Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, released on October 31 for PlayStation 5 and PC, showcases significant improvements beyond mere graphics, including enhanced visuals and dynamic lighting. Developed by Guerrilla Games and Nixxes Software, it respects the original game’s narrative structure while enhancing visual fidelity. Players can choose from three modes, with the Balanced mode delivering exceptional results. Although some atmospheric elements were lost, the remaster excels in technical performance, offering smoother gameplay and more detailed character animations.
Remasters and remakes have become quite common in the gaming industry. While they can be justified for older titles that deserve a modern update, it often raises the question of their actual necessity. This is especially true for Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, which was released on October 31 for PlayStation 5 and PC. So, is it worth pulling out the credit card? Let’s break it down.
Significant Upgrades
After working on the PC port of Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games has once again teamed up with Nixxes Software for Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, which has created this updated version of the 2017 title. The studio’s efforts extend well beyond a standard remaster and could be considered akin to a remake in several aspects. In essence, many enhancements can be seen that go beyond mere graphics improvements.
The developers have not altered the narrative structure or gameplay mechanics, but they have significantly enhanced the visual aspects while staying true to the original 2017 design. They did not introduce ray tracing or any new technologies that were previously unavailable. Players can choose from three modes on PlayStation 5: Balanced Mode (40 FPS), Quality Mode (native 4K at 30 FPS), and Performance Mode (1800p at 60 FPS). Ultimately, the Balanced Mode stands out. It maintains much of the visual fidelity of the Quality Mode, including anti-aliasing, draw distance, texture quality, and tessellation, albeit at a lower resolution, utilizing the same dynamic resolution technique as seen in Forbidden West. While it doesn’t achieve native 4K, it delivers an astonishing result that surpasses the Quality Mode.
Zero Dawn: Remastered showcases one of the best technical performances we’ve seen for a recent remaster. With a consistently high FPS rate and no occasional drops, players can even experience VRR, achieving an average of around 72 FPS in Performance Mode, resulting in a superior experience.
Another noteworthy improvement is in the non-essential cutscenes. Nixxes has added a wealth of new animations, introduced a slight variety of new shots, and incorporated more movement into scenes. The final result isn’t without flaws, but progress is definitely evident.
Exceptional Lighting System
Where Nixxes truly excels is in dynamic lighting. This is largely attributed to a greater number of refraction points compared to the original game. The Dutch studio has created a much less static finish with more light beams, without venturing into ray tracing. Although Zero Dawn had a dynamic lighting system, it fell short in dark environments and indoors. Thankfully, this issue has been rectified in the remaster.
However, not everything is flawless. For instance, the enhanced lighting and draw distance have diminished some of the foggy atmosphere in certain jungle segments of the game. While the remaster indeed produces more realistic environments, they’ve somewhat lost their original charm.
On the plus side, many visual aspects have been improved, such as water and environmental tessellation. The reflection mapping has been expanded based on Forbidden West, featuring tiny sparkles from nearby structures that fade after a few meters.
Finally, Aloy, the protagonist, greatly benefits from this remaster as well. Her skin texture appears more realistic, and our heroine is now more ‘dynamic’. Her hair moves more naturally, there are reflections in her eyes, and a plethora of other small details have been refined.
We had the opportunity to explore the first hours of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D: here are our thoughts on the beginning of the concluding chapter of the Roto trilogy, developed by Artdink and set to release on November 14.