UPDATE 9.21.22:
This game has been an amazing introduction to a genre for me. I never really played an A-RPG before and HZD did not disappoint. Though admittedly, my lack of previous experience may be biasing, making me more susceptible to an "awe factor" in this review. The gameplay is diverse, including, ranged and melee combat, hunting, climbing, stealth, exploration, crafting, foraging, "horseback" riding, and puzzles. The weapons, outfits, and upgrade options, as well as enemy types were all varied enough to keep the game interesting. The story was very engaging with a not-so-common take on post-apocalyptic storytelling... no zombies 😲😯... which I personally didn't miss. Be warned, game play starts off slow and doesn't really become open world until after the Proving. Also make sure to buy the maps and salvage everything you kill so you can afford upgrades early on.

The biggest cons- which other reviewers have noted as well- are lag during gameplay and crashing, particularly when loading during start up or fast travel. My rig meets the game specifications, I have plenty of available space and great internet speeds. Despite this, the game has crashed 4 times and lagged significantly 2 separate times. I've not had a problem like this with any other games, but to be fair I haven't spent near as many hours in any other game. Fortunately, I never lost any data. Ultimately, I did find an online article with some suggestions that helped.
https://exputer.com/guides/errors/horizon-zero-dawn-crashes/

Despite the cons, I highly recommend this game. Thanks to HZD, I'm looking forward to trying other RPGs. 👍🏽


ORIGINAL REVIEW 9.4.22:
Hey Mikey, he likes it!

Excellent game play, rich story, controls make sense, beautiful graphics....I could go on and on. Plus, there's a "New Game+" feature that lets you start a new game with items and skills you acquired in a previous game! I'm only about 10% through the game, so I haven' gotten a chance to try it out..but I still love what I've seen so far. The only con I have is the game crashed on me once at startup, but no data was lost and it reloaded just fine, so it ended up being a minor inconvenience.

I highly recommend this game and can't wait until the sequel comes to PC. All-Mother be praised!

UPDATE 9.21.22: This game has been an amazing introduction to a genre for me. I never really played an A-RPG before and HZD did not disappoint. Though admittedly, my lack of previous experience may be biasing, making me more susceptible to an "awe factor" in this review. The gameplay is diverse, including, ranged and melee combat, hunting, climbing, stealth, exploration, crafting, foraging, "horseback" riding, and puzzles. The weapons, outfits, and upgrade options, as well as enemy types were all varied enough to keep the game interesting. The story was very engaging with a not-so-common take on post-apocalyptic storytelling... no zombies 😲😯... which I personally didn't miss. Be warned, game play starts off slow and doesn't really become open world until after the Proving. Also make sure to buy the maps and salvage everything you kill so you can afford upgrades early on. The biggest cons- which other reviewers have noted as well- are lag during gameplay and crashing, particularly when loading during start up or fast travel. My rig meets the game specifications, I have plenty of available space and great internet speeds. Despite this, the game has crashed 4 times and lagged significantly 2 separate times. I've not had a problem like this with any other games, but to be fair I haven't spent near as many hours in any other game. Fortunately, I never lost any data. Ultimately, I did find an online article with some suggestions that helped. https://exputer.com/guides/errors/horizon-zero-dawn-crashes/ Despite the cons, I highly recommend this game. Thanks to HZD, I'm looking forward to trying other RPGs. 👍🏽 ORIGINAL REVIEW 9.4.22: Hey Mikey, he likes it! Excellent game play, rich story, controls make sense, beautiful graphics....I could go on and on. Plus, there's a "New Game+" feature that lets you start a new game with items and skills you acquired in a previous game! I'm only about 10% through the game, so I haven' gotten a chance to try it out..but I still love what I've seen so far. The only con I have is the game crashed on me once at startup, but no data was lost and it reloaded just fine, so it ended up being a minor inconvenience. I highly recommend this game and can't wait until the sequel comes to PC. All-Mother be praised!