Horizon Zero Dawnwas a graphical marvel when it first debuted back on PlayStation 4 and improved its presentation further after releasing on PC. However,Horizon Zero Dawn Remasteredis a bigger upgrade for the PS5 and PC platforms, featuring a major overhaul to graphics and other aspects of the game.
But what exactly is changed in this version? Is it worthupgrading to the remasteredif you already own the original? Let’s look over everything new in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and if it’s worth upgrading to.
Graphical Upgrade
Let’s start by talking about the elephant in the room, and the improved graphics quality. The originalHorizon Zero Dawnwas no slacker when it came to impressive visuals. The game had life-like character models, and amazing environments to make the game immersive.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remasteredsteps it up by upgrading the visuals, making them more detailed than ever. The environments are more vibrant and sharp, with darker areas of the game becoming brighter, adding further clarity to the game.
This graphics overhaul also improved the textures across the board for characters and machines in the game. This upgraded the game’s look to beon par with theHorizon Forbidden Westin several aspects.
Quality of Life Improvements
There were a few gripes players had with the originalHorizon Zero Dawnwhen it came to the gameplay. The pickup animations were slow and took away the immersion from the fast-paced nature of the gameplay.
Similar toForbidden West,Horizon Zero Dawn Remasteredadded a few quality-of-life Gameplay Settings like skipping pickup animations altogether and even allowing players to get into the game after a loading screen without pressing a button.
These changes, which may feel insignificant, remove some of the problems that players had with the original, making some aspects less of a slog.
Improved Character Animations
The graphics overhaul inHorizon Zero Dawn Remasteredwasn’t just centered around the environments, but it improved character textures and animations too. Aloy and the other NPCs she interacts with look better than ever with enhanced facial textures and improved animations.
Unlike the dull and static conversation animations in the original, the Remastered added new animations to character interactions, making them feel more engaging and alive. The NPCs now shake their heads, twitch their eyes, or even waive their hands to reflect the context of the conversation, making dialog delivery more expressive.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remasteredhas also improved the textures and asset loading capabilities, reducing the load times of the game across the board. After a somewhat lengthy shader compilation process after booting up the first time, the game takes significantly less time to take players into the action.
Even though the load times stay consistent on the PS5, they may vary depending on whether players opt for an SSD or a hard drive on their PCs. However, no matter what storage option you choose, everyone will see improved load times in the Remaster compared to the original.
Save Data Import Option
Another great welcome addition toHorizon Zero Dawn Remasteredis theimport save data option. The game acknowledges players of the original on both consoles and PC and lets them import their save files from the original game to be used in the Remaster.
This lets players who still haven’t completed the original story continue their progress right where they left off in the Remaster. Veteran players who’ve already finished Aloy’s journey in the original can still import their old save file and start a New Game+ to re-experience the game with better visual fidelity.
Although there aren’t any additions when it comes to content for the game. However, for players seeking to experience Aloy’s journey for the first time orreplay the gamewith overhauled graphics,Horizon Zero Dawn Remasteredis a worthwhile upgrade.
