It was released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and in 2020 for the Microsoft Windows operating system. Horizon Zero Dawn marks Guerrilla Games’ first intellectual property since Killzone in 2004 and its first role-playing game. It also marks the company’s return to the gaming industry.
According to the game’s creator, Horizon: Zero Dawn demonstrates that single-player games are still alive and well in the gaming world today.
Recent debates in the gaming press have centred on the viability of single-player games and how they can be made more accessible to a wider range of players. Will games that do not include a multiplayer component be able to thrive in today’s market where developers are working so hard to keep customers engaged with a constant supply of post-release material? Despite the fact that single-player games may face difficulties in the future due to business considerations, a developer from Guerrilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn studio has stated that single-player games will not be phased out anytime soon.
As a PlayStation 4 exclusive with a novel premise and an entirely new brand, Horizon Zero Dawn stood out from the outset. It combined survival game aspects with cover shooter techniques and real-time strategic play, all while taking against robotic dinosaurs in a rich, natural environment. With that kind of seeming oddity, a game could go in one of two directions; fortunately, this one turns out to be quite great in the end. A large portion of the game’s popularity may be attributed to its successful replication of the feel of earlier successes, such as Far Cry Primal, but it also owes a debt to its original tale, stunning visuals, superb character performance, and compelling story telling. A dialogue tree, as well as a narrative side-questing and main quest system, are also featured in Horizon Zero Dawn. These elements are similar to those seen in previous BioWare titles, albeit with a little less emphasis on the chatting, which tends to drag out in those games anyway. As a whole, one of the game’s strongest points is how well it sets the environment in which the protagonist Aloy finds himself, as well as how well it works in establishing the past that led to this world and then teasing out the story of how things came to be this way. When it comes to the construction of a whole new fictitious world, Guerrilla Games has done an excellent job, which is no small task when it comes to a brand new property. Additionally, the game is as expansive and engaging as Horizon Zero Dawn. Believeability is the most important factor here: When you first see a robotic bipedal beast stalking the plains with a single spotlight shining where its eyes should be, the game world feels like a naturally occurring environment that makes its own kind of internal sense. This is true even from the first moment you see the beast, which is a robotic bipedal beast with a single spotlight shining where its eyes should be, in Horizon. All of this is in perfect sync with the agrarian culture, which likewise relies on archery and builds its homes out of scrap wood. It also merges flawlessly with the lush and unspoiled natural backdrop that serves as the game’s open world, complete with roving small wildlife and forageable vegetation to harvest.
During Guerrilla’s presence at PAX Australia, GameSpot had the opportunity to speak with Tim Stobo, the company’s senior game designer. Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Middle-earth: Shadow of War, all of which were developed by him, are examples of single-player titles that received positive reviews in 2017.
As evidenced by its critical reception, Horizon appears to be proof that a truly high-quality single-player experience has a bright future ahead of it.
As Stobo went on to say, “[The following story extension, Frozen Wilds], demonstrates this yet again.” Players should expect a high-level, high-quality gaming experience from us, and that is our sole mission in life. In addition, it appears that a corporate transformation is taking place in other sectors of the industry as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Guerrilla, on the other hand, is only concerned with telling fantastic stories, which is all we do. ”
It is unlikely that single-player games will ever be completely eradicated from the face of the earth, but with the rise in popularity of online-focused games such as Destiny, is it possible that they will become increasingly rare over time? Stobo, on the other hand, does not see things in this manner.
To him, “I feel it is preferable to take another look at it from a whole other viewpoint.” I believe we will see more games like Destiny in the future, and I believe there is a market for them,” he predicts for the near future. In contrast, if you look at the finest and most well-known games that have been released this year, there are titles such as Horizon, Zelda, and Shadow of War, to mention a few examples. There is a wealth of fantastic single-player experiences to be experienced in Division 2. “I feel that if we could have more always-on online experiences, it would be advantageous to the range of games that are now accessible.”
Several people feared that single-player games were going the way of the Dodo bird following the demise of EA’s Visceral Games and the retooling of its Star Wars game, which was initially supposed to be a linear, story-driven experience. But this was not the case in this instance. A Microsoft employee, Shannon Loftis, claimed earlier this week that single-player games are here to stay, despite the fact that they have “complicated economics.” She acknowledged that single-player games had “complex economics.”
A new addition to Horizon Zero Dawn, titled Frozen Wilds, will be published on November 7 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. Which of the following do you feel will be the future of single-player games in the near future? Please leave your opinions in the space below the article. Thanks!
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