Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered's new visuals bode well for the next game

In 2024, most PlayStation gamers probably didn't expect Sony to announce a remaster of the game Horizon Zero Dawn of all games, but during September's State of Play, the company did just that. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is indeed real and is set to release on PS5 and PC on October 31st. Coming just days before the launch of the PS5 Pro, this remaster will be the perfect game to try out on Sony's brand new mid-gen console. , but that alone is probably not enough to justify its existence. There are dozens and dozens of classic PlayStation titles that desperately need a remaster much more than Horizon Zero Dawnso in the eyes of some it may seem like a mere cash grab.

Fortunately, however Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered brings some useful graphical improvements to the base game. It features improved foliage, improved lighting, redesigned textures, higher mesh fidelity, higher NPC density, and more detailed character models, among others. Perhaps the most obvious improvement in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered can be found in his character animations. This re-release of Guerrilla Games' open-world RPG features over 10 hours of new motion-captured data that makes NPC conversations look much more realistic than before. These new animations are so impressive, in fact, that they set the bar high for the next major series Horizon game.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered: Minimum and Recommended System Requirements

Explore the minimum and recommended system requirements for Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. Check if your computer is up to the task.

The impressive animations of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered lay the groundwork for Horizon 3

Horizon Zero Dawn still holds up, but its animations aren't the best

It may be hard to believe, but the original Horizon Zero Dawn is older than 7 years. It originally debuted as a PlayStation 4 exclusive in 2017 before finally making its way to Windows PC in 2020. The game was undoubtedly a stunner for its time. Compared to other games that came out in mid-2010 like Bloody and Dragon Age: Inquisitiongraphic fidelity Horizon Zero Dawn was another level. Even now, the title still holds up visually, and since receiving the 60 FPS patch on PS5, it's been running like clockwork on Sony's current generation of consoles.

If there is one aspect Horizon Zero Dawn however, that doesn't hold up, it's facial animations. In many of the game's dialogue scenes, the motion capture for some characters looks downright stiff. Facial expressions of various NPCs, especially those that are less relevant Horizon Zero Dawn's plot, they often give off an uncanny feeling of the valley. Because of this, the game's animations and character models have been constantly criticized since its release.

Visually, Horizon Forbidden West was a major improvement over its predecessor

Horizon Zero Dawncontinuation, Horizon Forbidden Westthankfully, it got a big upgrade over its predecessor in the visuals department. The facial animations and motion capture in Guerrilla 2022 action RPG have been significantly improved and more vivid. Despite being a cross-gen game, Guerrilla really managed to push the limits of the PlayStation 5 Horizon Forbidden West. So it is not surprising that Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered uses the animation in the critically acclaimed sequel as its core standard of quality.

Horizon 3's animations might be even better than those in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

With how well Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Zero Dawn remastered Take a look, one can only imagine how impressive the visuals are Horizon 3 will be The third entry in Guerrilla's planned trilogy Horizon titles are still a few years away from release and will likely be a PlayStation 6 game. Harnessing the power of next-gen technology, Horizon 3 May they have incredible facial and body animations, on par with similar ones Hellblade 2 or The Matrix is waking up UE5 demo.

Guerrilla's proprietary Decima Engine has already proven itself more than capable of delivering stunning animations and graphical fidelity without compromising on performance, as seen in titles like Forbidden West and Death Stranding. Therefore, there is a good chance that next time Horizon the game will have even more impressive NPC interactions than those found in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

Experience the critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn™ with stunning new visuals and enhanced features. In a distant future where colossal machines roam the Earth, pockets of humanity survive in unique tribes among the lush, overgrown ruins of our long-lost civilization.

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