Info about Horizon Forbidden West™ Complete Edition:

Official game description:
Steam Exclusive Offer
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Link your Steam account with your account for PlayStation™Network and unlock two in-game items while your accounts are linked:  
*   Nora Legacy Outfit.  
*   Nora Legacy Spear.
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About the Game
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Join Aloy as she braves a majestic but dangerous new frontier that holds mysterious new threats. This Complete Edition allows you to enjoy the critically acclaimed Horizon Forbidden West on PC in its entirety with bonus content, including the Burning Shores story expansion that picks up after the main game.  
Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon.  
The land is dying. Vicious storms and an unstoppable blight ravage the scattered remnants of humanity while fearsome new machines prowl their borders, and life on Earth is hurtling toward another extinction.  
It's up to Aloy to uncover the secrets behind these threats and restore order and balance to the world. Along the way, she must reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring new factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past.  
*   See every gameplay detail with Ultrawide 21:9 and Super Ultrawide 32:9 resolutions, as well as 48:9 triple monitor support.\*  
*   Witness the Forbidden West coming to life, with NVIDIA DLSS 3 upscaling and frame generation, image enhancing NVIDIA DLAA and latency reducing NVIDIA Reflex. AMD FSR and Intel XeSS are also supported.\*\*  
*   Customize graphic settings to your preference, with the potential for unlocked frame rates.\*\*  
*   Take control with full support for the DualSense™ controller, including haptic feedback and adaptive trigger functionality.\*\*\*
\* Compatible PC and 4K display device required.  
\*\* Compatible PC required.  
\*\*\* Wired connection required to experience the full range of in-game controller features.

Release date: 21 Mar, 2024

Categories: Open-World Exploration, Single-player Story, Real-time Combat, Character Progression, Weapon Customization, Item Management, Photography Gameplay, Mini-game Collection


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Visually stunning and immersive world (weight 0.97): The game features stunning graphics, a detailed open world, and impressive art direction. Reviewers frequently praised the landscapes, character models, animations, and weather effects, noting significant improvements over the previous game. The immersive visuals often led players to use the photo mode extensively and even forget about reality.
- Compelling story and character development (weight 0.71): The game delivers a compelling and well-written story with engaging characters. Aloy's character development, her relationships with companions, and the intriguing side quests contribute significantly to the narrative's depth. The story builds upon the lore of the first game, offering twists, emotional moments, and thought-provoking themes.
- Significant improvements over predecessor (weight 0.51): The game improves upon its predecessor in many aspects, including graphics, gameplay, and content. Reviewers noted enhanced animations, smoother mechanics, and more engaging side missions compared to the first game. The sequel builds upon the strengths of the original while addressing previous shortcomings.
- Enjoyable and rewarding gameplay loop (weight 0.12): Reviewers generally enjoyed the game, finding it fun, rewarding, and addictive. The progression system is satisfying, and the game offers a good solo experience. While some aspects may take time to master, the overall gameplay loop is engaging and prevents boredom.
- Extensive weapon variety and customization (weight 0.11): The game offers a wide array of weapons with diverse functionalities and upgrade options. Players appreciate the ability to customize their playstyles and experiment with different combat approaches. The expanded weapon selection and meaningful weapon modifications contribute to a more engaging and dynamic combat experience.
- Improved and impactful side quests (weight 0.11): The side quests in the DLC are more detailed and impactful than those in the base game. They offer better rewards, contribute more to the main plot, and sometimes change the game world. The DLC provides a more engaging and worthwhile experience compared to the side quests in the original game.
- Expanded exploration and traversal options (weight 0.09): The game expands exploration with new mechanics like underwater swimming, gliding, and flying. These additions provide greater freedom of movement and encourage players to discover new areas and secrets. The enhanced traversal options contribute to a more immersive and rewarding open-world experience.
- Polished and immersive open-world experience (weight 0.09): The game builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, delivering a more polished and immersive experience. The world is vast and beautiful, encouraging exploration and discovery. The story and characters are well-developed, creating a captivating narrative that draws players into the game's universe.
- Well-crafted characters and animations (weight 0.08): The game features well-crafted and emotive characters with realistic facial animations and excellent voice acting. The improved character models and lip-syncing enhance the overall immersion and emotional impact of the story. The attention to detail in character design contributes to a more engaging and believable world.
- Flying mounts enhance exploration (weight 0.06): The addition of flying mounts significantly enhances the gameplay, providing total freedom of exploration. The flying mechanic is well-implemented and enjoyable, making long-distance travel a breeze. The ability to soar through the skies transforms the way players experience the world and adds a new dimension to combat.
- Strong affinity for Horizon series (weight 0.05): The reviewer expresses a strong affinity for the Horizon series, praising its lore, world-building, characters, and combat. The reviewer enjoys learning more about the world and finds the storyline engaging. The game is seen as a perfect continuation of the saga, delivering more of what makes the series great.

Common complaints:
- Story worse than Zero Dawn (weight 0.54): Many reviewers found the story, worldbuilding, and character writing to be inferior compared to Horizon Zero Dawn. They cited issues such as a less intriguing main plot, uninspired side quests, and forgettable characters. Some felt the game deviated too much from the original's strengths, resulting in a less immersive and enjoyable experience. Some reviewers felt that the story was not as good as the first game, and that it was too long and drawn out.
- Poor controls and movement (weight 0.53): Many reviewers found the controls to be clunky, unintuitive, and unresponsive, especially on PC. They cited issues with climbing, jumping, and combat maneuvers. Some felt the controls were a step back from Horizon Zero Dawn, making the game more frustrating to play. Some reviewers felt that the controls were terrible, and that the game was not well-optimized for PC.
- Combat system clunky and frustrating (weight 0.46): The combat system is criticized for being clunky, complicated, and less enjoyable than in Horizon Zero Dawn. Reviewers mention issues with melee combat, complex controls, and ineffective dodging. Many felt the changes made to the combat system were unnecessary and detracted from the overall gameplay experience. Some reviewers felt that the combat was worse than the first game, and that it was too difficult and frustrating.
- Inconsistent difficulty balance (weight 0.23): Some reviewers found the game to be too difficult, while others found it to be too easy. They cited issues with enemy scaling, one-shot kills, and a lack of strategic depth. Some reviewers felt that the game's difficulty was inconsistent and unbalanced.
- Aloy's character unlikeable/annoying (weight 0.2): Some reviewers found Aloy's character to be unlikeable, annoying, or inconsistent compared to Horizon Zero Dawn. They cited issues such as her constant commentary, rude behavior, and Mary Sue traits. Some reviewers felt that Aloy's personality change was jarring and didn't make sense.
- Poor dialogue and cutscenes (weight 0.15): The dialogue and cutscenes are criticized for being excessive, boring, and poorly written. Reviewers mention issues with pacing, character development, and plot holes. Some reviewers felt that the story was oversimplified and that the dialogue was unnatural.
- Annoying and unbalanced enemies (weight 0.15): Some reviewers found the machines to be more annoying than challenging, citing issues with their aggressive behavior, high health, and unavoidable attacks. They also felt that human enemies were too strong and that stealth was less viable. Some reviewers felt that the game's difficulty was unbalanced and that the enemies were bullet sponges.
- Too many weapons and upgrades (weight 0.15): The game is criticized for having too many weapons, ammo types, and upgrade materials, leading to a grindy and overwhelming experience. Reviewers felt that the weapon system was overly complex and that many weapons were not useful. Some reviewers felt that the game was too long and bloated, and that the upgrade system was a way to artificially extend the game's length.
- Cumbersome UI and inventory (weight 0.12): The game's UI and inventory management are criticized for being cumbersome and unintuitive. Reviewers mention issues with item selection, trap usage, and the quick item bar. Some felt the changes made to the UI were a step back from Horizon Zero Dawn, making the game more frustrating to play.
- Repetitive and uninspired sidequests (weight 0.08): The side quests are criticized for being repetitive, uninspired, and lacking meaningful choices. Reviewers felt that the side quests were mostly fetch quests with slight variations and that they didn't add anything to the story or world. Some reviewers felt that the game was too long and bloated, and that the side quests were a way to artificially extend the game's length.
- Lackluster Burning Shores DLC (weight 0.05): The Burning Shores DLC is criticized for being short, uninspired, and lacking polish. Reviewers mention issues with the story, characters, and performance. Some felt that the DLC was unnecessary and didn't add anything to the main game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Familiar gameplay with iterative improvements (weight 0.15): The core gameplay loop and combat mechanics are largely similar to Horizon Zero Dawn, with some refinements and additions. This includes elemental weaknesses, machine component targeting, and a variety of weapons. While familiar, the game offers enough new content and challenges to keep the experience engaging.
- Versatile combat and skill customization (weight 0.15): Aloy's combat is versatile, featuring diverse weapons, skills, and playstyles. The skill tree is extensive, offering special abilities and valor surges. Players can tailor Aloy's abilities to their preferred combat approach, with options for stealth, ranged attacks, melee, and machine overriding.
- Expansive open world with activities (weight 0.08): The game features a large open world with numerous side quests, collectibles, and activities. While some side quests may be repetitive, they offer opportunities for exploration, equipment upgrades, and story enrichment. The world is vast and diverse, encouraging exploration even after the main story is complete.
- New traversal mechanics, some underutilized (weight 0.06): The game introduces new traversal mechanics like a glider, grappling hook, and underwater swimming. However, some of these mechanics, particularly underwater combat, feel limited or underutilized. Some underwater areas lack initial guidance, potentially leading to player frustration.
- Mixed reception to new weapons (weight 0.05): The game features new weapon types like Shredders and Boltcasters, alongside returning weapons. However, some players found the new weapons awkward to use, often preferring the familiar hunter and sharpshot bows. The auto-targeting system can also be frustrating, making it difficult to target specific enemy weak points.
- Adjusted machine behavior and difficulty (weight 0.03): The game has adjusted machine behavior, with changes to stealth, farming, and enemy difficulty. Machines no longer pursue players outside their spawn zones, but they are now leveled and act as damage sponges. Stealth has been weakened, and machines are stronger overall.
- Significant grind for item upgrades (weight 0.02): Upgrading items requires a significant grind for materials, which some players found tedious. While weapon progression is generally well-paced, finding upgrade materials can require extensive exploration outside the main story path. Settings are available to help players who dislike grinding.
- Traps nerfed, less effective (weight 0.02): Traps, a feature from the previous game, have been nerfed, with limitations on the number of traps and their effectiveness. Some players found traps less useful and preferred other combat styles. The core combat remains largely unchanged, but some abilities feel weaker.
- Melee combat feels clunky (weight 0.02): The game emphasizes melee combat, but some reviewers found it clunky and frustrating. New melee combos feel unnecessary, especially without proper block or parry options. The game can be completed without relying on melee combat.
- Machine Strike minigame is unpopular (weight 0.02): The Machine Strike minigame is not enjoyable for some players due to unintuitive rules and repetitive strategies. Units look too similar, making it difficult to assess the board state. Opponents are simplistic, leading to a lack of strategic depth.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashes and graphical glitches (weight 0.41): The PC port suffers from a range of technical issues, including frequent crashes, graphical glitches (flickering textures, shadow issues), and performance degradation over time. Some users have reported that these issues are severe enough to deter them from playing, even with troubleshooting efforts. Driver incompatibility and shader compilation problems are also mentioned.
- Visually impressive, demanding performance (weight 0.35): The game generally delivers impressive graphics, diverse landscapes, and detailed character models, contributing to a visually stunning experience. However, achieving optimal performance requires a powerful PC, with some users reporting the need to adjust settings or upgrade hardware. The Decima engine is praised for its capabilities, though some visual elements like bloom effects are criticized.
- Disruptive shader compilation pauses (weight 0.02): The game experiences frequent shader compilation, which interrupts gameplay and cutscenes. This results in pauses, frame rate drops, and overall performance issues, even on systems that should be capable of running the game smoothly. This problem appears to be a significant source of frustration for many players.
- Character texture loading issues (weight 0.02): Some users have reported issues with character models and textures not loading correctly, particularly in the DLC. This includes low-resolution textures and face texture glitches. These issues may require further optimization to resolve.
- Impressively quick loading times (weight 0.02): The game features quick loading times, including fast travel and respawning after death. Autosaves are also executed quickly, making them unnoticeable during gameplay. This contributes to a smooth and seamless player experience.
- DLC performance significantly worse (weight 0.02): The Burning Shores DLC is more performance-intensive than the base game, with some users experiencing slowdowns and glitches, especially in the main settlement and water areas. This may require further reductions in image quality to maintain playability.
- Frame generation issues reported (weight 0.02): Frame generation features (FSR) are implemented, but some users have reported performance issues and stuttering when using them. While frame generation can improve performance, it may not be well-optimized and can introduce visual artifacts.
- Inconsistent GPU/CPU utilization (weight 0.01): Some users are experiencing inconsistent GPU and CPU utilization, leading to random performance drops even on high-end systems. This suggests potential optimization issues that need to be addressed.
- CPU-related crash issues (weight 0.01): Some users have reported crashes potentially related to instability issues with certain Intel CPUs and motherboard configurations. These crashes may be related to shader loading problems and can sometimes be resolved with community-created mods or by addressing processor undervolting.
- Lag in cities/settlements (weight 0.01): Frame rate can vary significantly depending on the location, with cities and settlements often experiencing more lag than open wilderness areas. This suggests that the game may struggle to render complex environments with many objects and characters.
- Random audio cutouts (weight 0.01): Some players have reported random audio cutouts in Forbidden West, where the game's audio disappears every few minutes. This can be a disruptive and immersion-breaking issue.
- Enemy AI and spawn issues (weight 0.01): Some players have encountered issues with enemies getting stuck in the environment or having excessively high spawn rates in certain areas. These issues can disrupt gameplay and make simple tasks more difficult.
- Pop-in and texture flickering (weight 0.01): Some players have reported noticeable pop-in when flying around the map, as well as occasional flickering textures in the open world. These visual glitches can detract from the overall experience.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for fans of series (weight 0.84): Many reviewers recommend the game, especially to fans of the first game, citing its engaging story, refined gameplay, and impressive graphics. Some suggest it's a must-play for those who enjoyed the original, while others advise newcomers to start with the first game to better understand the story and mechanics. Some reviewers express that the game is not as good as the first game.
- Buy on sale/discount (weight 0.46): Many reviewers recommend purchasing the game on sale due to its flaws, bugs, or optimization issues. Some reviewers feel that the game is overpriced for its quality and content, and would be disappointed if they had bought the game at full price. Some reviewers suggest waiting for a deep discount before purchasing.
- Focus on main story (weight 0.38): Some reviewers suggest focusing on the main story to acquire essential equipment and minimize backtracking. Some reviewers feel that the game could have been significantly better with less storytelling and more focus on combat.
- Burning Shores DLC recommended (weight 0.36): Some reviewers recommend completing all quests in the Burning Shores DLC on the first playthrough to make NG+ easier. Some reviewers feel that the Burning Shores DLC is a must-play due to its emotional impact and character growth for Aloy.
- Good entry point (weight 0.36): Some reviewers recommend the game even if you haven't played Zero Dawn, although the lore will be confusing if you haven't. Some reviewers recommend the game for the story.
- Play with a controller (weight 0.35): Some reviewers recommend playing the game with a controller, particularly a PS5 DualSense controller, for the best experience due to vibration feedback and keybind changes.
- Concerns about future installments (weight 0.32): Some reviewers express concern that the plans for the third installment are excessively risky and may not maintain the same level of quality. Some reviewers wish the second part was never made, indicating a strong overall disappointment.
- Compared to Assassin's Creed (weight 0.27): Some reviewers compare the game to Assassin's Creed, while others express concern about the game's poor quality and state that they will be more careful with Sony exclusives in the future.
- Significant performance/optimization issues (weight 0.09): Several reviewers report experiencing performance issues, visual bugs, and crashes, particularly on the PC version. Some reviewers cannot recommend the game until these issues are resolved, while others suggest searching for optimized graphics configurations or switching to the console version.

Other player notes:
- Unique, but flawed world (weight 0.05): The game is set in a unique post-apocalyptic world that blends advanced technologies with primitive tribes. However, some reviewers find the world design and climate unrealistic, and the world feels empty.
- Long playtime, low completion (weight 0.04): The game has a long playtime, with an average level of grind. Less than 40% of players who bought the game on Steam completed it, based on the Steam achievement data.
- Stunning graphics and sound (weight 0.03): Reviewers consistently praise the game's stunning graphics, phenomenal art direction, and top-notch sound design. The detailed world, featuring real locations, invites exploration and enhances immersion.
- Aloy's continued journey (weight 0.03): The game continues the story of Aloy in a post-apocalyptic world, with Aloy investigating a terraforming system malfunction. Some reviewers felt a connection with Aloy, viewing her as a partner or friend, enhancing the gaming experience.
- Burning Shores DLC content (weight 0.02): The DLC "Burning Shores" unlocks after completing the base game, featuring a new map, adventures, and a challenging final boss. Upon completing the DLC, players can continue exploring and finishing pending missions.
- Story quality is mixed (weight 0.02): The story quality is mixed, with some reviewers finding it good, while others consider it weaker than the first game. However, the story is generally considered serviceable.
- Adjustable difficulty options (weight 0.01): The game has Skyrim-style difficulty options, allowing players to choose their own pace. The reviewer played the game on the 'difficult' setting and enjoyed the increasing monster strength as they progressed through different zones.
- Inclusivity and LGBTQ+ themes (weight 0.01): The game touches on inclusivity and support for non-heterosexual characters. Some reviewers do not care about the homosexual things in the game.
- Clever narrative, great worldbuilding (weight 0.01): The game's narrative cleverly uses culture being defined by how tribes interact with old-world ruins and data. There's a tremendous amount of worldbuilding here and it all makes a surprisingly amount of sense in-universe.
- Large game file size (weight 0.01): The game has a large file size, taking up a significant portion of a 1TB hard drive. The game preloads part of the scenery at each startup, increasing the local file size as you progress and explore the map.
- Amazing photo mode (weight 0.01): The game's photo mode is amazing, allowing time of day changes, depth of field adjustments, focus control, character posing, and focal length adjustments. One reviewer took 600 photos using the photo mode.
- Illogical level design (weight 0.01): Invisible walls are present despite the open-world nature. There are many illogical level design choices, such as holes in walls that are large enough for aircraft carriers but the character cannot pass through.
- Lance Reddick's passing (weight 0.01): The voice actor of Sylens, Lance Reddick, died. The reviewer mentions Sylens's disappearance and the impossibility of replacing Lance Reddick's voice.

Emotions:
No emotions}