Title: Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wilds DLC
Type of Game: Action Role-Playing Game (RPG)
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Released: November 7, 2017
Platforms Available: PlayStation 4, PC Game
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 4
Level of Maturity: Teen (T) – ESRB
Reading Time: 9 minutes

Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the top-rated games of 2017 and instantly became one of the best PlayStation 4 exclusives ever. If you liked the first Horizon, definitely don’t hesitate with this DLC. When I played the Frozen Wilds expansion for the first playthrough a few years ago I asked myself many times: Are these really the same developers from Guerilla Games? Is it really the same studio responsible for the Killzone FPS series? Have new writers come on board? Did the management change? Did Sony help? Or have they taken inspiration from The Last of Us in the Netherlands? Because if I had to sum up the qualities of Frozen Wilds in one single term, it would be obvious: emotions.

Into the Heart of the Wilds

You start discovering new adventures by heading to a newly added area in the northern part of the map in the base game. Just make sure your character is at least level 30 beforehand, otherwise, it’ll be an express ticket to hell for Aloy. Smoke is rising from the top of Thunder’s Drum Mountain, and particularly aggressive types of robotic beasts have begun to hunt in the local valley. A recent expedition into the heart of the mountain ended in disaster, and the leaders of the Banuk tribe are unable to agree on how to proceed. The story of the main storyline is good, though fairly predictable until the very end. On the other hand, the game never ceased to impress me with its perfectly portrayed characters. The credit for this goes not only to the often very touching dialogues but also to the convincing facial animations, which cannot be matched by most game productions of its time. The expansions are directly filled with a diverse range of well-developed characters, each with their own worries, doubts, insecurities, or passions. All of this is dominated by the latest queen of all virtual redheads, the likable protagonist Aloy.

Rich Characters and Heartfelt Tales

In the game, she meets, for example, a cheerful guy who is desperately looking for the telescope his mother once showed him in the premises of an abandoned dam. Another time, a self-confident huntress pleads with her in desperation to save her friend, who stubbornly refuses any help. Whatever it is, Aloy is always willing to lend a helping hand, and her empathy and compassion seem to know no bounds. But unlike everyone else, Aloy is neither naive nor superstitious. She’s simply a great hero who you’ll be happy to spend the fifteen to twenty hours it takes to complete all the activities and quests. Of course, this all works because the side quests maintain a very high quality throughout the game. Don’t expect any running for ten logs of wood here. There aren’t a lot of side missions, but they are meaningful, fun, and usually quite long. In addition to these, the developers have prepared one new hunting ground with three challenges, a bandit camp to clear, and of course, Tallneck, who you’ll have to repair before the classic climb on his disc-shaped head, which adds a certain amount of extra variety.

Skills and Thrills: Expanding the Arsenal

The max level has been bumped up to sixty and with that comes new abilities. Some you’ll use, some you probably won’t, and others you won’t have time to open. In Frozen Wilds, I did complete almost all the quests and challenges, but it still wasn’t enough for level 60. Sure, I could grind, and there’s New Game Plus, but still, the authors could have balanced it out a bit better. The new skills, such as the ability to collect resources while riding a tamed robo-animal, the ability to convert some excess resources into in-game currency, or the increase in inventory, are particularly pleasing. You’ll also be able to get new suits, upgraded versions of bows, and, most importantly, use a trio of new weapons. And if you complete the necessary side quests, you’ll upgrade your new arsenal to an even more powerful form. There’s definitely a motivation to complete most of the side content. New additions include the flamethrower or its ice and lightning versions. Do you find it boring and uninteresting? I thought so too at first. However, the aforementioned weapons differ significantly in their control and firing methods, and they are definitely not just simple variations.

Formidable Foes and Fierce Battles

While it is possible to finish the game without picking up the new weapons, once you upgrade and learn how to use them, they become your best friends. You just have to take good care of them, as they consume a huge amount of ammo. And that’s what you’ll really need because Frozen Wilds isn’t one of those expansions that you’ll run through with a properly upgraded character with your hands behind your back. I was a little disappointed that there were only two new enemy types. On the other hand, these are extremely tough opponents.

The fiery scorcher can cover incredibly long distances in one jump and, in addition to its infernal agility, it has a number of attacks that are not easily avoided. Even worse is Frostclaw, who I’ve continued to nickname my own “strong bastard” as he can take a lot of hits, you have no chance at all at close range, and at a distance, he can kill you with millimeter accuracy either with a thrown piece of rock or chunks of ice shooting out of the ground. Not to mention the more powerful fire version, which is the real hell you’re about to experience. My desperation was quite unbearable at times because in some situations you even have to fight two such beasts. However, with time I managed to find an effective way to deal with them quickly and easily, and eventually managed to defeat them in record time in the hunting challenge.

AI Quirks and Combat Challenges

Unfortunately, it’s during the fights that perhaps the game’s biggest problem becomes apparent. The noticeable problem is with the AI. Enemies are strong; they often chase you for long periods of time, and their attacks hurt. But each battle with a tough opponent seems to consist of both fighting itself and subconsciously searching for a way to overcome the AI’s limits. This was probably best seen in a fight with a very powerful version of Snapmaw. The fight took place on land near a lake, and this crocodile, suffering from an unexplained phobia of water, refused to follow me. It’s an extreme case, but sometimes opponents don’t go after you enough like this for some reason. They prefer to snipe you from a distance, even though you successfully dodge their attacks. Other times, you chase each other around a natural obstacle over and over again. It would be far more effective for the beast to jump the obstacle and keep you in its sights at all times. The problem isn’t that the robotic beast can’t get to such elevated terrain. It’s just that its weaker intelligence won’t allow it to unless you climb up first.

Human Companions and Stunning Visuals

In the game, you are sometimes helped by human companions. It’s 50/50 with them in similar situations. Sometimes they’re very helpful, other times they’re totally useless. I’ve even had them stop moving during a hugely tense fight due to a bug. That’s not good. In the case of Horizon, I probably don’t need to go into the graphics too much. The game still remains beautiful, and I spent some time with the excellent Photo Mod. So once again you marvel at the beautiful open world with its unique remnants of our lost civilization, once again you’re treated to beautiful panoramic views of the snowy landscape or the breathtaking aforementioned conversations where the characters come to life with fantastic detail, and convincing facial animations. The game perfectly combines artistic and imaginative elements with cutting-edge technology. Related to the snowy terrain is the fact that deep snow makes it harder to move around, and blizzards reduce visibility quite a bit. There are also parts in the bunkers and interiors that are reminiscent of our “lost world.”

Immersive Landscapes and Lost Civilizations

I’m still a little disappointed in Horizon that the filmmakers are relying on narration through audio recordings and journal entries in these moments, instead of trying to add some human element to places like this. So you keep running into the same monitors, metal cabinets, and desks. Despite this, I have to admit that in the final phase of the story, you will look into interiors that you will stare at with your mouth wide open. The graphic designers have played around with them a lot, and the giant futuristic machines at work here are of incredible quality.

Conclusion

Frozen Wilds is, by and large, a quality expansion. It’s not a cash grab recycling old ideas, instead, it offers plenty of interesting characters and stories, none of which should be missed. The game offers a tougher difficulty, but the joy of winning is a bigger reward.

Where To Buy The Game

Steam (PC): Available for $59.99 in the Horizon complete edition. You can purchase it directly from Steam.
PlayStation Store (PS4): Standalone DLC available for $14.99. You can find it on the PlayStation Store.

Official Page: Visit the official Horizon Zero Dawn page for more information.
Subreddit: Join the discussion on the Horizon Zero Dawn Subreddit.