Horizon: Zero Dawn

Is a Stealth/Fighter Action based game, visualized in the future lands known as Meridian. You play as the protagonist Nora, who you find was born an outcast to her tribe. Before the main title to the game pops up, you enter this Lion King scene where the outcast that adopted Nora has to call out the name given to her. The dude yells out to the "Sungod" and she is then called Nora.

The title screen pops up as if to say:

"Oh by the way, you're playing a video game. This isn't an animated film."

Leaving you struck with disbelief that this game would play out with questions the moment it starts, and a reason to believe that it's going to be intensely text-heavy. Believe me, the ladder is very true so if you aren't a fan of games; where the developers try to litterally create a world with its own clans, backstory of how it was set, backstory of the characters involved, backstory of the protagonist, backstory of the antagonists, backstory of the Dino-robots, backstory of the backstory, then this game isn't for you. Turn away, click out of this article.

Ok, now that we're alone.

I poured fifteen hours into the game and damn, was that a good experience. Honestly, this is going to be a Game of the Year contestant; because from the action, to the story; this game was thought out as if the team involved (Guerilla Games) were Oceans Eleven and this was the perfect heist. Pure awesomeness and here's why:

Design:

This game is BEAUTIFUL. I'm not going to say every detail in this game was thought out; especially if you're playing on the PS4, but oh man was this game a treat for the eyes. The art style resembles that of Guild Wars 2 in that it's cartoon like. Meaning that it looks as though the game was hand drawn digitally. The facial features especially on Nora are taken into considerate care. The dimples are in place, you can even see the skin texture, along with the stress lines on some of the hunters.

It seems as though these characters are real, and the world itself is real; simply because of the features on the faces and the clothes that the characters wear. The clothing resembles a tribe-like style, but also with mechanical parts. The shamans have traditional clothes made with boar skin, bear fur, and other various animal pieces; but it's accompanied with the metallic feathers of one of the RoboBirds known as the GlintHawks.

Oh wait, Yeah I totally forgot.

You battle Robotic Dinosaurs if you're into that type of thing.

What? What did you say?

MA, You fight Robot Dinosaurs!

What? (Yelling at my imaginary son)

ROBOT DINOSAURS! (Spongebob reference anyone?)

Moving into my next topic:

Action/Gameplay:

Ok, the battling in this game is highly fluid. As you battle these robotic beast, you can pinpoint their weaknesses, target those weaknesses, and strike as you please. Some of the weaknesses (say the underbelly of a T-Rex) have damage multipliers if you apply fire, ice, or static to it; and thats's where the different variations of weapons come into play. Of course it being set in the future you would think you could use machine guns and pistols. In a sense you are, if those guns were a bow and arrow plus primitive. But wait, there's more. You could wrangle these animals with a harpoon like weapon, have a machine gun style minigun made out of twigs and robot pieces to your liking. That's dope too, you cute little Rambo.

Stealth Option:

The stealth in this game is superb, using a detection system where you could hide in brush, small grass, behind rocks and not be seen. Even with that, your movement could still give you away. Especially if you were walking like my upstairs neighbors (I constantly can hear you. We need to talk about this.)

Regardless,

Wrapped in this red-ribboned, Christmas gift of a game, lies a miniature world. A world full of creatures that act upon their coding (because they aren't real), a world full of baddies and good guys waiting to give you the next mission. As well as a giant bird waiting for you once you leave a main city.

Honestly, this is a true example of what makes an open world experience in a video game. Where it's not real, but it's so immensely vast, constantly keeping you on your toes, that on any given occasion; I'll be riding through the wild lands and will run into something. I'll gladly spend hours, just finding pieces of lore that correlate with one another. As if the Developers were giving me small treats; leading me into the alleyway. Knowing me, of course I'll follow a trail of Reeses's Pieces.

Top five in the list of video games I've ever played in the last three years.

I will gladly give it:

5 out of 5