Horizon Zero Dawn releases in a couple of days and so far critics have rated the game with near perfect scores. As Guerrilla Games first attempt at a new IP since 2004 this is shocking to see a studio new to the open-world third-person RPG realm deliver on such an outstanding game in their first try. Started in development in 2011 and was considered by the game's director, Mathijs de Jonge, as "the most risky" idea pitched. Now with the game days away, let's see if the game can sell. However, before then here's everything you need to know about Horizon Zero Dawn.

Summary

Players take control of Aloy in a post-apocalyptic world where robots, known as Machines, dominate the land. Humans now live in tribal societies and Aloy, a huntress, is banished from her tribe and adapts using various skills such as hacking, foraging, and crafting while hunting Machines; the dominant creatures on the planet. Aloy plans to return to her tribe and participate in The Proving, a ceremony where the victor is granted one request. Aloy wants to know why was she banished?

Of course, Aloy will also travel the world in order to better understand the world of the Machines.

Combat

Horizon Zero Dawn is the first of its type that Guerrilla Games has developed. A third-person action RPG open-world game set in the post-apocalyptic future. Aloy will encounter other human NPCs within the world and learn about them using a dialogue wheel. Most of Aloy's weapons will involve variations of the Bow which can be modified. A crafting system is available for special equipment like traps and skills can be invested into Prowler for stealth, Brave for combat, or Forager for collecting resources and crafting. 

Crafting plays a significant role in Horizon Zero Dawn since Machines can be harvested for material, specially Shards which can be used as crafting material or currency, or you can score a rare Machine Hears to sell or craft. The world also has materials that the player can use for crafting. You can craft during battle for special types of ammo and with 25 types of creatures you're going to need all the ammo you can get. Stealth is available for certain creatures and if successful can thin the numbers of large packs of Machines. Combining Aloy's luring, trapping, and stealth skills are invaluable in Horizon Zero Dawn.

Weapons will range from: 

Uncommon
Rare
Very Rare

And include:

Lance – A polearm used in close combat. Can perform stealth takedowns if you have the proper skill on Machines and Humans.

War Bow – Low damage and causes target to become vulnerable to specific attacks.

Sharpshot Bow – Accurate and deadly, but slow.

Hunter’s Bow – A fast bow with low damage. Great for close combat, on mounted Machines, and spamming arrows.

Sling – Slow firing weapon that uses elemental bombs. Great for large crowd of enemies and to scatter them as well.

Ropecaster – Used to trap beasts. Once trapped the player gets to choose what happens next.

Tripcaster – A weapon used to set tripwire traps. Best used for surprise attacks against patrolling enemies and in the path of Machines.

Rattler – Horizon’s version of a shotgun. Fires several arrows in a large spread. Best for close combat or for desperate escapes.

Tagging allows Aloy to track Machines even after they've moved on. Allowing you to keep track of valuable Machines. Focus Scan allows Aloy to determine her enemies susceptibilities, identify their location, level, and possible loot.

Traveling

One of Horizon Zero Dawn's biggest draw is the open world which supports fast traveling. Settlements and campsites are used as travel points once unlocked. If you require something on-foot Aloy can override specific Machines and use them as temporary mounts.

The world features a day-night cycle complete with weather without any loading screens. Corruption Zones are areas of infected machines that act more aggressively and offer more of a challenge. To uncover more of the map players can use Tallnecks, giraffe-like creatures, to unlock more of the world.

Crafting and Currency

Shards work as crafting material and currency. Found on downed enemies, Machines, loot boxes, and merchants. Machine Cores, on the other hand, are rare and not only work as valuable crafting resources but can be sold for a hefty price.

Ridgewood - Ridgewood is the most common material and found on every tree. 

Wire - Wire can be found on all machines. 

Sparker - Another common crafting material found on all machines.

Metalburn - Metalburn is a less common material. It's only found on corrupted machines or rare encounters with Deathbringers.

Blaze - Used for Blast and Fire ammo types, so it's found on Strider, Grazer, Broadhead, Sawtooth, Fire Bellowback, Snapmaw, Rockbreaker, Stormbird, and Thunderjaw.

Chillwater - For freezing ammo and traps, and found on Lancehorn, Glinthawk, Sawtooth, Ravager, Freeze Bellowback, Snapmaw, Behemoth, Stormbird, and Thunderjaw.

Photo Mode

Horizon Zero Dawn is a beautiful game and Guerrilla Games wants you to enjoy the sights. With Photo Mode players can change the depth of field, hide Aloy's character model, and those with PS4 Pro will gain access to Performance mode for better frame rate and higher visual fidelity. All photos taken will output on 4K regardless if you're playing on 4K.

Horizon Zero Dawn launches for PlayStation 4 on February 28th.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
Twitter | YouTube | Facebook