Developed By: Guerrilla Games, Nixxes Software

Published By: PlayStation Publishing LLC

Platforms: PlayStation 5, and Steam

Reviewed On: PS5

Review Code Provided By: PlayStation Asia

Alright, here we go again – I didn’t think Horizon Zero Dawn needed a remaster, but here we are in 2024. And I’ve to say – I am pleasantly surprised. For the past seven solid years, this gem stood strong on its own, a pristine product that didn’t feel needed the much care and love in visuals, unlike older titles like Crash Bandicoot.

After a playthrough, I was a little wrong as the character models get a fresh reskin in both gameplay and cinematic scenes, with added-on depths to the lighting that shines on both Aloy (main character) and fellow NPC’s skin making them pop up more in the scene.

Outside cinematic, the gameplay in environments gets a level up in denser dust, snow effects, and lighting that shines through the seams and amps up the volume of ambiance, making details of the greenery pop up crunchier more often. Suffice it to ask if it is a whole new game. No. But for a ten-dollar upgrade? Worth it, and here’s why…

Cinematic and Gameplay | Pretty janky and crashes do occur

Oddly enough, the opening cinematic moments seem a bit off, with some jankiness in between animations – which is not perfect as expected. As for gameplay-wise, I’ve encountered some occasional crashes on my PS5 -which is a huge letdown, since this is an enhanced version of an old title rather than a new game.

I’d expect these issues to be ironed out by now but unfortunately, that’s not the case.

That being said, the visuals of Aloy and Npc’s skins have been pretty impressive and worth the 10-dollar upgrade some changes on the skin texture, designs/mocap and lighting breathe new life into both the cinematics and gameplay – that looks genuinely impressive on its own.

But, there’s a catch; while the new skins are detailed, in dialogue close-ups; the reflective shine and glimmers come off as a bit too plastic-like, reminding me of a Barbie doll rather than a more human texture. It will take some time to get used to but it is a welcoming addition to keep things fresh and immersive, especially with some level of new emotions mocap in their scenes.

In terms of hair, NPC’s wise, their hair is tied or short and moves in small motion naturally, but Aloy’s long hair sways a bit too much and tends to flail wildly – to the point of clipping through her neck upon dialogue close up, which can get pretty distracting in the cinematic scenes and dialogues.

As for the robotic enemies, while their design remains solid, the visuals and aesthetics of their robotic parts don’t seem to have received the same level of shiny love in this remaster. When the robotic foes take damage, the pieces of their body break in a visual motion blur that appears to be less satisfying than expected.

This is especially disappointing because the machines, alongside the main characters, are supposed to be the main highlight of the game but the robotic parts appear oddly static, less detailed in an otherwise dynamic visual upgrade.

Environment | Looks romantic but can be pretty imbalance

In greenery, the world environment looks incredibly detailed even at a far distance, and lush, stunning ambiance glows up by the reworked lighting. Sunlight gleaming through the roots, bushes, and rocks really creates that breathtaking moment, and the night moonlit scenes and water reflection are equally beautiful and attractively gorgeous in view.

The snow and dusty areas on the other hand appear to have grown imbalanced denser than before, almost as if they are overlapping the lighting rather than complimenting it.

The lighting brings out the best in the greenery foliage, uneven rocks ( doesn’t look flat), as well as roots on the ground, with a noticeable focus on the greenery. While the sunlight brings out the environment until it doesn’t at certain angles.

At times especially during combat, the bright contrast of the sun can be blindingly/glaringly strong, to the point that it flashbangs glare up my screen and be more of a hindrance than a mere atmospheric touch.

It feels as though the designers have intentionally romanticized the ambiance details of lighting and dust effects to give the world more ambiance depth and immersion. Yet, in certain areas such as snow and dust-covered landscapes, the lighting felt underwhelming instead, which also detracts from the overall visual impact – as snow and dust tends to turn the world pretty flat instead.

That being said, I do notice some new additions of assets to the rocks and foliage as view doesn’t seem to have repeated assets used to keep things fresh on my screen – offering more visual variety. It’s a small improvement but a welcoming addition.

Sound | Subtle add-ons

On my ears alone, the cinematic audio seems to add a more background atmospheric/ambiance soundscapes, maintaining the soothing level of noise by filling the gaps in every scene from being too quiet. This is also pretty obvious in the gameplay as your explore the environment too.

If I am not wrong, there are some added sprinkles of dialogue with some added level of facial animations to fill the narrative gaps or some new added flavor to the NPC interactions, which helps flesh out the narrative. Because I vividly remember that certain narrative elements in the past seem to have some gaps in the narrative dialogue.

These additions while helping bridge those quieter moments, seem too subtle enough to be noticeable – like a background layer that mildly enhances but not too much to draw attention to itself.

Option and Haptic Feedback | Pretty rad quality-of-life additions

Like mirroring the Forbidden West, the options menu in this remaster is packed up with more quality-of-life options such as automatic HUD disappearing while you’re running without actions to feast your eyes and soak in more on the lush environments and efficiency of collecting herbs without activating the pickup animation.

Although, I do wish that there were more similar options to loot enemies without the animation and holding button – unless I missed it, but feel free to point that out if I do.

As for the controller’s haptic feedback, it’s a fulfilling addition to hear the sounds of the action through your fingertips be it jumping or movement through the bushes – the game subtly nudges you through your fingers, which adds a whole new level of immersion in return.

As well as pulling your bow during combat? the string tension will be felt by your controller that mimics the same sensation of pulling a tight bow strong, making every shot pull its own weight on your fingers – adding that level of satisfaction to your fingertips. This form of haptic touches really elevate the whole gameplay experience.

What I liked about Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

New Options menu – Mirroring the Forbidden West sequel options.

Cinematics/ Dialogues – Enhanced skin/mocap on cinematics

Greenery Environments – Enhanced and added environments of foliage and rocky terrains with enhanced lighting design.

Haptic feedback – Feel the controller as you run and pull your bowstrings

Sound – some level of consistent ambient sounds

What I wished was better

Occasional Crashes – A big bummer

Opening cinematic – Appears mildly janky at the start.

Environment – Some environments appear lacklustre such as snow and dusty areas. Sunlight and dense snow and dust can detract from the visuals – in and outside combat

Enemies robot – Robot parts and design don’t seem to get the same enhanced treatment.

Verdict – Worth The 10 Dollars

I do appreciate the visual feast of the eyes, expanded quality-of-life options, and immersive haptic feedback in the package, but it doesn’t solely justify a full rebuy for me if you have played it before. But as a ten-dollar upgrade, it is worth it for those who are looking to revisit the game in a refreshed lighting or those who haven’t tried it before – it’s a solid value through and through for a feast on the eyes alone.

Just what truly dampens the whole enjoyment are the occasional crashes – especially during highly intense combat that should be ironed out with new updates or so as the game has been around for seven years, with ample enough time to iron out these issues in the first place.

It’s frustrating to see it that pulls you out of the moment and leaves a sour note on my experience on an otherwise claimed polished remaster.