Embarking on a Grand Adventure: Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition Review

Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition, initially exclusively available on PlayStation 4, was considered one of the top-line titles, contending with games like Bloodborne, Spider-Man, and the God of War reimagining. Now, three years later, this enrapturing open-world action adventure can be enjoyed right on your PC. For $49.99, you get the base game and The Frozen Wilds DLC, which includes more story content and collectibles. 

Meet Aloy: Survivor of the Future

The game sets you in a post-apocalyptic world where civilization has rebuilt itself amidst the ruins of what was left after a catastrophic event. The landscape is a blend of lush wilderness and robotic animals. Here, society lives in an era still within the bronze age, surrounded by tribes and robot packs, which they have yet to fully comprehend. 

You step into the shoes of Aloy, a woman from the Nora tribe who has a mysterious connection with the ancient Metal World. After her tribe falls under attack, Aloy embarks on a quest to unravel the mysteries of her past and why they were attacked. 

Exploring and Engaging in Combat

In Horizon Zero Dawn, the well-trodden open-world framework from games like Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, God of War, and Far Cry is clearly recognizable. Aloy makes use of her combat skills and several hunting tools to maneuver the large world encompassing bandit camps, ruins, and settlements. 

Encountering hostile machines in her path, she relies on stealth and careful planning. Factors like tall grass are her hiding spots from which she can plan her moves without being noticed by enemies.

With an assortment of weapons at her disposal, Aloy has multiple ways to confront threats, making for an exciting mix of stealth and direct fighting. Her Focus, a relic from the old world, acts as a short-range scanner highlighting enemies and revealing paths, affording an insight into her imminent encounters. 

Mega Map Exploration

Matching the scale of the narrative is an expansive map covering diverse terrains from dense forests and icy landscapes to dry deserts, increased with The Frozen Wilds DLC. Well populated with settlements, ruins, and machine grazing sites, the landscape encourages exploration with a plethora of quests to be undertaken.

With several secondary missions in parallel to the main quests, it is easy to spend over 60 hours fully exploring the storyline and the map while collecting useful items and gaining experience points. Collectibles such as metal flowers, ancient vessels, tribal artifacts, and intriguing machine ruins called Cauldrons add another layer of depth to exploration.

Pros:

• Gripping storyline and immersive character development;
• Well-balanced combat mix of stealth and bravery;
• Engrossing world exploration with an array of side quests;
• Immersive gaming experience with an intense and satisfying action set.

Cons:

• Due to its vast open structure and sheer game size, pacing can sometimes feel lax;
• The repetitive nature of tasks may erode the sense of immersion over time. 

Performance Requirements and Compatibility

The complete edition of Horizon Zero Dawn requires an Intel Core i5-2500 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 GPU, a minimum of 8GB RAM, and 100GB disk space as the baseline. If you opt for a better visual experience, the developers recommend an Intel Core i7-4770 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, and 16GB of RAM. 

In testing, the game ran impressively well on a PowerSpec 1510 gaming laptop with an Intel Core i7-7700 CPU, a GeForce GTX 1070 GPU, and 16GB RAM. With settings on high, the game achieved a consistent 51 frames-per-second average. Even at the Ultimate graphical setting, the game ran smoothly, maintaining a frame rate above 30fps with only occasional slowdowns generally linked to overworld loading.

In conclusion, Horizon Zero Dawn provides a compelling narrative combined with immersive open-world adventure and action-platforming gameplay elements. Its beautiful visuals and consistently challenging gameplay ensure its place amongst the best games available to the PC audience today.