‘The Burning Shores’ is the brand new expansion DLC for Sony’s robotic Dinosaur extravaganza, ‘Horizon Forbidden West’. Guerrilla Games have made the tough decision to make this particular piece of content a PS5 exclusive release, despite the base game being available on current and previous generations, so please keep that in mind before purchasing. Furthermore, the story is a continuation from the final mission of the base game, which may result in a few plot points leading up to this expansion being referenced in the review.

Once the DLC was installed and I had booted up a save that was after the Singularity mission with a recommended level of 38, I received an audio transmission from my favourite frenenemy, Sylens. As a long-time fan of Lance Reddick, it was a truly somber moment as his presence is immediately recognisable, both in voice and stature, and his uneasy truce with Ashly Burch’s Aloy, is a constant strong point in the Horizon series. His revelation in the aftermath of the final moments of the base campaign is a compelling extension of Aloy’s ultimate goal and is the perfect opportunity to whisk her away to the crumbling remains of Los Angeles.

Playing on the PS5, this opening cinematic alone was enough of a reason to back up their choice to make this experience a new Gen-only situation. The cinematic aerial introduction to the Burning Shores was a dazzling showcase of god-ray sunbeams breaking through the puffy clouds as they bounced off the crashing crystal clear waves.

The ruined building crumbles as Aloy crashes through them on her way down to a hard landing in the sand and all of the particles are thrown into the air. It may get taken for granted, but the level of detail that is poured into every aspect of this expansion is quite literally the benchmark for the current generation of games.

Looks aren’t everything though, the sandbox maintains the high octane intensity and then some, with an increase in enemy density from the base game. A new threat comes in the form of the monolithic ‘Bilegut’ that gives a new meaning to the term battle toad. This minibus-sized beast of a toad is a menace in more ways than one but not quite the level of headache that the Fireclaw brought in the first game’s DLC. Smaller obstacles in the Stingspawn can be found when you are slowly overwhelmed by the miniature floating pests that make dodging a leaping beast that much more of a dynamic puzzle.

The several main mission story that follows a new prominent figure named Seyka, who also shares in the enjoyment of creatively dismantling robotic dinosaurs, leads you across the isolated island with plenty of new traversal techniques to take advantage of. A Ballistic style cannon allows you to create your own claimable path by impaling the wall with spikes, that is when you aren’t using it to impelling the enemy of course. Bursts of water act as geysers for Aloy to springboard off and glide over foes for a better vantage point or shot at those juicy critical spots.

With the movement and traversal getting an enhancement, it’s only fitting your skill set does too. New abilities let you turn the tides or give you a breather with a ground slam that sends berserker rounds out to disorient the machines around you, causing them to attack each other temporarily. The crowning achievement those is a weapon that revolutionises the feeling of a weapon that would traditionally be a heavy weapon frame or pickup. It has a first-of-its-kind ability that can be used by consuming your stamina but to spill the beans on the finer detail would be ruining the fun of finding it yourself.

To wrap this neat little pancake up, the boss fights will absolutely test your mantle, and the significance of the fights flows through the story as well as the insanely detailed water, seriously, spent a good amount of time just looking at that water.

The continuation of the main story was impactful with a more condensed storytelling approach. I was able to connect with the characters and further explore the narrative of the post-game fallouts, all the while maintaining enough resolve to make it optional if players leaped from this title to a potential sequel. Being able to revisit Aloy and carry over these new toys that can only be found here to a new game plus is a huge bonus and one which will see me through until I get that Platinum trophy.

Written by: Shane Fletcher