Horizon Zero Dawn
In the first few months of 2017, a sprawling open-world game blew everyone’s minds. You’d spend a lot of time spelunking the derelict ruins of lost civilizations. Combat was oriented around pre-industrial weaponry, with a heavy focus on bows and spears. You’d often have to climb—cliffs, mostly, but also the occasional seven-story-tall creature. The world itself was speckled with a smattering of ramshackle villages scraping together what they could, hints of a society laid low by self-wrought apocalypse. BOTW? Huh? No way! It’s Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games’ action-RPG about giant robot dinosaurs, currently playable on PlayStation and PC. It has a sequel now, too, and it’s great, but if you’re new to Aloy’s adventures, you should experience them from the beginning. – AN
