Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered looks incredible. Does it matter?

If you request impervious that nan video crippled industry’s existent rerelease craze has started to suffer nan plot, look nary further than Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

Like Sonic Generations of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Sony’s latest gives its debut Horizon crippled a awesome ocular upgrade that’s acold much polished compared to its predecessor. Unlike those games, though, Horizon Zero Dawn isn’t a merchandise from 2 aliases 3 generations ago; it only launched successful 2017. Seven years whitethorn sound for illustration a life for younger players, but it’s hardly immoderate clip astatine each arsenic acold arsenic console generations go. If Sony was going to person players to double-dip, it would request to present 1 heck of a remaster.

I’ll springiness in installments wherever it’s due: Guerilla Games and Nixxes person risen to that gangly task. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered pumps nan PlayStation4 classical up pinch importantly improved lighting, much elaborate faces, brighter colors, and much edits that genuinely do adhd up. Throw successful immoderate DualSense support and you’ve sewage a definitive version that anyone coming to nan bid for nan first clip should commencement with. That each whitethorn beryllium true, but nan reality is that each nan improvements successful nan world still can’t rather make consciousness of what’s undoubtedly nan astir needless remaster of this generation.

A large improvement

When Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was first announced, I rolled my eyes. From a casual perspective, I could hardly spot a notable quality successful its first trailer. After all, 2017 and 2024 aren’t each that acold isolated successful position of tech. Seven years utilized to signify an tremendous hardware gap, but nan differences betwixt 2 PlayStations continues to shrink pinch each caller machine.

Now having spent important clip pinch nan console version, I’m consenting to eat immoderate of my words. The remaster offers a important betterment complete its predecessor, but 1 that takes a spot to go apparent. The original crippled already put its champion ft guardant successful its cinematic opening series that shows gorgeous glimpses astatine its landscapes. When I started a caller prevention record and saw it again, I was momentarily stunned. When I pulled up a video of nan PS4 opening and watched it broadside by side, I came backmost to Earth. Yes, nan lighting was improved and babe Aloy looked overmuch cleaner, but nan changes didn’t consciousness excessively significant.

Sony Interactive Entertainment

My tune quickly changed nan deeper I sewage into its early hours. The first infinitesimal that caught my attraction was really a mini detail. I was successful a series wherever a young Aloy finds herself exploring a buried installation afloat of aged computers. I marveled astatine nan much elaborate rocks and nan streaks of ray sparkling in, but I didn’t threat to attraction until I walked into a room afloat of computers. Their agleam purple screens trim done nan acheronian pinch a bold glow that drew maine toward them. It’s an unassuming tweak complete nan original game’s flatter lighting, but 1 that builds much of a opposition betwixt nan physics world and nan earthy one.

As it turns out, that would go a very functional change. When I’m hunting robots successful nan wild, their lights are brighter and much pronounced too. It makes it overmuch easier to spot my prey from a region and way them without needing to switch my attraction on. While fidelity and capacity are ever nan trading points of projects for illustration this, it’s those thoughtful changes that really heighten Horizon’s gameplay and world.

There are a batch of evident changes that 1 could constituent to that show disconnected conscionable really overmuch amended it each looks. Once I’m successful basal conversations pinch NPCs arsenic opposed to much directed, cinematic scenes, I tin spot noticeable improvements successful faces. It’s evident successful mini broadside characters for illustration Olin, whose bald caput gets nan radiance it deserves, pinch much elaborate tegument and smoother edges. When I’m sent into nan mountains to complete The Proving ceremony, I spot a snowstorm falling astir maine compared to nan original’s overmuch lighter upwind conditions. Even small specifications successful nan world’s foliage are apparent, arsenic I tin spot each reed of gangly writer precisely crook arsenic my assemblage moves done them.

Sony Interactive Entertainment

You mightiness deliberation that each of this pushes Horizon person to hyperrealism, but I’d really reason that it each useful to make it much stylized. The original crippled had a somewhat level artistic that was large connected earthy tones. Its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, would amended specify nan series’ look by peppering successful brighter colors that group nan world isolated from, say, Far Cry. This remaster follows successful those footsteps to awesome effect. Erend’s scarf is simply a overmuch sunnier shadiness of yellow. The bluish ropes that dangle disconnected of characters likewise pop, pinch an almost neon hue. Looking backmost astatine nan PS4 version, and it now looks for illustration earthy movie that’s yet to beryllium colour graded.

In those ways, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is simply a beardown ocular upgrade that doesn’t conscionable move nan realism knob up and telephone it a day. It retroactively makes nan original much accordant pinch what nan bid has evolved into since. That mightiness annoy preservationists who spot nan colour choices and lighting of nan original arsenic portion of its language, but it’s each tastefully done arsenic acold arsenic redos go.

Is that enough?

All of this looks awesome written retired aliases successful side-by-side comparison videos, but is immoderate of it an existent bully logic to replay a crippled that still feels marque new? This isn’t a lawsuit of Sony porting an inaccessible aged crippled to PS Plus; Horizon Zero Dawn has ever been readily disposable to bargain and play connected PS5. The aforesaid has been existent for Until Dawn and some Part 1 and Part 2 of The Last of Us, 3 games that person gotten likewise needless double-dips during nan PS5’s short lifetime. Of those 4 games, Horizon Zero Dawn’s update feels for illustration nan astir superfluous.

I genuinely can’t ideate really galore group connected Earth are truthful eager to replay a reasonably caller crippled wherever a ocular touch-up that makes foliage look amended will get them excited. I get nan much aspirational transportation here. For those who person ne'er played Horizon Zero Dawn, this is simply a awesome introduction constituent that amended connects it to Horizon Forbidden West. Even then, it’s a flawed execution. The Last of Us Part 1 worked arsenic an upgrade because its merchandise was timed alongside HBO’s very celebrated TV adjustment of it. It was a smart clip to bring nan PS3 crippled up to speed, giving it much accessibility features to relationship for a larger activity of imaginable players. Horizon’s rerelease isn’t pinned to immoderate specified taste moment. The closest is nan upcoming merchandise of Lego Horizon Adventures, but that’s specifically built arsenic an introduction constituent for kids. If they were fresh to postgraduate to nan existent bid aft playing it, they could person conscionable done that and skipped nan middleman altogether.

Sony Interactive Entertainment

And erstwhile is capable enough erstwhile it comes to ocular upgrades, anyways? Sure, nan remaster looks excellent, but it’s still imperfect. Character models thin to unnaturally naughty into spot from clip to time. When Aloy touches her hairsbreadth successful a cutscene, her manus still goes correct done it. I leap to a zipline astatine 1 constituent and Aloy momentarily glides conscionable supra it, clinging onto thing until she’s snapped into place. What is nan extremity end of an upgrade for illustration this? We don’t request to revisit and revise a crippled each azygous clip nan tech barroom moves. Duller colors aliases little porous faces are not flaws that request to beryllium fixed, conscionable arsenic Casablanca doesn’t request to beryllium colorized.

It’s a spot of a tired cliché erstwhile penning astir games to opportunity “Who is this for?” Ultimately, each crippled has an audience, and there’s surely immoderate hive of Horizon superfans retired location who will happily return immoderate excuse to replay what’s yet an fantabulous open-world game. But I sincerely find myself asking who projects for illustration this are really made for. Did we get 2023’s Dead Space remake because it was nan correct clip to revisit a classical aliases because EA needed to support a valuable IP relevant? Is location a bully logic to replay Until Dawn successful 2024, aliases is Sony Pictures worried that its upcoming movie adaptation won’t make a scatter if nan 2015 crippled isn’t backmost successful nan nationalist eye? Is Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered for maine aliases is it built to beryllium a statement point connected a fourth-quarter spreadsheet?

These are patient questions to inquire arsenic video crippled publishers double down connected remasters and remakes. It’s easy to get caught up successful nan benignant of hype cycles that tin truthful easy person america that each crippled is simply a gift to players. The cold, difficult reality of Sony’s caller remasters is that they are motivated by business much than art. Turning Horizon into a manner marque that players prosecute pinch each twelvemonth is simply a trading tactic. That doesn’t mean these games can’t beryllium great. Astro Bot’s postulation of PlayStation cameos are built to waste a marque to you, but it doesn’t wounded what’s yet a joyful crippled afloat of meaningful nostalgia.

This is simply a agelong measurement of saying that it’s some imaginable and patient to clasp 2 thoughts astatine once: Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is an unnecessary merchandise that pads retired PlayStation’s ray vacation lineup, and it’s a gorgeous upgrade that brings caller colour to a generational classic. If you’ve ne'er played nan original, it’s a bully excuse to yet jump connected that. If you have, thing astir your life will alteration by upgrading and spending different 60 hours pinch it. Whether aliases not your clip and money are worthy it are up to you, but cognize that Nixxes and Guerrilla Games person put successful nan other effort to make judge there’s a beautiful world waiting for you if you determine to dive in.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is retired now connected PS5 and PC.