There can be no doubt that Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the biggest success stories last year. It was only recently that the game had celebrated its first anniversary since launch and it was revealed that the game had sold more than 7.6 million units worldwide. To answer some questions about the game’s story and development, Guerrilla Games conducted an AMA session on Reddit and answered a lot of the fans’ questions.

The questions were answered by Ashly Burch who voiced Aloy and Ben McCaw who was the lead writer for the game. The questions and answers range from very specific details in the story to even some less serious topiscs. When asked what was the mission or the “end-goal” behind making the game, Ben McCaw replied “In addition to making it a kick-ass story about machines and tribes and epic threats to the world, we wanted it to be personal. We wanted it to be about bonds of love that cross generations, ties that can survive any destructive force. And on a very basic level, we wanted it to be about a woman’s search for her mother. We hope that came through, and from the response, it seems like it has.”

There’s also a lot of content that we didn’t get to see in the game because it was cut. Some content that was initially cut from the base game did make its way to The Frozen Wilds expansion, but some others we never got to see. Among the cut content was a quest line where Aloy visits the Oseram tribe which is a highly patriarchal society. This is what Ben McCaw had to say regarding this quest line, “This question made me take a walk down memory lane! We had a quest line that had Aloy visit the Oseram territory of the Claim at one point. She was definitely going to shake things up a bit.”

It’s  evident that there are still a lot of untold stories in the game’s world that are worth exploring, so we’ll hopefully get to hear news of a sequel soon enough.

Guerrilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn has hit a strong milestone just one year after launch. It’s sold over 7.6 million units worldwide, becoming the best-selling new first party franchise for the PlayStation 4.

Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios Shawn Layden issued a statement on the game’s success, noting that, “We are incredibly grateful that Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Zero Dawn – The Frozen Wilds have been received so positively by so many gamers and it is a testament to the fantastic work of the entire team at Guerrilla. The combination of beautiful story-telling and great characters, with excellent gameplay mechanics, has resonated well with fans and led to this exceptional sales milestone.”

Hermen Hulst, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Guerrilla Games, added, “We had huge ambition for Horizon: Zero Dawn and as we approached the launch we knew people were excited, but to see sales of this volume is truly mind blowing. Since launch, millions of players have joined Aloy on a quest to discover the secrets of the old ones. We hope they enjoy playing Horizon Zero Dawn as much as we enjoyed making it.”

Horizon: Zero Dawn launched on February 28th 2017 and received strong critical praise for its open world design, gorgeous visuals, enemy design and intriguing story. The plot focuses on Aloy, an outcast wandering the post-apocalyptic, machine-filled world to learn more about GAIA and the world’s end. It’s received widespread critical praise including several awards since launch.

An expansion called The Frozen Wilds released last year, adding new enemies, missions, gear and mechanics to the game on top of a brand new story. You can check out our review of the same here. For our official review of the base game, you can head here.

These menacing towers have the power to influence the robot beasts in different ways, making them more aggressive and more feral than ever before. They’ve also gained the ability to heal and repair themselves, as well. If this sounds an awful lot like the corruption of the corrupters in the original game you’d be right. Similarities are parallel to an extent. And It’s Aloy’s job, once again, to unravel the mystery of this initimidating Daemon creature and return it back to where it came from.

"Horizon Zero Dawn excelled in its attention to detail, beautiful vistas, rich colors and the sheer amount of perspective placed into every pixel. The Frozen Wilds is no different in that respect."

Upon entering The Cut you will immediately take note of its land formation, structures and villages, as they are nearly identical to the original game. If you’ve already played Horizon Zero Dawn, you won’t experience much that looks new within the first few hours of the expansion from an aesthetic perspective. It looks identical to the opening of the original with nothing but snow and mountains for miles around. Horizon Zero Dawn excelled in its attention to detail, beautiful vistas, rich colors and the sheer amount of perspective placed into every pixel.

The Frozen Wilds is no different in that respect. However, when I was playing I noticed that the game wasn’t as clean, clear, and crisp as the original. Pop-in issues occurred more frequently and at much closer distance, shadows bounced back and forth, and some NPC characters had a strange gleam covering their bodies. Upon talking with some of them, the gleam went away for a few moments and then came back. Furthermore, for a DLC centered around a snowy atmosphere, the snow effects are mediocre. Some environmental objects like say plants will show snow effects while others don’t even act like they are present in a snowy area. Snowfall effects aren’t all that impressive, giving it a very two-dimensional appearance.

However, what returns in full force are the core gameplay mechanics, and they’re still just as you remember them: really, really good. Aloy moves as smoothly and swiftly as a feather through a breeze. Her parkour abilities are unmatched and help her avoid the dangers of the robotic wildlife that stretches across the untamed land. New weapons and abilities help Aloy take on new and old creatures alike. You’ll be introduced to a new melee weapon that isn’t much different from previous ones in the base game. The combat manages to provide a very solid experience with stealth elements returning allowing you to sneak up on enemies, and the satisfaction of taking down even the smallest beast has its rewards.

"You’ll face off against similar robot beasts such as Watchers, Broadheads, Stormbirds, and Snapmaws; along with new enemy types like a Scorcher, and a large bear… or at least I think it’s a bear."

Most enemies within The Frozen Wilds are scrubbed over with a new look and effects, but not much new in terms of their objective or attack patterns. You’ll face off against similar robot beasts such as Watchers, Broadheads, Stormbirds, and Snapmaws; along with new enemy types like a Scorcher, and a large bear… or at least I think it’s a bear. New enemies means new attacks, like one of them will spit out ice towards Aloy causing her to freeze to death. If you thought the Thunderjaw was a truly frightening prospect in the base game, the beasts you’ll meet in The Frozen Wilds sometimes go far and beyond that level of terror.

Enemies were as ferocious as I remembered them in the original lands. Their AI simulation is largely similar, however, this time around enemies move in herds more than on their own, so running will be your best bet for the most part if you get caught. If you’re courageous enough and quick on your feet, you can take on the enemies with Aloy’s move sets that are just as fun as I remember them to be, and easy to relearn for those who haven’t played in a few months. There are a series of new skills to unlock, but they lack that originality the base game had, giving them a taste of an all-too-familiar feel about them.

Aloy is alone in this adventure just like in the original lands. However, as a player you won’t feel alone while playing through The Frozen Wilds. Aloy likes to talk her experience through to the player; and she is as sassy, quick witted, and clever as ever. Her snarky come-backs and mind-bending realizations really keep her character focused with well paced deliveries on dialog, as well as keeping the player intrigued to know just what she might discover next. Aloy always gives the feeling that she is in charge of the situation and the game never lets you forget that she is a master of the wilds, even if she is new to this snowy environment.

"The Frozen Wilds is a must have expansion pack for Horizon Zero Dawn players. It’s filled with a ton of content and adds more to Aloy’s character."

This brings me to the one of the major points of contention in The Frozen Wilds. I had already spent many, many hours in the winter wonderland back in the original game. A “been-there-done-that” feeling stretches across the entirety of this adventure and this it rarely lets go. And though there are new collectibles to find, puzzles to solve and ferocious beasts to fight against, there is still a sense of similarity with The Frozen Wilds which makes the experience a bit less unique compared to phenomenal original. The Frozen Wilds doesn’t offer much in terms of “new.” You’ll talk to a similar cast of side characters who always seem to have a piece of the legend you’re after but never the whole thing.

But even with a similar experience, The Frozen Wilds is a must have expansion pack for Horizon Zero Dawn players. It’s filled with a ton of content and adds more to Aloy’s character. In the end, if you are thirsty for more Horizon experience before the inevitable sequel, then The Frozen Wilds will quench your thirst.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

One of the most highly acclaimed games of the year, Horizon Zero Dawn is getting its first and only expansion in a few days. The new expansion known as The Frozen Wilds will explore the story and culture of the Banuk. PlayStation has now released a trailer that features interviews with the team behind the game as they talk about the inspirations and themes which have made its way into this new expansion.

Narrative Director John Gonzalez speaks of how they had written pages and pages about the Banuk even before they had started work on this expansion. He says, “This was really an opportunity to flesh them (the Banuk) out so much more.”  The Banuk are a nomadic tribe who inhabit the icy region known as ‘The Cut.’ They do not farm and therefore depend on hunting for survival.

As Lead Concept Artist Roland Ijzermans has stated, Yellowstone has been a huge inspiration for the new region, drawing upon its terrain and colors for inspiration.  Meanwhile Alloy’s own story will continue as she tries to uncover a new mystery in the new region.

The Frozen Wilds is set to release for the PS4 on November 7^th.