Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered: PS5 Review

Developed by Nixxes

Published by Guerrilla Games

Platform: PS5

It's hard to shake the feeling that the Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered title exists as anything but a chance to help potentially sell the new PS5 Pro and its higher quality graphics.

And yet for those already familiar with Aloy's adventures in a post-apocalyptic robo-dinosaur world, the pull of why you should invest in this title again is occasionally a difficult one to justify - even with a small price tag for those who already own the original and with so many other games out there.

But with a boosted graphics package, some new mo-cap work done and a feeling that the title just looks the best it can, it's almost easy to justify diving back into Aloy's story - even if the interminably dull and never-ending scenes of exposition still mire everything in a sluggish pace.

How much you care about the new look though will depend on how much time you want to spend looking at the finer details. 

Whether it's facial improvements to the protagonists or environmental upgrades, the subtle touches still make a fine story and base game sing, without being too distracting from the original gameplay.

It's hard to deny the work studio Nixxes has put into the retouch and it's even harder to resist the pull of the game in all honesty. There's just something about having Aloy ride on a beast and hunt others - it captures the same kind of vibe as Ghost of Tsushima had when its lead went hurtling through the blossom fields.

Ultimately, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered has justified its existence by giving the studio the chance to release the game in the format it wanted.