Many moons ago (2017, to be precise), Guerilla Games released a game that would become a champion for Sony PlayStation: Horizon Zero Dawn. In the future (2022), Horizon Forbidden West will be released, bringing visual and performance improvements and another massive region to explore. In the present, Guerilla Games and port-masters Nixxes have again graced the PlayStation 5 and PC with the original game but better with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, the action-packed adventure, prettier and more packed than ever almost reaching the visual heights of Horizon Forbidden West. I returned to the wilds on PlayStation 5, and it felt like coming home, with all its beauty and a few minor imperfections.

The post-apocalyptic, far-future Earth of Horizon returns, with outcast-turned-hero Aloy facing off against machines and man alike to save the world from a more significant threat. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered brings the ultimate experience, including “The Frozen Wilds” expansion, to explore the frost-touched peaks beyond the usual deserts and forest zones of the base game. 

The game keeps the awe-inspiring story and gameplay but with notable visual and technical upgrades. Brave the perilous open-world, fight off giant machine dinosaurs, the Eclipse cult and their mysterious master using super satisfying weapons and upgrades. You’re in for a wild ride for those experiencing Horizon Zero Dawn for the first time. For returning players, your pre-existing saves can be carried over to pick up where you left off, including New Game+. For those who already own a previous version of the game, the remaster can be purchased for $15 (AUD) to upgrade; it’s the best way to play, so it’s almost a no-brainer to level it up.

The visually enhanced world is stunning, with lush, overgrown ruins, deep caverns, vast deserts and dense forests, improved with updated colour-grading and textures. Foliage is more varied, and the rippling and reflections bouncing off the water are a marvel. The reworked assets breathe new life back into environments. To top off, vegetation and surfaces react more when Aloy runs or swims through them. Transitions between biomes feel seamless. I remember running through the deserts, going through a forest, and entering the bustling city of Meridian. The environments perfectly blend into each other throughout the trek.

Overall, the side-by-side comparisons of the original and remaster show why a rework was needed. The game looked incredible on release, but it’s been 7 years, and a lot has changed with graphical capabilities in the present. The fusion of nature and technology was gorgeous on the original release, but as to be expected. In the remaster, textures, details, and improved shaders have been a massive overhaul.

Terrains and buildings have much more depth, making exploring small towns and larger cities oodles more impressive. The crowning glory for me was the improvements to lighting. With the switch to more dynamic lighting alongside the multiple stages of the day-night cycle, which made me bask in the glory of the environment, it was like seeing Horizon all over again with fresh eyes when light shines through into dark environs or the moon shines down upon Aloy, the game is beautifully rendered and justified why a remaster was a great idea.

Reaching Meridian, the focus on making cities and settlements feel more lively was very apparent.  One of the most significant changes is to characters; character models feel more lively than before, with more detailed skin and hair textures and increased expressiveness.

The way light and shadow bounced off character faces felt more convincing than the fairly flat textures of the original. While it was glorious in cinematics, it made the most difference during conversations. Nixxes brought in additional motion capture to improve some NPC encounters, and some new voice lines were recorded, all while keeping the superb original voice-acting. 

The voice acting is, as always, top-notch. Of course, they kept Ashly Burch’s performance as Aloy and other standout characters, but even the most inconsequential NPCs feel considered. Every NPC has well-fleshed-out characterisation in movement and voice lines. Of course, the sound effects are beyond, with the sounds from losing an arrow, the roars of facing off against a vicious Thunderjaw, and the gentle pitter-patter of rain. It is perfectly paired with the breathtaking soundtrack, where orchestral swells range from atmospheric to intense, with a great blend of tribal and futuristic elements.

The audio faltered for me in some aspects of the 3D Spatial Audio. When playing with a headset, I had quite a few instances where sounds were more tinny than expected, like a Watcher clunking around, sounding more like a tinkering can than a metallic killing machine. Human NPCs often sounded echoey; in Meridian, guards would be on watch, Aloy being a reasonable distance away, but their voices were loud enough to be heard clearly, with a reverberating feel. It’s a minor issue to otherwise near-perfect audio that could be mitigated by reducing the audio effects, but then I would miss out on all the other fantastic sound effects; it was a tough choice, so listening to them loudly discuss not falling asleep on the job was the better option.

There is absolutely no doubt that massive visual and audio boosts have made the game feel more vivid and lived in, but with that comes more performance requirements. On PlayStation 5, Nixxes could take advantage of the hardware’s capabilities. With higher fidelity, the ability to play at 4K and to “Favour Performance” or “Favour Resolution” with capabilities to run at 30, 40 and 60fps.

I played in performance mode, which mostly stood up to the challenge, but I did have a few instances of frame drops and the occasional clipping of objects. While texture load-in was sometimes slightly slow, the same can’t be said for load times, which were almost non-existent between fast travel points and cutscenes, a massive improvement from the original, where load times for me often went for upwards of 30 seconds each time. 

The game is well-optimised despite a few small hiccups. Nixxes has fully mastered Guerilla Game’s Decima engine, bringing dynamic lighting and a more detailed and lived-in world. With the graphical, performance and quality of life improvements, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is almost at the level of visual brilliance that its sequel, Forbidden West, reached, and it was a joy to witness the game all over again, with a fresh set of eyes. I’m even more overjoyed that PS5 Pro support will be available. I will be venturing back into the wilds when the Pro releases to witness even more greatness. 

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a strong contender for a high-quality remake. For newcomers to the series and veterans, the graphical, performance, and quality-of-life changes make the adventure to the new world worth visiting and the best way to experience Aloy’s journey.

Written by: Yasmin Noble