Burning Shores’ focus makes it the best part of Horizon Forbidden West
I was relieved when I first looked at the small map in Horizon Forbidden West’s new expansion, Burning Shores.
Sony’s Horizon series is renowned for its expansive open worlds that are littered with things to do. When you look at the huge maps in both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, they’re covered with tiny icons pointing you to quests to help your fellow humans, battle with fearsome robot dinosaurs, and even just interesting places to see. You can easily spend dozens upon dozens of hours in each game and not see everything they have to offer.
But for me, both games just had too much. With each, I’ve tried to be open to exploring at my own pace and letting my curiosity lead the way, but I’d inevitably get tired of the busywork of trying to see and finish it all. Instead, I’d just push through the main story, ignoring the other sidequests and beautiful vistas along the way, and stop playing entirely after I reached the credits.
Burning Shores, on the other hand, shows what’s possible when developer Guerrilla Games builds a condensed and focused experience, and it’s easily the best part of Horizon Forbidden West. Read More…