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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered | Review Thread

Thick Thighs Save Lives

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Game Information

Game Title: Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Platforms:
  • PlayStation 5 (Oct 31, 2024)
  • PC (Oct 31, 2024)
Trailer:
Developers: Guerrilla Games, Nixxes Software

Publisher: PlayStation Publishing LLC

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 84 average - 100% recommended

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Metacritic - 86 average based on 26 Critic Reviews

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Critic Reviews


4News.it - Riccardo Amalfitano - Italian - 9 / 10
The Nixxes team did a practically excellent job of making sure that Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was markedly more consistent in terms of detail with the sequel, 2022's Forbidden West, and went on to offer a level experience in all respects. The asking price for the upgrade (€9.99) is really paltry compared to the amount of effort put into giving the first installment of the series “a new life” on PS5 and PC consoles. So whether you have already played Horizon Zero Dawn, or if, on the other hand, you have never tried Guerrilla Games' first action-RPG, this remastered is absolutely worth it.


CGMagazine - David Walters - 9 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a gorgeous update to a powerhouse title that brings it visually on par with its successor


Checkpoint Gaming - Tom Quirk - 8 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a welcome tune-up of a modern classic. If you have never played Guerrilla Games' 2017 original, this is the definitive way to experience it. While many of the visual enhancements may be rather subtle, they are widespread, and do a lot to bring the game up to the standards of its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. The new DualSense controller features and accessibility options are also excellent additions that serve to make Horizon Zero Dawn far more immersive and approachable. That said, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered doesn't deliver much more than that, and players wanting more improvements on the gameplay side of things may be left wanting.


ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 9 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a remaster done right. Aloy’s original adventure looks gorgeous and matches all of the features of its sequel.


Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - Recommended
Before venturing with Aloy in LEGO, we revisited her first journey in "Ultra HD" in a remaster that, while seemingly unnecessary, surprises with the quality of its upgrade.


Enternity.gr - Giannis Archontidis - Greek - 9 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered constantly made us wonder why it's not called "Remake"


Evilgamerz - Jeroen Janssen - Dutch - 9.3 / 10
A remaster can elevate a game over a game that was released later. That is certainly the case here because Horizon Zero Dawn looks like a freshly launched, new PlayStation 5 game that was fully developed on the newer console. Everything looks so great and sometimes you even find yourself standing on a mountain enjoying the view that awaits you again. The beautiful weather effects in the game's large map are all a feast for the eyes but also make the game more varied in terms of experience. The addition of more liveliness in the cities, the better NPC motion capture and the improved textures make the game razor sharp. Add to that the already great gameplay and the evolutionary mission structure that manages to offer constant variation and you simply have a perfect game. There are a few small details here and there that could have been polished up a bit more, but all in all this is a must-buy if you have never played the game before, whether or not you want to play it again, but then on the next-gen console or PC via an upgrade.


GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 90%
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GameBlast - Alexandre Galvão - Portuguese - 9 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered brings a visually enhanced and technically refined version of a game that marked the PlayStation 4 generation, now adapted to make the most of the capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and PC. With detailed graphics, an even more realistic environment and performance improvements, the remaster caters to both new players and fans who want to relive Aloy's journey with the best of current technologies. The remastered version stands out as a tribute to the work of Guerrilla Games, while reinforcing the potential of its legacy for future generations of players.


Gameblog - French - 8 / 10
In itself, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered fulfills its mission: fully exploit the power of the PS5 and PC to make the original game more beautiful than ever and on the same level as the magnificent Forbidden West. However, with the exception of the full support of the DualSense controller, we can regret the absence of new features and improvements to the gameplay. The upgrade from PS4 to PS5 with three convincing graphic modes at 10 euros may be worth the cost, but the same cannot really be said about buying the Remaster full price or on a PC version graphically extremely solid, even to this day.


GamingTrend - Henry Viola - 90 / 100
Nixxes and Guerilla Games have made an already beautiful game even better. If you haven't yet experienced the origin of Aloy's story, then do yourself a favor and play Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered!


Nexus Hub - Ryan Pretorius - 8.5 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered goes well beyond expectations for a simple remaster, providing a technically marvelous and now quintessential way to experience Aloy's first adventure on PS5.


PSX Brasil - Portuguese - 80 / 100
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Pizza Fria - Lucas de Azevedo Soares - Portuguese - 9.1 / 10
If you already own Horizon Zero Dawn (which was even given away for free in Play At Home 2020), the upgrade to the Remastered version can be purchased for US$10, both on PlayStation 5 and PC, as long as the title is on the same platform. I consider it an affordable price, especially considering the visual and performance improvements offered. And although the story and gameplay structure remain the same, the remaster delivers a very interesting technical experience and improved visuals. On the other hand, if you were already impressed by the original and are just looking for new content, this is not where you will find it. That said, I would recommend Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered to new players or to those who want to relive Aloy's adventure in its best version yet.


Press Start - 9 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the best way to play one of PlayStation's defining games. It's improved visually in every way, with a great amount of love and care put into every detail and will be a joy for newcomers and fans alike.


Push Square - Sammy Barker - 8 / 10
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.


Saving Content - Scott Ellison II - 5 / 5
If you already own the game on PlayStation 4, it’s a no-brainer to upgrade to the remaster for $10. If you’ve never played, it’s absolutely worth the asking price.Horizon Zero Dawn is a great story with good gameplay, and Horizon Forbidden West is a good story with great gameplay, though they compliment one another so well. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is still a masterpiece of its own, has a captivating story, a rich and vibrant world teeming with secrets, and thrilling combat that will keep you hooked for dozens of hours. Thanks to Nixxes, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered provides consistency in its environmental design and enhanced detail that are now present in both Horizon games, making this more than a remaster – it’s a remaster plus plus.


Spaziogames - Italian - 7.8 / 10
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The Games Machine - Emanuele Feronato - Italian - 9 / 10
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TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 8 / 10
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered might not have been a wholly necessary overhaul, but there's plenty to like about it, from greater visual depths and details, to the majorly improved dialogues.


WellPlayed - Kieron Verbrugge - 8 / 10
Whether or not you think it needed to happen, Nixxes and Guerrilla Games' effort to refresh Horizon Zero Dawn in its sequel's image is an incredibly successful one. It makes the original version look like a first draft by comparison, and while it won't convince anyone who disliked Zero Dawn on a fundamental level, $15 for the upgrade should be an easy sell for diehards.

 
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ebevan91

Member
Damn I kinda want to get this on PC even though I already have the game on PS4 and can just do a $10 upgrade.

I recently upgraded my computer and would like to play something "new" on it, but I may end up just upgrading my PS4 version to the PS5 version.
 
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Vyse

Gold Member
I won't pay $10 for something that I've already beaten multiple times at different difficulties just to see how much better it looks unless it's a free upgrade.
Agreed. Money is not an issue for me. Feel like I just played it. Was excited for the sequel, but got bored after a few hours. Shame since I really liked the first game.
 

Astray

Member
Looking forward to trying this out on PC tomorrow.

Probably won't do a full playthrough again just yet but I want to see how the graphics have improved.
I'm actually feeling good now about not completely finishing my initial PS4 playthrough because now I can do that with the remaster on PC.

(My brother was playing separately, I got busy and he went ahead and I just switched to watching him play lol).
 
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midnightAI

Banned
A remaster like this being praised is nuts! lol
Why? The original game was very well received, the enhancements bring it close to Forbidden West which upped the ante graphically, they have fixed much of the original games major issues (cutscenes animations being a big one as was the water rendering), and it only costs a tenner.

I think it's rightly being praised, and hopefully we'll get more games remastered to this level (Killzone 1, 2 and 3 or Resistance please, Killzone would be the obvious one due to Shadow Fall being Decima also)
 
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Wish I didn't play through the game already earlier this year. I really enjoyed it, the frozen wilds expansion was also really good. GAF likes to shit on this game for some reason but the storytelling is really good and it feels pretty unique for an open world game. Waiting for a Forbidden West sale for PC, should be coming next month or December maybe.
 
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Personal opinion and all that but :
Horizon 1 is miles better than 2
since It has a much better story.

Unravelling the mystery/discovering how the world went to shit due to "not-Google®" and dear ol'Ted is actually nice and those "dungeons" where you find story/lore bits are actually very atmospheric - in stark contrast to the 2nd game where I got bored out of my goddamned mind since the NPCs where as "deep" as cardboard cutouts not to mention, annoying as fook.

Anyway, the fact that a game like this (which isn't old by any means, looks good and runs very well) is getting remastered is a joke in itself but that's Sony for you this gen.
 

Dazraell

Member
Personal opinion and all that but :
Horizon 1 is miles better than 2
since It has a much better story.

Unravelling the mystery/discovering how the world went to shit due to "not-Google®" and dear ol'Ted is actually nice and those "dungeons" where you find story/lore bits are actually very atmospheric - in stark contrast to the 2nd game where I got bored out of my goddamned mind since the NPCs where as "deep" as cardboard cutouts not to mention, annoying as fook.

Anyway, the fact that a game like this (which isn't old by any means, looks good and runs very well) is getting remastered is a joke in itself but that's Sony for you this gen.
Agreed, I really enjoyed the first game and its story, especially when they started explaining what happened in the past. This game clicked for me so much to the point I platinumed it. Forbidden West was much worse. The story wasn't that exciting, Aloy was annoying, npcs weren't as memorable, etc. I dropped it after 20+ hours and never came back
 

saintjules

Gold Member
It's interesting regarding reviews for this.

Nothing story wise has changed, so I'd expect reviews to talk more about the technical achievements the remaster is doing.
 

Vick

Gold Member
Biggest problem for me would be getting used again to no Shieldwing and Pullcaster..
Limited climbing and no underwater as well, but last time I've spent some time in Zero Dawn after the hundreds of hours in Forbidden West I literally kept dying like a moron jumping off cliffs.
 

kaizenkko

Member
Why? The original game was very well received, the enhancements bring it close to Forbidden West which upped the ante graphically, they have fixed much of the original games major issues (cutscenes animations being a big one as was the water rendering), and it only costs a tenner.

I think it's rightly being praised, and hopefully we'll get more games remastered to this level (Killzone 1, 2 and 3 or Resistance please, Killzone would be the obvious one due to Shadow Fall being Decima also)
Horizon OG was just fine, no need for a remaster, no matter how good it looks. Sony should be focusing in remaster games like GOW 1/2/3 or even Killzone.
 

saintjules

Gold Member
It looks good, but the OG game was long and I semi-retired the first time. Took me a year to finish. I may or may not revisit it.

Horizon OG was just fine, no need for a remaster, no matter how good it looks. Sony should be focusing in remaster games like GOW 1/2/3 or even Killzone.

Sony can do whatever they want. People can skip this and go onto something else.

Killzone is dead btw

We're done working [on Killzone]. As a studio, we needed to update our palette, and that was a choice that was the opposite of Killzone.
 

kyussman

Member
I still prefer the look of the original,I'm not trolling or anything,I'm sure all the pixels and whatnot are magnitudes higher.....I just like the look of the original art style better.
 

Cohetedor

Member
So how do you get the 9.99 upgrade price? I have the physical disc, still showing 49.99 for me on the store. Will it only show up at the reduced price after release?
 
I'm split - on one hand yeah I'd rather these resources be spent on games that actually need remasters, or better yet, new smaller projects with interesting new game ideas.

On the other hand, I loved this game in 2017 and vastly prefer it to Forbidden West...so I'm excited to play it again with all the graphical goodies especially on PS5 Pro with a nice shiny new controller.
 

Trogdor1123

Member
The story really wrapped up everything wonderfully. I still stand by the opinion that there was no need for a sequel or sequels.
I liked the second one, but wasn’t super happy with where it ended. The third will probably be even less engaging but I’ll grab it on day 1 still as I’d like to see how it plays out.

I’m probably in the minority but I absolutely think the mmo they were talking about would be fantastic and suits the world. Exploring post apocalyptic places is great. Would be a great way to flesh out the lore.
 
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