Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Early review code provided by Playstation. This review/analysis of Horizon Forbidden West is spoiler-free, although viewer discretion is advised.

Going into this review and analysis of Horizon Forbidden West I expected nothing from the upcoming open world game, having been so burned out on the genre and Sony's big budget prestige cinematic action titles in equal measure. At some point in the review process, however, something clicked and I had to make and abundant beauty, Horizon Forbidden West ended up rekindling my love of a genre—the most enthralling open world I've played since Breath of the Wild. Let's talk about it in this review/analysis!

Horizon Forbidden West releases on 18th February for PS5 and PS4.

0:00 - Is it pointless to review Horizon Forbidden West?
1:52 - The moment it clicked
3:23 - Mechanical freedom and BotW influence
4:28 - Forbidden West is jaw-droppingly gorgeous
5:07 - The wonder of going off the beaten path
6:14 - The beauty of getting lost
7:23 - Worldbuilding through mechanics
10:36 - The problems with HFW's story
12:40 - Your own stories are more interesting
13:45 - Conclusion/an astounding achievement
15:09 - Outro

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Text intro by Isaac Holland - twitter.com/drazgames