Horizon Zero Dawn
It seems unlikely that Sony will soon follow in the footsteps of Microsoft and launch its PlayStation exclusive on PC on its launch day. And yet, Sony has indeed unveiled some of its games for PC release much, much later, which is what happened to Horizon Zero Dawn this month, and the game is seeing an increase in importance as a result.
Horizon was released in February 2017, so clearly we’re on a very, very advanced schedule for when Sony is comfortable with PC ports. But this one, despite initial technical issues, seems to please many gamers who never gave the first one a shot back when it was only on PS4.
I especially see a lot of interest in the game on Twitch, because a lot of streamers mainly only play games that are available on PC, and that is so far not the case for PS exclusives. It’s a story based game, no room for multiplayer as a competitive game like many other well-executed Twitch titles, but a popular playthrough has been the same.
Hoarizon
But why? It’s a great game. It’s the model for Sony that gives its studios freedom to try new things, as Guerrilla Games went from Killzone to … fighting robotic dinosaurs in a post-apocalyptic future.
Sony has already started plugging in Horizon Forbidden West as an upcoming PS5 title, though it won’t be until sometime in 2021, due to delays and not at launch.
Why was Horizon so good? And why does everyone think it’s so good now? A few different reasons, but I think the Monster Hunter-ish dynamic of stalking the robot dinosaurs and animals was a satisfying, unique battlefield, unlike anything else in the genre (and more accessible than MH, I would say).
I think what surprised me most about Horizon Zero Dawn was the story, and the definitive explanation for it but why we exist in this bizarre world full of robotic dinosaurs that actually made way, way more meaningful than I imagined, and getting the full breakdown of what actually happened to make this world was fascinating, and in my opinion, it best part of the experience. I’m not sure if the sequel can replicate that aspect, but Aloy has also been established as a PS icon for a new era, and I’m excited to see more specifically of them.
I’m glad to see that Horizon is finally getting it from PC gamers, and I think the lesson here is that maybe Sony does not have to wait 3+ years to make PC adaptations of its exclusive possible. Again, they will never follow up with Game Pass / PC cross-launch like Microsoft, but I hope they pull a little more past where we are now.
Follow me on Twitter, YouTube en Instagram. Picking up my sci-fi novels Herokiller en Herokiller 2, and read my first series, The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.
