I absolutely loved Horizon Forbidden West from start to finish. The world looks incredible, and there were so many moments where I just stopped to take in the scenery because the graphics are that beautiful. The story kept me interested the whole way through, and the combat was super fun and satisfying. Playing on the highest difficulty made it even better since it was actually pretty challenging, and as someone who loves Souls games it felt good, I absolutely loved fighting the machines. Everything about the game felt good overall. Easily a 10/10 for me.

I’m a simple person: I see giant robot dinos – I shoot a burning arrow (sometimes it works and makes a big BOOM).

Let me set the jest aside, return to the critic’s stride -
For truth be told, I liked this ride.

A world that dazzles, bright and vast,
With battles fierce and moments fast.
Spear and arrows, sparks that fly,
And iron wings that cleave the sky.

A tale that stretches, long and wide,
With paths for those who wander aside -
Quests that beckon, stories that nest
For souls compelled to see the best.

The faces met along the way
Are shaped with care, with much to say.
Though our red-haired guide, so bold, so swift,
Might lose some weight with all that drift -
For leaps and rolls and arrows cast,
Would trim us down, and trim us fast.

And then - a chapter, short yet bright,
A DLC that feels just right.
Its villain charms with wicked grace,
A spark of thrill in every face.
A final clash, unscripted, wild -
No simple dance, no pattern mild.

But flaws, like shadows, still appear,
A whisper here, a stumble there.
Leave it idle, step away -
Return to find it lost its way.
A crash, a sigh, a moment’s rue,
“Oh fatal error… how do you do?”

And once or twice, in battle’s grip,
A foe refused its final slip.
A reload called, immersion torn -
A fleeting crack in worlds reborn.

Yet past these quirks, these fleeting seams,
It stands a land of vivid dreams -
Where metal beasts and stories blend,
And every path invites an end… or not quite end.

I played Horizon Zero Dawn when it first came out. I really wanted to like this Horizon Forbidden West, and many aspects I did. But in the end the cons outweighed the pros. It's a beautiful, open-world adventure with lots to explore, discover, and collect. But poor execution in key combat and writing areas turned it into a slog.

PROS
- Still a beautiful visual experience.
- Solid story recap provided at the start in case you didn't play the first game or its DLCs.
- Movement feels solid for the most part.
- Enjoyable soundtrack.
- Zoomed-out story arc is intriguing.
- Plenty of exploration and collectables. Not even limited by border walls most of the time. Can keep climbing and going until the game give you the "turn back" message.

CONS
- "Play your way!...except don't." The game provides multiple tips at the start that you can play to your own style, whether that be attacking things head on, using stealth tactics, overriding machines, acrobatics, elemental weapon combos, etc. For the open world, this is often true. But as soon as you face a boss, tackle a cauldron, or attempt combat challenges, it becomes clear quickly that the developers intended for you to play their way. That means using every weapon type, element type, and combat technique available for the situation. If you haven't used them up until that point, good luck!
- Immersion-breaking dialogue and character design. Aloy's dialogue is alright (she sure could talk to herself less), but the rest of the characters in the story are a watered-down PG mess. Those ferocious clans of the Forbidden West who kill people on sight? They're as much warriors as are convention cosplayers. Their "ferocious" dialogue maxes out at "damnit" maybe a couple times. They all look like cut & paste faux hawk hipsters merely pretending, and what's worse is they sound like it, too. You will not consider a single one of them to be intimidating or believable. Aloy's crew is just as bad. While they have some heartfelt moments and the voice acting itself isn't bad, the writing causes each one to be a better fit in a Pixar movie than an action adventure with killing.
- Artificial difficulty. Difficulty levels turning into "bullet sponges" is a downfall of many games, but it's more apparent in HFW because in difficulties beyond Normal, you lose all important pieces of machines that you don't first detach before killing. When this involves machine parts that are only exposed for a fraction of a second during active combat (such as when a machine opens its mouth briefly), and each of those parts take many hits to detach, battles become a sweaty slog.

I feel the series needs a bolder approach to the writing and directing, willing to be darker and less afraid of offending anyone. As it stands, I won't be playing a future sequel.