Horizon Zero Dawn™ Remastered

Horizon Zero Dawn™ Remastered is widely praised as a visually enhanced and polished version of the original, elevating the game's graphics and performance to near current-generation standards. Players appreciate the improved character animations, sharper textures, and better lighting effects, which make the open world more immersive and beautiful. The storyline, centered on Aloy's journey in a post-apocalyptic world filled with robotic creatures, remains engaging and rich in lore, complemented by solid combat mechanics that blend ranged and melee tactics.

However, the remaster is not without issues. Some users report crashes, input bugs, and performance inconsistencies, especially on certain hardware configurations like the Steam Deck or RTX 50 series GPUs. Audio mixing problems and occasional visual glitches also detract from the experience. Despite these flaws, the remaster is considered the definitive version of the game, especially for newcomers, though some veterans prefer the original due to mod support and stability. Overall, it offers a compelling adventure with a few technical caveats to be mindful of.

Highlights

Players consistently praise the enhanced graphics and improved lighting, which bring the world and machines to life with sharper details. The engaging storyline and rich lore captivate many, with Aloy being a charismatic protagonist. The combat system is noted for its satisfying blend of stealth, ranged, and melee tactics, rewarding strategic play. The open-world design encourages exploration, with diverse environments and interesting side content. Additionally, the remaster includes all DLC and offers improved dialogue animations, making it a visually and narratively richer experience than the original.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include technical issues such as frequent crashes and bugs affecting controls, especially on PC and Steam Deck. Some players experience input lag and controller responsiveness problems during combat and menus. The game suffers from performance drops and frame rate instability in crowded areas. Audio mixing is problematic, with music and voice inconsistencies. Visual glitches like NPC jittering and lighting artifacts are occasionally reported. Inventory management and save system limitations frustrate some players. Lastly, certain gameplay elements like AI behavior and repetitive side quests are viewed as underwhelming or poorly balanced.