Horizon Forbidden West is hot. The latest PS4 and PS5 exclusive from Sony, Aloy's latest adventure has been met with acclaim across the board. His story is rich, his universe is magnificent, and his technical design is simply stunning. In our review of the game, we felt that its facial animations alone were worth it, saying that it's a game that looks lovely and plays brilliantly.
This is especially true if you boot it up on a PS5. While the PS4 version will look good on you, you'll only be able to fully appreciate the details of Horizon Forbidden West's gigantic robotic dinosaurs or how quickly you can zip across the map when playing on a next-gen system. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart could have used the PS5's fast SSD for an impressive dimensional shift, but Horizon Forbidden West seems like the first game to really push the entire system to its potential.
It's both exciting and a little embarrassing. For those of us who haven't been able to get our hands on a PS5 yet, the game's next-gen features are anything but redundant, and seem like a painful reminder of what we're missing out on. If you're like me, when you play a game, you want to play it in the best possible state, with no shortcuts or missing features. That means the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West doesn't look too appealing, with its graphical degradation, slower load times, and lower frame rates.
So what should I do? How can you get your Horizon fix while avoiding Forbidden West while waiting to get your hands on a PS5? The answer is simple. Don't lean into video games at all, but check out the Horizon Zero Dawn board game table.
alternative table
Released in 2018 and released last year, the board game Horizon Zero Dawn is one of many titles licensed under the wing of publisher Steamforged Games. A semi-co-op tactical miniatures game that sets the bar high and attempts to adapt the core combat cycle of the original game into a close 90-minute brawl that mimics the Hunters Lodge side quests from the original game.
Setup is easy. You and up to three friends will take control of a group of would-be hunters challenged to follow a dino machine, track its movements, and ultimately bring it down in a flurry of arrow, slingshot, and spear attacks. Between missions, you'll learn new skills and abilities, as well as upgrade equipment in a process reminiscent of the light RPG elements of the video game.
"Like the original game, combat is naturally phased, as you move around enemies, set traps, divert them to the most opportune position, before finally launching the attack."
Each hunt proceeds as a separate encounter. You'll randomly select a batch of robot creatures to hunt on a modular board, before using your character's abilities to track, distract, and defeat your prey in a challenging economy of action. Like the original game, battles naturally split into phases, as you sneak past enemies, set traps, deflect them into the most opportune position, before finally launching the attack with the element of surprise firmly on your side. Reduce the health of the machines to zero, while protecting your character and your compatriots, and the hunt is yours.
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game is wonderfully inspired by its sources. Machines follow patrol routes as they do in the game, characters can hide in small grass to avoid alerting enemies, and attacks target specific components of the machine, which can be ripped off to disable their weaponry. You'll usually work together with your fellow hunters, but whoever lands the killing blow will get a large amount of glory points for extra rewards at the end of the quest. It adds a competitive edge to the hunt, letting you dive into the action at the last second to claim the kill for yourself and backstab your friends.
a heavy game
Make no mistake, the Horizon Zero Dawn board game doesn't try to wholesale recreate the original video game. It's not a sprawling adventure, it doesn't follow a broad narrative, and it doesn't even feature Aloy (unless you've purchased the Kickstarter-exclusive version of the game that comes with two additional Aloy character figures). Like all the best board game adaptations, it focuses on a specific feature of the Guerrilla Games original, adapting that concept for the tabletop, rather than reverse engineering the entire game in what would no doubt be an ill-fated attempt.
However, although it may be concentrated, it is not light. Its 50-page rulebooks are a testament to the game's weight, and while it may not be the most complex dungeon crawler to come out in recent years, it's certainly not family-oriented. After playing a match, you'll likely find that it flows more smoothly as you memorize the turn order and basic rhythms of each fight. But the enemy scenario, in which opposing machines must move and activate in response to the player's actions, can take a bit more getting used to.
beautiful miniatures
But it's not just a counterfeit board game, it's a licensed board game that has been funded by Kickstarter for the past few years. This combination usually results in one sure thing: the game will include a bunch of beautiful plastic miniatures that are supposed to add to the immersion of the game, but are actually created to look incredibly pretty and convince potential Kickstarter backers to buy it. part with your money.
"It made me even more excited to dive back into Aloy's machine apocalyptic world, reminding me just how fine-tuned the game's stealthy combat can be."
It's a solid business model, and one that has surely worked here. The miniatures included in the Horizon Zero Dawn board game are glorious, recreating the towering robots from the video game in shiny plastic detail. The base game features various Watchers, Grazers, Striders, Scrappers, some Shell-Walkers, and two Sawtooths as final enemies, all of which make good desktop display models in addition to their role as game components.
Of course, if you're looking for a specific machine, you'll have to pay a bit more. An expansion pack containing a Behemoth, some Tramplers, and some Broadheads will set you back $54.95 / £54.99 / around AU$76.50, so don't expect to get the entire Horizon range. But you might think that spending $59.95 / £54.99 / around AU$83.40 on a single massive Thunderjaw to sit on your desk is worth it just for the weird looks your co-workers will give you.
Waiting
Do I prefer to play Horizon Forbidden West? Well, yes, but only because I already spent some time with the Horizon Zero Dawn board game. Its setup time may not exceed PS5 load speeds, and its miniatures may not offer the same graphical fidelity as in-game character models, but it does a stellar job of recreating the core Skyline experience in the game. desk.
If nothing else, I was more excited to dive back into Aloy's machine apocalyptic world, reminding me how finely tuned the game's stealth combat can be. Give it a try while waiting for a PS5 to land in your lap, and you'll probably come away even more eager to try Forbidden West.
Today's best Steamforged Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game deals