Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5
Tested on: PC
Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition (PC) – Review
It’s been slightly over two years since we took a closer look at Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn. Both titles initially started out as PlayStation-exclusive titles, but seeing that the first game already received a PC port, it was only a matter of time before Forbidden West would get one too. Nowadays, many PlayStation exclusives tend to be exclusive for only a limited time before they get ported to PC by Sony. We have seen PC releases for Ratchet & Clank, God of War, and Spider-Man, and we’re sure many more will follow. For now, however, we once again dive back into Alloy’s second adventure in Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition. For those interested in our original in-depth review, be sure to check it out by clicking here, as this short review will mainly revolve around the PC release itself, and the overall performance.
In terms of gameplay, you’ll be treated to pretty much the same experience as Horizon Forbidden West on PS5. You’ll also get the Burning Shores DLC to play through here, so it is indeed the complete package. That being said, you can of course now also play the game with a keyboard setup, but we still enjoyed playing the game with a controller. Forbidden West still looks great, and you’ll be able to crank things up to eleven if you’re running the game on a heavy gaming rig. Even so, even on a lower-end device, things still look great. We do advise installing the game on an SSD and not an HDD, as this will significantly improve loading times.
We still enjoyed the story very much, but we are still of the opinion that Zero Dawn is still better fleshed out in terms of its narrative. Forbidden West sometimes seems to forget the main objective of the story and tries to cram in quite a few other aspects. The Blight is also not always as present as you’d think it would be. This does somewhat detract from the overall sense of urgency in the game. That being said, the latter is also the case with many other titles in the same genre. Of course, the story is still great and the many characters in the game are still very likable. This is a game you can easily play through twice, after taking a break in between. Seeing as it was nearly two years ago for us, we thoroughly enjoyed experiencing what Forbidden West had to offer once more.
Just like previous PS5 exclusive ports, Horizon Forbidden West is also a Steam Deck Verified title. This means that the game is supposed to run smoothly on Valve’s handheld device. This is true for the most part, but you’ll probably still need to tinker a bit with the device’s settings to have the smoothest experience possible. Let’s start by saying that the game still looks gorgeous on the tiny screen of the Steam Deck. Of course, you cannot compare it to the PS5 experience or the general PC experience. The game does look a lot rougher around the edges on the handheld, even compared to the somewhat dated GTX 1080 setup we ran the game on. When playing on the Steam Deck, you’ll notice occasional frame drops, especially when you first boot up the game. After this, the device struggles somewhat during more crowded events. This is remedied when you lock the device on 30 FPS, and then most stutters will be gone, except during some exploration segments.
Conclusion
If you already own Horizon Forbidden West and its DLC on PS5, there is no actual reason to double-dip, except if you want to perhaps try out the game on a Steam Deck to play it on the go. Those who do not own a PS5 and are fans of the genre, however, should consider looking into this one as the Horizon games are so much fun. While we still feel like the second entry is a bit less impressive than the 2017 original, there is so much to love here. You’ll get a great story to play through, a lush and beautiful world to discover, engaging combat mechanics, and awesome mech creatures around every corner. If you already own the first installment on PC, picking this one up is a no-brainer.
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