10 Pointless Details In Recent Video Games That’ll Blow Your Mind

9. Machine Detail & Hyper-Specific Remarks - Horizon: Forbidden West

Horizon: Forbidden West, and 2017’s Horizon: Zero Dawn for that matter, is full of lovely little details that, in the scheme of the game, may seem a little pointless.

I mean, there’s an argument to be made that the game would be just as good if Aloy didn’t have phenomenally malleable and realistic hair, but these features are really exciting to see in action.

One of these details is related to the design of the game’s impressive machines. While the variations and specifics of how to engage with each one are interesting at a basic level, what’s really cool is noting how each machine is made up of an incredible number of individual parts. The graphical detail in the solar panels on a Sunwing or the areas of rust and scratches on a Rollerback, for instance, are pretty mind-boggling. As is the way each machine breaks down in a fight and, here’s where it gets even cooler, Aloy has extremely specific lines related to which parts of a machine are broken off. For example, upon seeing a Fanghorn lose its horns, she’ll say something like, “What’s a Fanghorn without horns?”

If all of that isn’t cool enough, look hard enough and you’ll see machines also all feature a logo of their cauldron, noting where they were manufactured.