You’re standing on a rusted metal ridge, looking out over a valley where a robotic Tyrannosaurus Rex is casually grazing on minerals. It’s a weird image. It shouldn't work. But then the sun hits the grass, the music swells with this haunting, tribal cello hook, and you realize you haven’t moved your character for five minutes because you’re just staring. That’s the "Horizon" effect.
When people ask is Horizon Zero Dawn good, they usually aren't looking for a simple yes or no. They want to know if it's worth 60 hours of their life in a world where we’re already drowning in open-world checklists.
I’ve played through it three times. Once on a base PS4 back in 2017, once on PC, and once more just to see how it holds up against its sequel, Forbidden West. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle that a studio known for gritty first-person shooters (Guerrilla Games) managed to pivot to a vibrant, emotional, third-person RPG without falling flat on its face. It isn't perfect—the human combat is kind of "meh" and the facial animations in the base game can be stiff as a board—but the core loop is something special.
The Robot Dinosaur Elephant in the Room
Let's be real. The main reason anyone buys this game is to fight a Thunderjaw. If the machines were boring, the game would fail. Period.
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The combat isn't just "hit it until it dies." It’s more of a tactical puzzle. You have to use your Focus—a little Bluetooth-looking earpiece—to scan for glowing weak points. Maybe you need to knock a disc launcher off its back so you can pick it up and use it against the machine. Or maybe you need to shoot a fire canister with a flame arrow to cause a massive chain reaction.
It’s satisfying.
When you finally take down a Stormbird that’s been diving at you for ten minutes, you feel like an actual hunter, not just someone button-mashing through a scripted event. Each machine, from the lowly Watchers to the terrifying Rockbreakers, has a distinct personality and set of behaviors. You learn their "tells." You learn that a Sawtooth is aggressive but weak to fire. You learn to respect the sheer bulk of a Behemoth.
A Story That Actually Makes Sense (Eventually)
The "post-post-apocalypse" is a crowded genre. Usually, it’s just zombies or nukes. Horizon does something braver. It asks: "Why are there robot dinosaurs, and why are we back in the Stone Age?"
For the first ten hours, you might think it’s just a generic "chosen one" story about an outcast named Aloy. She’s looking for her mom. She wants to be accepted by her tribe, the Nora. It’s fine. It’s okay. But then, about halfway through, the game shifts. It stops being a fantasy story and becomes hard science fiction.
The way Guerrilla Games handles the mystery of "Project Zero Dawn" is masterclass storytelling. You find these audio logs and text files—actual remnants of people living through the end of the world—and they are heartbreaking. You aren't just saving the world; you’re uncovering a tragedy that happened a thousand years ago. It’s heavy stuff. It deals with AI ethics, corporate greed, and the terrifying reality of self-replicating machines.
Aloy herself is a great protagonist, voiced with a lot of soul by Ashly Burch. She’s sarcastic. She’s tired of everyone’s superstitious nonsense. She’s smart. While the side characters in the first game can be a bit one-dimensional (looking at you, Resh), the central mystery keeps the momentum going.
The Visuals and the "Ubisoft Tower" Problem
Is it pretty? Yes. Even years later, the PC port and the remastered versions look stunning. The Decima engine handles foliage and lighting in a way that makes every screenshot look like a postcard.
But we have to talk about the map.
If you hate "map clutter," Horizon Zero Dawn might irritate you initially. It has the classic tropes:
- Tallnecks that act as "towers" to reveal the map.
- Bandit camps to clear out.
- Collectibles like metal flowers and ancient vessels.
- Hunting grounds with specific challenges.
The difference here is that the Tallnecks are actually fun to climb. They’re moving platforms, not just static poles. And while the bandit camps are the weakest part of the game—because fighting humans with a bow feels way less cool than fighting a robot T-Rex—the world feels worth exploring because the lore is tucked into every corner.
The climbing is also very "on rails." You can only climb where the yellow handholds are. If you’re coming from Breath of the Wild or Elden Ring, this might feel restrictive. You can't just go anywhere. You have to follow the path the developers laid out for you.
Technical Reality Check: PC vs. Console
If you’re playing on PC, the experience is generally great now, but it didn't start that way. The launch was a mess of crashes and stuttering. Today, those bugs are mostly squashed. You’ll want a decent rig to see it at its best—ideally something like an RTX 3060 or better if you want 1440p at high settings.
On PS5, the game runs at a buttery smooth 60fps thanks to a backwards compatibility patch. It feels like a different game compared to the 30fps slog on the original PS4. If you have the choice, go for the higher frame rate. The combat is so fast-paced that the extra frames actually make you a better player.
The Nuance: What's Not So Great?
I’m not here to just sell you on the game. There are flaws.
The inventory management is a pain. You’ll constantly be running out of space for "Watcher Hearts" or "Boar Skins," and you have to spend an annoying amount of time hunting actual, biological animals just to upgrade your quiver size. It feels like busywork.
The melee combat is also incredibly basic. You have a light attack and a heavy attack. That’s it. Against humans, it’s a bit of a slog. You’re much better off playing stealthily and using your bow, because the spear just doesn't have the weight or the combo system you'd expect from a modern RPG.
Also, the dialogue scenes in the base game are... static. Characters stand in a "V" formation and gesture vaguely while their faces move a little bit. It’s a stark contrast to the sequel, which used full performance capture. However, if you play the Frozen Wilds DLC (which is included in the Complete Edition), you can see where they started to improve this. The animations in the DLC are way better.
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Final Verdict: Is Horizon Zero Dawn Good?
Yeah. It’s more than good. It’s one of the few new IPs from the last decade that actually feels like it has something to say.
It’s a game about the cycle of life, the danger of technology without soul, and a girl trying to find her place in a world that rejected her. It’s about 40 to 60 hours of content if you do the side stuff, and most of that time is spent in a state of genuine wonder.
If you like The Witcher 3 for the story or Monster Hunter for the boss fights, you will find something to love here. It sits right in the middle of those two experiences.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you're jumping in for the first time, don't just follow the main quest. Here is how to actually enjoy your time:
- Prioritize the "Tinker" Skill: This is in the Brave skill tree. It lets you swap out weapon mods without destroying them. It is the most important utility in the game.
- Buy the Golden Fast Travel Pack: As soon as you reach Meridian, find a merchant who sells this. It gives you infinite fast travel. Do not waste resources crafting one-time-use travel packs.
- Don't Ignore the Cauldrons: These are the "dungeons" of the game. Completing them allows you to "override" more machines, meaning you can turn that giant robot into an ally.
- Read the Data Points: I know, I know, nobody likes reading in games. But the "World" data points in the old ruins are where the real emotional gut-punches are.
- Use the Ropecaster: When things get chaotic with multiple enemies, the Ropecaster can tie machines down and take them out of the fight for a minute. It’s a literal life-saver.
Grab the Complete Edition. It’s usually on sale for a pittance these days, and the Frozen Wilds expansion included in it features some of the best combat encounters and most beautiful snowy environments in gaming history.
Stop wondering if it's good and just go fight a mechanical bird. You won't regret it.