It’s hard to believe, but it has been over seven years since the release of Horizon Zero Dawn on PlayStation 4. With a Netflix show in development, Aloy’s journey throughout the post-apocalyptic world filled with dangerous robots continues to be one of Sony’s most popular franchises. Now updating the game to the high standards of its sequel, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is being released ahead of the PlayStation 5 Pro and already wows for regular PS5 owners.
From the opening cutscene, the clear leap in visuals from the original is noticeable. The quality of the character models, fluidity in animation, and overall visual fidelity have been much improved, with the game looking truly stunning on a 4K OLED TV. However, where a lot of remasters have upped the visual quality but lost something in the overall style, that isn’t the case here. Much of the game’s lighting has been manually tweaked to maintain the mood and ensure that you’ll get a near-identical visual experience when you play the sequel. This ultimately results in a beautiful game full of icy tundras and reclaimed by nature landscapes that will have you constantly entering photo mode — and don’t worry, tween Aloy in the prologue section still looks incredibly awkward, just more so by design this time around.
The audio experience in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered has also been enhanced by developer Guerrilla. The game’s sound mix has been completely revamped, which allows for a really immersive experience whether you’re wearing headphones or not. It also supports PS5 Tempest 3D Audio Tech, which makes going on hunts all the more thrilling as you can hear all aspects of the world clearly. Additionally, over 10 hours of in-game conversation has been rerecorded, boosting the quality of the motion capture.
It’s not just all audiovisual improvements, as the PS5 version of Horizon Zero Dawn also takes full advantage of the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers and haptic feedback support. I’m a huge fan of these features, as they truly make the experience all the more immersive and unique. Whether you’re in stealth trying to get a way out of a dangerous situation or using your bow and arrows to take care of business, the game plays smoothly and looks wonderful no matter where you’re at in its vast open world.
It’s also worth noting that a suite of additional accessibility options has been added to the port. All of the a11y options from Forbidden West have been included, such as remappable controls and haptic cues to aid players. No corners were cut here, which is great to see and makes it such a smooth experience jumping between Horizon games.
While I chose to start a new game in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, you also have the option to pull in your old saves from the PlayStation 4 version. So, if you want to pick up where you left off and continue your journey in a superior version, that is totally possible and easy to do. It’s also affordable to do, as Sony is offering the game as a $9.99 upgrade for existing owners, which is a great deal.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Review: Final Verdict
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a remaster done right. Aloy’s original adventure looks gorgeous and matches all of the features of its sequel. Whether you’re returning to the world that Guerrilla carefully crafted or it’s your first time, you’re bound to be impressed by the attention to detail and the audiovisual overhaul.
SCORE: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PS5 code for our Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered review. Reviewed on version 1.003.000.
