5 Reasons Horizon Zero Dawn Could Underwhelm
Could fighting robot dinosaurs really get boring?
As we fast approach the much-anticipated release of Horizon Zero Dawn, the world has started to get a few more glimpses of fiery haired Aloy and the bizarre world she sets out to explore. Despite futuristic underground laboratories and being overrun with dinosaur-like robots, the open-world is equally ancient, with buildings overgrown and in ruins and bandit camps in place of civilised cities and towns.
There are still a few weeks to go before we can step inside the animal skins of the nimble huntress and see if the game will live up to its promises, but early signs show a gorgeous and intriguing world to sneak, jump and kill our way through.
There's a lot to excite - and early previews have been strong - but lets not forget that we've been burned in the past *cough* No Man's Sky *cough*. For all it's beauty and innovation, there are a few signs the game might not have the longevity we're all hoping for.
Admittedly, much of the following article is based on a gut-feeling - combined with a few clues from the gameplay footage we've seen so far - but here are five reasons that Horizon Zero Dawn just might underwhelm.
5. AI Patterns You'll Learn Immediately
Horizon: Zero Dawn looks set to deliver a rich world of predatory robots and prehistoric bandits that seek to deny hunter-archer Aloy from discovering the truth behind her ancestry, and that of her environment.
The synthetic beasts hunt in packs, while the bandits show signs of flanking manoeuvres – yet for all this, gameplay footage shows a few worrying signs.
Enemies appear to follow set paths, evidenced not just by steady, repetitive patrols, but also by an ability Aloy can unlock throughout the game which tracks where enemies are ABOUT to walk before they do so.
Whilst we've only seen a few pieces of footage of in-game combat, enemies look likely to react similarly depending on their class and capabilities. As pretty and compelling as the enemies in the game appear, could it be that after two or three encounters we will be able to predict their behaviour, removing much of the challenge?