Just got a PS5, so started Horizon: Forbidden West. Zero Dawn was good, but the writing in Forbidden West right out of the gate just really clicks for me. The premise was always good, with a primitive, myth based culture formed around the remnants of a collapsed advanced society, but Aloy understanding the science and trying to still interact with superstitious societies who can only comprehend her as a Prophet speaking with the Goddess is just really well done to me.

I’m way more about mechanics than story in games, though, and the progression mechanically is also really good. I play on high difficulties, and enemies who will fuck you up if you make a mistake, while you’re capable of hitting just as hard if you don’t is my bread and butter. Movement is smoother, you start with tools that are more mid-game in zero dawn, and the feedback from the PS5 controller’s mechanics feels awesome. As one specific example, there are two charged power attacks controlled by how long you hold the windup. This isn’t wildly abnormal for games with this kind of melee combat, but you usually just have to memorize the length of time each takes. The PS5 uses the precision vibration it has to give very clear tactile indications of when you hit windup 1, and when you hit windup 2, and it feels very appropriate to the sci-fi aesthetic.

I’m tempted to go back and finish zero dawn first because the story has me re-hooked. It’s less punitive on death with the more reasonable load on the PS5.