Horizon Zero Dawn Vs. Zelda: Breath Of The Wild - Which Game Is Better?

8. Exploration & The Open World

Both games are indeed lookers, but for this category I'm talking both how enjoyable and accessible the respective open worlds are, and just how they're handled in the context of the game's mechanics.

As far as Horizon is concerned, it's the time-tested "Here's a map with a bunch of icons to seek out". These range from collectibles to up-high vantage points that'll fill in real-world landmarks and reveal exactly where the game takes place, but for the most part, you're either fast-travelling to a specific bonfire to access the next core mission, or galavanting off to slay a number of creatures for a side-quest.

Horizon's world is absolutely stunning, but when Aloy's base abilities are without a jump button or even a way to climb or mantle anything not marked with bright white or yellow chalk/paint, it stops dead the notion of exploring outside of a horizontal plane.

Enter Breath of the Wild, where Nintendo have created one of the most seamless and mechanically enjoyable open-worlds of all time. By giving you a set of core physics-altering abilities and allowing you to climb literally anything, swim or run anywhere and glide the rest, it lets you play the entire landscape like one giant level.

Want to cross a ravine? Cut down a tree and make a bridge. How about that long stretch of water? Nab a Kokro leaf, hop on a raft and waft to create propulsion that'll have you moving in seconds. Use explosives to blast apart rocks and create pathways, glide from on-high to get better distance - or just run everywhere, indulging in platforming and random encounters along the way.

It's not even close for these two. Horizon's world is jaw-dropping, but Zelda redefines how you interact with the genre like nothing else.

Winner: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild