Followup to Zero Dawn with somewhat improved combat and a story that's probably a step backwards.
Compared to the first game the story is less scifi with an interesting setup and instead diverges into generic marvel movie territory. The novelty of the unique setting is lost and you are left with some of the most worthless/forgettable villain characters I've seen in anything in a long time. There are some likeable characters mainly because the actors perform well. Aloy becomes a bit more of a character which I think is a positive development. It's not the worst thing ever but the writing hardly seems like a reason to play the game..
Combat is mostly the same but has new techniques and weapon types to mix things up. There are a lot of great new enemy types and enemies are more aggressive in general. Though the valor surge system feels really jank with a forced cut-in animation and inability to switch types without going back to your skill tree.
I still think the constant slow-motion system with concentration and weapon wheel menu is wonky, the game is in constant slowmo switching speeds which was alright for one game but seems a bit off to continue with. To keep up enemies become more and more fast but I don't think that deals with the core issue. Some enemies like Stalkers still feel well designed and fun to fight with the system.
VS humans combat is still ass but the more fleshed out melee combo system makes it better. Fighting bandits in the first game was very forgettable and this isn't too different.
Open world traversal is alright with very accessible fast travel options and pretty environments. Like the first game the 'platforming' mostly plays itself and is turning your brain off, same with puzzles. Somehow the game only stops giving tooltips for basic controls during the final mission (amazing that they noticed it would detract from the scenario). The worst thing is probably Aloy talking to herself constantly and also spoiling every small puzzle solution.
The few Cauldron 'dungeons' might be a step above the first game, each is fairly unique + if you're in it for the mechanical designs these are fun to look at as before.
Compared to the first game the story is less scifi with an interesting setup and instead diverges into generic marvel movie territory. The novelty of the unique setting is lost and you are left with some of the most worthless/forgettable villain characters I've seen in anything in a long time. There are some likeable characters mainly because the actors perform well. Aloy becomes a bit more of a character which I think is a positive development. It's not the worst thing ever but the writing hardly seems like a reason to play the game..
Combat is mostly the same but has new techniques and weapon types to mix things up. There are a lot of great new enemy types and enemies are more aggressive in general. Though the valor surge system feels really jank with a forced cut-in animation and inability to switch types without going back to your skill tree.
I still think the constant slow-motion system with concentration and weapon wheel menu is wonky, the game is in constant slowmo switching speeds which was alright for one game but seems a bit off to continue with. To keep up enemies become more and more fast but I don't think that deals with the core issue. Some enemies like Stalkers still feel well designed and fun to fight with the system.
VS humans combat is still ass but the more fleshed out melee combo system makes it better. Fighting bandits in the first game was very forgettable and this isn't too different.
Open world traversal is alright with very accessible fast travel options and pretty environments. Like the first game the 'platforming' mostly plays itself and is turning your brain off, same with puzzles. Somehow the game only stops giving tooltips for basic controls during the final mission (amazing that they noticed it would detract from the scenario). The worst thing is probably Aloy talking to herself constantly and also spoiling every small puzzle solution.
The few Cauldron 'dungeons' might be a step above the first game, each is fairly unique + if you're in it for the mechanical designs these are fun to look at as before.