene changed during cutscenes the trees and buildings became dark and the shadows were also moving in some places during the night.
However, as I mentioned earlier, these are very minor visual glitches that can be fixed with patches during the game’s release. The visuals are stunning in 4K resolution mode, but I’m a 60 fps guy. So, I suggest you go with the Performance mode to enjoy the sights of the Horizon-verse and get a feel for Aloy’s fight against the dangerous machines.
Verdict: Is the Remastered Edition Worth It?
So, after hearing my thoughts about the changes to the game, is it still worth upgrading to the remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn? A big yes! When the remastered version was announced I was very skeptical about it because everyone knows how beautiful the original game still looks today. Thus, I also started to question whether this remastered version is necessary at this point. However, after experiencing about 20 hours of the remastered game, I came to a realization!
This is clearly not a gimmick As Studio Nixes has put careful time and care into enriching the world of Horizon. This way, the game is now more appealing to both newcomers and old fans returning to revisit Aloy’s first adventure. If you’re looking for a clear difference between the original and the remastered version, the answer is no. However, the remaster comes fully equipped with the well-deserved upgrades it demanded after so many years.
Studio Nixx’s painstaking efforts in elevating all departments of the game deserve appreciation. They do more than enough to justify the $10 price tag. It does not introduce new game content like The Last of Us 2. The game still feels dated with its clunky mechanics and outdated mission design. Still, if you still want to experience the sci-fi saga of the first Horizon game or want to play it again, I would recommend the remastered version over the original for the refinements to the audio and visuals.
