Guerrilla Games returns to attack on Horizon Forbidden West. The flagship of open-world games on PS5 is getting a major DLC: Burning Shores, unfortunately too ambitious for the PS4.
After the reasonable success of Horizon Forbidden West on Playstation 5, and the release of Horizon Call of the Mountain on PSVR2, Guerrilla Games is back with a new release: Burning Shores. This novelty arises as a mastodon extension of Forbidden West, and intends to take us even further into the futuro-prehistoric universe so particular to this franchise. On the menu ? A new area to explore in the volcanic ruins of Los Angeles, an all-new story arc for the charismatic Aloy, and new machines to tame. Small disappointment for Playstation 4 players, however, who will not benefit from this release on their platform.
The great thing about Burning Shores is its photorealistic environment. Where Forbidden West had impressed on a technical level, quickly becoming a showcase of the capabilities of the Playstation 5, Burning Shores intends to go even further and offer landscapes as close to reality as possible both on land and in the air. . The new extension will indeed make you explore the air, and the developers of Guerrilla have particularly insisted on their design of the air. It is the clouds and their generation that have been at the center of a blog post of the studio proud of its technical innovations. But this graphic ambition, already palpable in the DLC trailers, implies a small disappointment for players still on Playstation 4. Burning Shores will not be released on their platform.
For the others, on the other hand, the promises of Burning Shores are multiple. A new area to explore in the ruins of Los Angeles, new machines designed as always with talent, a new chapter in the epic of Aloy and ultra high resolution graphics on the ground and in the air. What make us want to dive back into the post-apocalyptic jungles of our distant future.
Horizon Forbidden West made a brief but notable appearance at The Game Awards 2023, so Guerrilla Games could tell us a bit more about its future. The development team of this Playstation 5 (and PS4) exclusive has arrived with good news and bad news. The good news is that the game will finally have a DLC, Burning Shores planned for the April 19, 2023. The bad news is that it will not be released on PS4, which is far too demanding for the venerable console.
Successful bet for Sony which once again brings us a very very big exclusivity. Horizon Forbidden West seems to confirm the status of this creation from Guerrilla Games studios as one of the pillars of the open-world genre, relying on a solid story and revisited mechanics since the first game. It is true that Zero Dawn had a little less convinced than his younger brother, who won the day with no less than 89/100 on Metacritic with more than 90 reviews counted. On the French-speaking side, JVC and Gamekult give it 19/20 and 16/20 respectively. The writing of JVC gets a rave review: “Building on a very strong first episode, Horizon Forbidden West hits the stars and becomes a culmination of the Guerrilla Games formula and the classic open-world genre in general.” A little less convinced, in particular because of its slight lack of innovation, the editorial staff of gamekult is still very positive:If he no longer has the effect of surprise for him, Forbidden West reveals a formidable adventure, exciting and so spectacular that it is difficult to let go.“
Across the Atlantic, the critics are not very far from fainting, raining down 100/100. This is the case of GamesHub : “Horizon Forbidden West takes people on a breathtaking journey – so realistic it’s hard to believe how good it is.” Game Informer remains slightly more reasonable with a small 93/100 : “Horizon Forbidden West has reached new heights for Guerrilla Games. It more than surpasses its sibling, it takes Horizon fiction to exciting places and builds a rich world that rewards you for the effort you put into it.“In summary, this second installment in the series presents everything you would expect from a studio like Guerrilla Games, establishing itself as an undisputed reference in open world gaming. The world of Horizon is as attractive as well built, and once again Sony shows us its dominance in the field of its console exclusives.
Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores – scheduled for release on PS5 April 19, 2022