OLD WORLD BLUES

The beautiful HORIZON: FORBIDDEN WEST COMPLETE EDITION struggles to move on

- Oscar Taylor-Kent

NEED TO KNOW 

WHAT IS IT? The high-tech sequel to PlayStation’s premier open world robo-basher

EXPECT TO PAY $60

DEVELOPER Guerilla Games, Nixxes

PUBLISHER PlayStation

REVIEWED ON AMD Ryzen 7800X3D, 32GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super

MULTIPLAYER No

LINK store.steampowered.com/app/2420110/82_ Forbidden_West_Complete_Edition/

Cor! Look at those swaying aquatic plants as you dive underwater, ready to hide from mechanical foes. Look at the neon lights that form the cyber-ghost of Las Vegas above the post-apocalyptic dunes! Horizon: Forbidden West is a technical tour de force for Guerrilla Games and its Decima Engine. But, while the tech has certainly evolved, little else has, making for a disappointing sequel in a series that was once packed with promise.

The gorgeous visuals at least make this a game that feels right at home on PC, where its ambition can be pushed further. With a good enough rig, this port can meet and exceed what’s still one of PS5’s most resource-hungry titles—able to match its speedy open-world fast travel, and deliver higher framerates while retaining a good level of detail. DualSense and ultrawide support sweeten the deal. Even on less powerful machines, this is a game that runs well and feels responsive in action.