On the threshold of the fateful night of the The Game Awards 2022allow me a few words about why Horizon Forbidden West you deserve a lot win the GOTY 2022. As you have seen, a small “discussion” has arisen in recent days as to who should win the coveted award or not. A Platonic dispute, which manifests the desire of each editor to support a thesis which, net of this year’s nominations, it seems to me what is good and right.
Let’s start from nominationsin addition to the already candidacy for the victory of GOTY 2022:
- Best art direction
- Best Action/Adventure
- Best sound design
- Best Performance
- Best game direction
It is important to start from this key point to also understand the reason for his candidacy to the coveted prize. In fact it is a sum of factorsi which, if you look at them as a whole, paint the various motivations behind a hypothetical victory. Compared to the 6 nominations, indeed, I will act without being excessively presumptuous, relying “only” on my skills. I don’t have the tools for judging an actor’s performancerather the qualities on the audio design sidenor can I afford to criticize/appreciate the work of a professional like that of a game director.
Someone else did, and probably with knowledge of the facts, otherwise they wouldn’t be on the jury The Game Awards 2022 (don’t you see a controversy that doesn’t exist in my words… or maybe maybe in my intentions). Instead, I will focus on the aspects that struck me the most, and which therefore deserve emphasis here. My skills allow me to be objective about the Artistic direction (dearest photo mode, I’m coming)the storytelling and the component action/adventure.
I have already told you how In-Game Photography is a fundamental part of my life – in and out of the game – but Horizon Forbidden West it is much more than just photography and artistic component. It’s a unique experience that must necessarily be livedand as such deserves to win the GOTY 2022.
Best Art Direction: A Great Scrapbook of Memories
This is my kingdom, the moment when I open the gates of the realm of memories going to fish out the best ones caught in Horizon Forbidden West. I have no other way to narrate the magnificence of this title from an artistic point of viewcapable of building environmental ecosystems that are as diverse as they are detailed. Horizon Zero Dawn he had tried, and in part even succeeded, despite the resources available being what they were.
With PS5 some limits have been crossed. Do you want for the 4K and the presence of Ray Tracing and all the possible combinations that stand in the way of performance/quality. For heaven’s sake, in the midst of these possible options we are there too with our emotions and with the immersion factor ready to take us by the hand. Horizon Forbidden Westfrom an artistic point of view, and with respect to the videogame panorama of the year, it has no equal. And we stop here, without launching into further comparisons, which border on videogame eras and eras.
It’s a journey, a real dive into a world that seems to have no borders. Even the ocean floors, as well as the peaks of the mountains, can be explored thanks to Aloy and his “feeling” with the machines. Guerrilla Games eliminate those last remaining limits in terms of exploration, just because he didn’t want to leave any fans disappointed. Well, I saw yet another show of strength of the Tenth Engine, which is now increasingly used by the internal studios of the large SONY family. If you don’t believe it, ask Hideo Kojima and his Death Stranding.
Then, as you have seen, the writer is biased on this aspect. The presence of photo mode – already worn out by me during the first chapter – ha completely addicted to my gaming experience in Horizon Forbidden West. I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy the gameplay sessions, like any fellow gamer on the face of the earth, but I did it in an almost self-injurious way. The reason for this statement of mine is easy to say, given that every 3×2 I immortalized the moment with a shot. Draw the necessary considerations about my work in the gameplayif I can still call it that (damn me and the in-game photograhy).
Best Fiction: The art of continuing a story and making it believable
I remember arriving at Horizon Forbidden West still fresh from Horizon Zero Dawn. Taking advantage of the title’s presence in the collection PS Now – including the expansion The Frozen Wilds – the lore was very clear to me, though the questions were different. It’s not easy create a sequel that does not lead to the banal and that at the same time manages to tell even more surprising facts than the first chapter. The trick was do not place the two episodes too far apart at the continuum level. There are about 6 months between one chapter and another, and this makes the context of the events credible and not too far from what was played.
The choice not to make too many references to the past of Aloyits history and its origins – 3 components characterized by a considerable complexity – has also left numerous spaces for those approaching the title for the first time, stimulating a just and positive curiosity aimed at recovering what has not been played. This aspect should not be taken for granted at all.
So let’s start again from one Aloy Very more mature and confident. A leader who doesn’t want to accept this role recognized by all those who know her and who have appreciated her value, on and off the field. In truth she is closed in on herself, still searching for truth. The story is a continuous repartee about the questions that Aloy search, without stretching the soup as happened in the main chapter.
Of course there is Villainsthe fearsome Sylar, and when it seems that the narrative pursues that line, “Other” presences arrive to reshuffle the cards on the table. Situations that question some answers already given in the course of the first chapter and which, at the same time, further expand the lore of the universe of Horizon. The third installment of the series it has already been almost confirmed by the developers themselves, who said they have gods clear plans for the future of the series. Sure, the bar has now risen further so…
Best Action/Adventure: The right balance of the formula
A nomination painted on the IP made by Guerrilla Games, but which will not be easy to capitalize on given the competition. In all honesty, bro A Plague Tale: Requiem, God of War Ragnarok, tunic And StrayI’m sorry but I choose Horizon Forbidden West. My heart is torn between Aloy and Kratosbut when I close my eyes and think about which title has best interpreted the right action/adventure mix, I can’t think of anything other than riding on the backs of cars. There must be a reason, don’t you think?
It’s a magic formula a perfect balance of elements that transcend lore and characters, that looks at the various components of the gameplay and is able to find the perfect alchemy. Without favoring one over the other. Action rhymes with combat mechanics, adventure looks at the context which, inevitably, at theopen world. On the other hand, an adventure, to be worthy of the name, must allow the player a certain degree of freedom. Element that in Horizon Forbidden Westbetween primary, secondary, extra and repeatable activities, places it second to none on the square.
The settings, then, they are pure poetry for the senses. The world of Horizon Forbidden Westwith the ruins of a civilization devoured by the incessant advance of nature and the machines that look like exceptions that confirm the ruleto. Guess who gets this role? The heroine who doesn’t want to admit her fate, who sees her in a potential third installment at the head of an army in a war that threatens to transform this paradise into a hell of blood and metal.