The beginning of this year has been great for video games. There have been so many releases that I cannot keep up with buying all of them. These include For Honor, Ghost Recon, and Resident Evil 7, to name a few, but the best one that I have played thus far has to be Horizon Zero Dawn. This game offers both depth and amazing game mechanics, which makes it a contender for Game of the Year.

Upon my first encounter with the game I felt that it played like Witcher Three, which is also an award-winning game. Horizon Zero Dawn is an action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and it was published by Sony exclusively for the PlayStation 4. Guerrilla Games is the developer who first made Killzone back in 2004. This year, they brought their full focus on Horizon Zero Dawn, and the attention shows the moment you start to play the game.

The story starts by introducing the person that you will play with, Aloy. The setting of the game is in a very far off future where machines took over the earth and humans went back to using bows and arrows. When you first start the game, you come to find out that you were made an outcast from the tribe, but you train until you are old enough to participate in the “Proving” so that you can be one with the tribe again.

After this point, the storyline snowballs into many subplots and a litany of questing options. In addition to the storyline, the combat with the machines is very challenging and unique. Each machine has its own different vulnerability that you can exploit during combat. You can see these vulnerabilities by using your “Focus,” which was a device similar to a super-powered Bluetooth that allows you to see digital footprints.

The first major boss fight is definitely a rush because you are attacked from multiple angles at the same time. From the start you are put into a tough situation and you really have to become calculating with your weapons. In addition to a super powered bow, you are given electrical tripwires, traps, a rope gun, and a sling shot that throws electrical balls. When used in combination, you can effectively take down any large target within the game.

I addition to the very unique fights. I also love how these machines look mostly like dinosaurs, which makes me reminisce about Jurassic Park. Additionally, Lion King and Game of Thrones were big influencers in shaping the game and the main character involved. The levels of freedom in the game enable you to go anywhere without a loading screen and you can just watch these giant robots walking along. When you juxtapose this with the beautiful landscape, it is easy to get lost in the world of Horizon Zero Dawn.

Overall, this game deserves every single bit of praise that it has received thus far. I feel like this game will have a lot more to offer in the future with additional downloadable content and further exemption. For all we know, Guerrilla Games could offer us a completely different world in the future. For now, I am going to continue my first play-through and take my time to enjoy this outstanding video game.