Horizon: Forbidden West is one of the greatest game sequels of all time

Enlarge / So begins Aloy's journey into the forbidden west. (All images in this review were captured by Ars Technica on PS5 hardware, unless otherwise noted.) (credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

This review of Horizon: Forbidden West includes as few spoilers as possible-and leaves most of the series' first game unspoiled, as well.

Any review of new PlayStation-exclusive game Horizon: Forbidden West could make a case for the game's greatness simply by listing how much stuff there is to see and do. More unique biomes. More intense monsters. More modes of traversal. More weapons, more traps, more abilities. Not to mention greater plot stakes that build on the fantastic foundation of the 2017 original, Horizon: Zero Dawn.

But for me, this sequel is memorable less as a bullet-point list and more as a synthesis of the efforts of so many brilliant designers, engineers, writers, artists, and animators. H:FW is perhaps the greatest triple-A gaming adventure I have ever seen because of how all its parts fit together in ways both obvious and subtle.

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