An absolutely beautiful game in both visuals and story. I was enthralled by the world as I explored it, and felt some really intense emotions throughout. I aimed for 100% on my first playthrough, going out of my way to complete every side quest and learn the stories of the people around me. The world-building in this game is so deeply interesting to me, mainly because of the way it's presented. I cannot describe the emotions I felt when I discovered my first vantage point and realised what the true history of the world was, in complete contrast to the teachings of the Matriarchs. Vantage points continued to be a place of deep reflection and mourning as I listened to the story of a long-dead man while gazing at the sight of what the world used to be. It was heartbreaking and moving and everything I could wish for in a story-driven game... and it wasn't even in a cutscene! This is pure environmental storytelling done in a way that could easily be missed by someone not looking to get completion. Two people playing the game with different mindsets may experience this revelation at very different points in the game, and that fascinates me. It's storytelling done incredibly well. For the story alone and the way it's presented to the player, I'd give this game 5 stars—11/10. Unfortunately, one major flaw I encountered bumped my rating down a fair bit.

To put it simply, the final boss was incredibly underwhelming. I felt no real challenge fighting it on my first playthrough, and even on my NG+ Ultra Hard run it still felt like a bit of a cop-out. I climbed that hill expecting to face a brand new enemy I'd never seen before—perhaps even one of those gargantuan Metal Devils you can see from the map—but instead I was met with an enemy I'd fought at least three times at that point. I didn't even realise I was fighting the final boss until the end cutscene played. All that build-up for such an underwhelming climax left me slightly disappointed, and I can't help but mourn what could have been if they'd given HADES a unique model. However, I'm yet to play Forbidden West as I don't own a PS5, and the ending cinematic gave me some hope that I might finally get to see the Metal Devils in action when the game eventually comes to PC.

Speaking of the ending cinematic, it completely wiped all disappointment from my mind by hitting me with an absolute tsunami of emotions right when I needed it. A game that can bring tears to my eyes is an amazing one, and I have to say that this is the most emotional I've ever felt while playing a story-driven game.

Overall, Horizon Zero Dawn was an experience I'll never forget, and I'm endlessly excited to one day play the sequel and see more of what the world has to offer. Though the final boss was a letdown, it doesn't make the impact of the story up to that point any less meaningful. 8.5/10.