Horizon Forbidden West looks absolutely gorgeous in first PlayStation 5 gameplay footage
Horizon Forbidden West. (Sony)
Sony showed off 14 minutes of gameplay of Horizon Forbidden West in a brand new State of Play video.
The footage was taken from the PlayStation 5. Sadly no release date has been given for the much-anticipated game as yet.
The sequel to the 2017 PS4 open world title Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West is set in the same post-apocalyptic future and sees protagonist Aloy travelling to the West Coast of America to investigate a deadly blight.
This video was the first time we’ve seen the game in action, and it looks gorgeous.
Away from the rocky mountains and snowscapes of the first game, Forbidden West appears far more colourful and vibrant.
In the clip, Aloy explores a jungle and beach area full of overgrown flora and tropical waters. Though the game is set for release on PS4 as well as the newer console, on PlayStation 5 it is a visual masterpiece.
Gameplay looks to be familiar to fans of the first game. Aloy still hides in tall red grass, battles against monstrous machines with her bow and arrow, and tackles human tribespeople in stealth.
The game is introducing some new twists though. Melee combat looks to be more fleshed out, with new combos and special abilities to make things more dynamic with liberal use of slow motion.
A battle against a giant robotic mammoth (with shades of the Oliphaunt from Lord of the Rings) showed off the range of weaponry at Aloy’s disposal, from her signature bow to a slingshot with specialised ammo.
Horizon Forbidden West. (Sony)
And in traversal, Horizon Forbidden West has clearly been inspired by other open world games. Her new Shieldwing is a direct analogue of Link’s sail cloth in Breath of the Wild, allowing Aloy to float through the air, while her Pullcaster works like the grappling hook from Sekiro.
Plus, for the first time, she can use the Diving Mask to swim underwater – and the view is breathtaking.
There’s a touch of Uncharted too, as Aloy leaps and swings through the jungle setting chattering away to the player.
In all, Horizon Forbidden West looks to have familiar and safe gameplay with some fun new elements, but a graphical style that shows off both the power of the PlayStation 5 and the talent of the concept designers at Guerilla.
A PlayStation blog post on the game states: “We don’t have an exact release date yet, but development is on track and we’ll have an update for you very soon.”
Keep those eyes peeled and check out the gameplay for yourself in the video below.
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