Horizon Zero Dawn
A post-apocalyptic action RPG about a huntress uncovering her origins.
In 2017, Guerrilla Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment released *Horizon Zero Dawn*, an action role-playing game that marked the studio’s first new franchise since *Killzone* in 2004. Set in a future United States overrun by giant robotic animals, the game places humanity in scattered, primitive tribes with uneven access to technology. Players control Aloy, a young huntress on a journey to learn about her own origins. Combat relies on ranged weapons, a spear, and stealth against mechanical creatures and human foes, while a skill tree unlocks new abilities and bonuses. The open world encourages exploration, discovery of locations, and completion of side quests.
Director Mathijs de Jonge described the concept as the riskiest among those proposed. Development began in 2011 after *Killzone 3* wrapped up. The Decima engine, originally built for *Killzone: Shadow Fall*, was adapted for this project. The game’s vibrant color palette was chosen to evoke adventure and hope despite its ruined setting. Anthropologists helped shape how the world decayed, and robotics experts ensured the machines felt realistic. Influences included Jared Diamond’s nonfiction, as well as the films *Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind* (1984) and *Princess Mononoke* (1997). Voice actors Ashly Burch and Lance Reddick were part of the cast, while Joris de Man composed the soundtrack with contributions from The Flight.
The game launched on PlayStation 4 in February 2017, then arrived on Windows in 2020 as the first of several PlayStation-exclusive titles to make that jump. A remaster by Nixxes Software followed in October 2024. Critics generally praised the setting, story, visuals, and combat, though some found the role-playing mechanics and gameplay unoriginal. It won multiple awards, including one British Academy Games Award and two D.I.C.E. Awards, and has sold over 24 million copies. An expansion, *The Frozen Wilds*, came out in November 2017. A sequel, *Horizon Forbidden West*, released in February 2022. The events of the game were later reinterpreted comically in *Lego Horizon Adventures*, and a film adaptation is in development by PlayStation Productions and Columbia Pictures.
**Gameplay**
Played from a third-person perspective, *Horizon Zero Dawn* puts players in control of Aloy as she navigates a post-apocalyptic world dominated by machine creatures. Enemies include both thes
- Developer
- Guerrilla Games
- Publisher
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Release Year
- 2017
- Platform
- PlayStation 4 (later Windows in 2020)
- Genre
- Action role-playing game
- Protagonist
- Aloy
- Engine
- Decima
Lore & Background
Horizon Zero Dawn was Guerrilla Games' first new intellectual property since Killzone in 2004 and its first open-world and role-playing game. Development began in 2011 after the completion of Killzone 3, using the Decima engine originally developed for Killzone: Shadow Fall. The game's vibrant colors were designed to evoke adventure and hope despite its post-apocalyptic setting. Anthropologists and robotics experts were consulted to inform the world's decay and machine designs, while non-fiction books by Jared Diamond and films such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke influenced the setting and narrative.
Reader's Guide
Horizon Zero Dawn received generally positive reviews, praised for its setting, story, visuals, and combat, though its role-playing mechanics and unoriginal gameplay drew some criticism. It won numerous awards including one British Academy Games Awards and two D.I.C.E. Awards, and sold over 24 million units. The game was ported to Windows in 2020 as the first in a series of PlayStation-exclusive games arriving on personal computers, and a remastered version developed by Nixxes Software was released in October 2024. An expansion, The Frozen Wilds, was released in November 2017, and a sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, followed in February 2022. Events in the game are reinterpreted comically in Lego Horizon Adventures, and a film adaptation is in development by PlayStation Productions and Columbia Pictures.
Did You Know?
- The game's engine, Decima, was originally developed for Killzone: Shadow Fall and modified for Zero Dawn.
- Director Mathijs de Jonge considered Horizon Zero Dawn the riskiest idea among those pitched.
- The game's cast included Ashly Burch and Lance Reddick.
- The soundtrack was composed by Joris de Man, with contributions from The Flight.
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