Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

*All screenshots in this review were captured on a base model PlayStation 5*

When Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was announced, I simply could not believe it. I recall openly questioning PlayStation’s sanity – why in the world would they waste time remastering a game that does not need remastering? Somewhat distraught, I went on social media to scoff at the announcement and lament that we were not getting remasters of other more worthy (at least in my eyes) games instead. I’m not too proud to admit here that I was completely wrong in my initial assessment of the necessity of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. This truly is a remaster, and an exceptional one at that. Without a doubt, this is the best way to experience Horizon Zero Dawn.

For this review, I am focusing on the upgrades and enhancements made to the original game, rather than a full-blown evaluation, since those reviews of Horizon Zero Dawn already exist. The story and gameplay remain untouched from the 2017 original, though some of the new upgrades certainly enhance those elements, which I will touch on.

Having been released nearly eight years ago now, Horizon Zero Dawn on PS4 still holds up today, even more so on PS5 thanks to a patch that improved the framerate to 60 frames per second when running the game on that system. But within minutes of playing Horizon Dawn Remastered, it was evident how significant an upgrade it is over the original. Everything on screen just pops in the remaster. The teams at Guerrilla Games and Nixxes did an excellent job of bringing Zero Dawn up to the fidelity of Forbidden West in several ways.

The two biggest game changers in my eyes are massive upgrades to the lighting and textures. Everything looks so much more cinematic now and in line with the art direction of Forbidden West, which I still believe is the best-looking PS5 exclusive. To that point, Zero Dawn doesn’t quite reach a one-to-one level of graphical quality to Forbidden West – at least to the naked eye – but it’s damn close. Snow-covered fields now look less like blobs of white clay, and more like, well…snow. Dirt on the ground finally looks like dirt, and water like water. I know it sounds rudimentary, but for a photo-realistic game like HZD, those upgrades stand out.

*PS4 Version*

*PS5 Version*

The world looks far lusher at every turn than the original game, which helps make it feel more alive, but also more overgrown, which adds to the environmental storytelling of the post-apocalyptic world. I noticed foliage in places and on structures that did not have it before, while everything else got a pass of the upgrade wand as well. For a game world being reclaimed by nature (and machines), it has never looked better.

*PS4 Version*

*PS5 Version*

Lighting is the other upgrade that really stood out to me. After all, what good is all that texture and foliage work if you can’t see it in its best light? I hate to keep using this word, but the lighting is more cinematic in look and feel too. The upgrades create stunningly gorgeous skyboxes regardless of time of day, and everything looks a lot less orange from the sun than the original game. The result is that the world is clearer and more vibrant. But the real winner from the lighting improvements are the cutscenes, which are demonstrably better. Combined with improved character models – some ripped straight from Forbidden West – cutscenes now look straight up like a movie at times.

Speaking of cutscenes and character models, I noticed that a lot of scenes had been re-worked, not just in lighting and animation, but camera cuts and angles too. Flipping back and forth between the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game, it was evident how much more immersive cutscenes are in the remaster. Honestly, some of the PS4 ones are a little jarring after going back to them. Along those lines, characters look far less uncanny valley on PS5, except for their mouths – what the hell is going on with those mouths? It’s the same in both versions of Horizon Zero Dawn, but man, the way most character’s mouth moves during conversation is the one thing that stands out as decidedly janky. I had to actively tell myself not to look at people’s mouths during conversations. Oh Horizon, what scary mouths you have. Good thing I’m more of an eyes and hair kind of guy.

*PS4 Version*

*PS5 Version*

So, what about more than just graphics – did Guerrilla and Nixxes show the game any love elsewhere? Most definitely. I’ve always been a huge proponent of the PS5’s DualSense controller, arguably the console’s most “next-gen” feature, if you ask me. Not every game fully utilizes its capabilities, but when they do, it adds so much to the experience. Such is the case with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. The PS5 upgrade adds support for both haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers, and I will never be able to go back to playing HZD without it. Like with Forbidden West, you can now feel the tension in the draw of Aloy’s bow, the impact of jumping between rockfaces, and the recoil when using weapons from the machines. But the two coolest moments I had, from a DualSense standpoint, were feeling the beat of drums at Mother’s Heart before the Proving, and the stampeding gait of the monolithic Tallnecks. Lastly, adding 3D audio to the game is also a night and day difference from the PS4 version as well. The soundscapes and effects almost sound fake on PS4 in comparison to the audio in the remaster, and yes, I know they are fake, but for a game chasing high fidelity, it was great that they didn’t simply focus on visual upgrades.

At the end of the day, is Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered a worthy purchase? I would say that regardless of if you qualify for the $10 upgrade or must buy it outright for $50, the answer is yes. If you already own the game, the $10 bump to the PS5 remaster is a no-brainer. And if you’ve somehow never played Horizon Zero Dawn, you’re getting the best version of the game, with the Frozen Wilds DLC, for $50. As a PSA, PlayStation gave away Horizon Zero Dawn for free during the pandemic, no PlayStation Plus required or strings attached, so double-check your game library.

Spend half an hour with each version of Horizon Zero Dawn and the differences between PS4 and PS5 are clear. After bellyaching online that it didn’t need a remaster, Guerrilla Games and Nixxes have made me a believer. Nearly no stone was left unturned in the remaster – graphics, animation, cutscenes, lighting, audio, and DualSense support have all been improved or added. Whether it’s your first time playing, or you never stopped playing, take heart in knowing this is the definitive way to experience the beginning of Aloy’s journey.