REVIEW

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds

by Dan Morris, December 11th, 2017

This is DLC done right. I had a wonderful time back in March when the main game was released, ploughing almost 90 hours into the thoroughly engrossing main story and picking my way through the enjoyable side quests. All of them. Getting to dive back in to this beautiful world feels like being given another few days of holiday on the day you thought you were going home.

Aloy, the main character, is just brilliant. So well realised, in fact, that I don’t feel like we’ve been apart at all. It doesn’t take long for muscle memory to kick in and I barely had to re-learn any of her moves. All her interactions are so natural, it’s like old friends meeting up – all those previous hours of gameplay adding up to some sort of digital trust.

Even then, she’ll have to settle for second billing, because the real star of the show is the expansion to the map that makes up The Frozen Wilds. Known as The Cut, this generous extra chunk of land is probably the most perfectly realised part of the entire game. Snow covered mountains are there to be climbed and explored, there are deep gullies and plains to work across and even a destroyed dam to clamber through. Right at the back, visible from pretty much anywhere in this section, is a volcano spewing out hot ash, like some kind of ominous beacon.

The whole area is filled with new missions, side quests, collectibles and a cast of well rounded characters on which the story hangs. You’ll interact with many Banuk tribes people, among others, and learn of their stories whilst you’re helping them. It’s worth pointing out how well the game is written – the evidence of which is how connected you’ll feel to the characters when it’s time to walk away and rejoin the main quest.

Oh, and the weather! Maybe the eight month hiatus has eroded my memory but I don’t remember the game being so, well, weathery. Perfect sunrises and sunsets, vision-impairing snowstorms, little flurries across the ground as you make your way to you next point of call. Horizon has always been gorgeous to look at but they’re just showing off here. Frozen Wilds indeed.

Of course every yin must have its yang, and The Cut is infested with machines both new and old that have some sort of ‘Daemonic’ infection that makes them even tougher to beat, and also gives the game its main plot. These new enemies are not a walk over – it’s recommended you are at least level 30 before you even come here but even at the previous level cap of 50 the challenge is still considerable. Lucky then that Horizon is at its very best when you’re in the hectic heat of battle. Not once did the game feel unfair as I strategised each encounter and eventually came out the victor. To balance these upgraded enemies there are new weapons for Aloy to buy, purchased with a DLC-specific currency called Bluegleam that can be found in the landscape and is rewarded for mission completion. You even find three weapons of a brand new class as you progress, each with its own impressive upgrade to find. But nothing beats nailing the perfect shot with the bow just at the moment when it really matters.

There are 10 new EXP levels to work up through here, taking the level cap to 60. The Frozen Wilds is cleverly balanced to keep the challenge going and there are new skills to be purchased in the skill tree. Most centre around allowing you extra skills whilst riding overridden machines, such as being able to pick up resources without dismounting. But welcome additions include the ability to break down many inventory items into Metal Shards, the principle currency of the game, and the much needed skill to unlock a 20% increase in carrying capacity. Eventually. I’m glad I had so much inventory left over from my play though of the main quest, a great deal of which was expended before the credits rolled on this extra part of the experience.

If you’re going to do everything in this add-on, you might find it offers as much as 15 hours of extra play time, though the more impatient among you might clear it in a little over 8 hours. It is worth taking the time to explore the story here though, and whilst it was never going to be able to match the main game’s epic journey it’s still a mighty impressive chapter in this vast book.

Horizon Zero Dawn has hands down been my game of the year. Coming along as it did in March and having this extra chapter to play in November has started and ended a really solid year in gaming, and the greatest compliment I can pay it is that it really didn’t feel like that long between the two. Rejoining Aloy in this world was like meeting up with a good friend who’s been away for a little while, and I’m genuinely sad to be leaving this experience behind after 103 hours’ total play. I’m only halfway through level 58 though, and there are still a few scattered robots that need taking down, so there’s still a couple more hours of roaming these devastatingly beautiful lands before I hang up my bow for good.