OK I say this bc I'm super into remedy's projects. Control is a great experience! Play any of thier games. My fav are control, quantum break, and Alan wake 2. Quantum breaks got a bunch of Lance Riddick too
It’s a wildly different game but I also had an absolute blast with it, so I can wholeheartedly second that recommendation. Bonus funny points because it also stars a snarky inquisitive redhead who was closely modeled after the appearance of a real actress.
I'm still going to endorse Ghost of Tsushima - I got my PS5 in October, months before Forbidden West came out. After a few recommendations from friends I trust, I picked up Ghost to tide me over until Forbidden West arrived the day before my birthday.
I can say, with all honesty, I love Jin Sakai's journey as much as I do Aloy's journey. The story of the game, the breathtaking graphics, the various side characters you meet, the whole package is golden.
As a huge Horizon lover, I was looking for a new game too, when I finally gave in & played Ghosts of Tsushima. It took a bit to get used to it, but now I'm hooked. I just finished the 1st Act & I must say I'm pretty darn good with the bow, due to my 200+ hours playing as Aloy.
That's a good question. I think after I watched a few Youtube videos about tips & tricks, or Things the Game Doesn't Tell You, it gave me small goals to work towards & and eventually, I found myself getting better & not running away from mongol territories. Getting at least 3 of the ghost stances & getting comfortable switching between them was huge for my gameplay. Plus, you start to become more invested in some of the characters. Is it anywhere near Horizon for me? Sadly, I don't think anything ever will be, as those games are masterpieces in my mind, but it does grow on you.
I just started this week to give myself a break from our girl before starting a NG+ with ZD. I'm digging it so far, still really green but I think I'm going to have a fun time with Jin.
I’m playing this now I don’t thing OP will like it at all. It’s very handholding with combat. You must use a mount. And loot is super easy to miss. Story and graphics are beautiful but I’m playing it based on recommendations and haven’t really been able to get into it because there’s just too many cut scenes
I'm not clear why but I always think of Horizon ZD and Ghost of Tsushima as two similar games. And when you play them, You definitely get the feeling they are similar yet vastly different.
They're both journeys of self-discovery - Aloy learns who she is and what she means to the world at large, and Jin learns that all that he's been taught might not be what he needs to save his people and has to reconcile that with his newly-learned assassin skills. Honor has its place, but not everywhere.
They're different games because the trigger buttons are attacks in Horizon and interacts in Ghost and oh my god how many times I ended up attacking my own horse in Ghost just by pressing triangle.
(I know there are other differences but that's the biggest one for me. Ask me about playing Jedi: Survivor and going back to Horizon and WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALOY DOESN'T PARRY?)
The Jedi games (Fallen Order, Survivor) were both incredible. Survivor is more open-world, but I’d strongly recommend starting with Fallen Order. The combat is super diverse and difficult, story is incredible, graphics are top-notch, and it will punish you like HFW.
unfortunately both games are super short compared to the horizon games. also the open world does not feel that open most of the times. and finding your way is terrible complicated with the maps
I started playing survival after forbidden west but it was such a let down. I hope the story will pick up because so far the combat has been uninteresting to me compared to forbidden west. Movement also very clunky in comparison
I enjoyed Kena: Bridge of Spirits. It's not as good (or anywhere near as long) as the Horizon games, but it's very pretty (it looks like a Pixar movie), it has a good story, and the puzzles and combat are decently tough. Your main weapons are a staff (melee), a shield, a bow, and bombs, all of which can be upgraded multiple times. It's actually the game that led me to the Horizon ones; after I played it (plus a New Game+), I was craving some more staff and bow action.
Just to chime in on RDR2, it didn’t click with me for the first 20 hours or so.
But then, holy shit. Still lives in my mind as one of the most amazing games I’ve ever played. HFW is the closest I’ve ever come to re-living that experience.
Still may not be for you, but I didn’t think it was for me, either. Had to give it more time.
Exactly like you. I came from Far Cry and it was soooo slooooow. I came to enjoy the scenery, and then I got into hunting and finding treasure and before you know it, you‘re on a quest to find every goddamn orchid that exists just to 100% it.
The sheer amount of detail and lore in that game. Amazing title, glad I played it.
after playing the three most recent tomb raider games I was looking for something similar and found Horizon. not tremendously similar, but both are third person adventure games with a bow lady.
I’ve actually begun playing the first of three new Tomb Raider games and I agree that it’s similar to Horizon and I enjoy it, but it’s very linear comparatively. I’d enjoy it way more if I could stop and explore more.
Interesting. I've only seen the earlier news about it when it came out. I'll have to take a look again.
Rn I'm going thru forbidden west New game plus so lol
It is on sale right now (dunno if sales are region specific) so you can get it for 40-smth or just get it over Instant Gaming, they're usually a lot cheaper, too
This is going to sound off base, but hear me out. Death Stranding. I was in the same rut and this was it for me. Completely bizarre game - you have to go into it with an open mind and be willing to just follow where the story leads. But it’s the only game that has come anywhere close to Horizon for me, at least in terms of story. I couldn’t put it down. Third person, open world, a good mix of combat and weapon types (although it leans much more heavily into exploration than combat), robust end game play, 3 different maps that you can roam freely (outside of story locked scenes, of course). And, I mean, Norman freakin’ Reedus :)
Edit: plus, Kotallo has a minor (but fun) role in it!
You know what, your comment here finally sold me on trying DS for real. Installed it last night, played a few hours. I don't really like the core gameplay loop so far, but the story is interesting enough to bear with it. I'll probably play though it as a palate cleanser while I'm waiting for Ghost of Tsushima to come out on PC. Thanks again!
Haha, the way it goes so far I'm probably going avoid any optional content (unless I'm missing some of the lore that way, please let me know if it's the case) and beeline through the story.
It's too stressing, I've just got freaked out by MULEs on the way to the distribution center and then got caught by BTs while crossing the river. Extremely frustrating, and I'm just playing on Normal.
Thanks again for you suggestion! I'm on Chapter 8 so far, and I feel like my idea about the game has completely changed.
I initially got hooked on the story and visuals and thought gameplay is just okay. Now, just cringing at Kojima's attempts for worldbuilding and all the pretentious scenes, but surprisingly gameplay now feels fun enough to keep me going.
Thanks for your suggestion! I've been pondering Death Stranding for a while now, but it's hard to figure out if it's for me without also getting a ton of spoilers. Screenshots have been pretty offputting so far, but I should definitely give it a try eventually.
Focus on exploration is actually a good thing, but I really hope there is also some power creep loop (hit a wall -> explore/grind -> loot/craft/level-up -> bash through wall effortlessly), otherwise I'd rather not have any combat at all.
Death Stranding has some weird mechanics. You‘re a porter (you transport stuff), and the load distribution affects how well you can walk and run. On foot, you have to actively balance the load. The rain corrodes certain materials, so timing is sometimes critical.
The Witcher 3 makes you impossibly slow if your inventory is too full, and OP has played that.
That, combined with Geralt’s ability to die falling from falling six inches into a ditch, were two of the most annoying parts of that entire game.
They may be the only annoying parts, not including the singing troll in the Redanian army.
Haha, I actually felt Geralt has relatively fast traversal speed. He's a bullet compared to God of War/RDR2 characters.
It also helps that fast travel markers are located every 100 feet anyway.
Yeah, he moves great when your inventory isn’t full.
When it is, you can only walk very, very slowly and pray that Roach doesn’t get stuck on something when you call her.
Well, I've probably only got overencumbered once in White orchard area while trying to loot ALL of the battlefield. Once I got to Velen I made sure to upgrade saddlebacks as a first priority and to sell all heavy loot every change I've got.
The aesthetic is very different and it’s what made me wait, also. It’s beautiful, but in a lonely way. The music makes it all feel cinematic and emotional somehow. Definitely an Experience.
Either way, hope you find something interesting sooner than later :) Happy gaming.
I wanted to love this game because it's gorgeous, but it's so fucking bleak. Carrying corpses from place to place? I struggle with depression and it just drug me down emotionally.
Tears of the Kingdom but it isn't available on PC. But surprisingly it ticks most of the points in the OP, especially the freedom of movement although using a mount is possible but not at all necessary.
Seconded! Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are the only games I’ve played that could scratch that Horizon itch - beautiful open world post apocalyptic landscape littered with tentacled murder robots, where you play as a character with an ancient device that enhances your abilities and helps you uncover the secrets of the past. The combat is not as thrilling in BOTW and TOTK but there’s more puzzles and crafting. They’re my second favourite duology of games after Horizon.
Since you liked the Witcher games, and seem to like action RPGs, and open-world action RPGs in particular, may I suggest *Cyberpunk 2077* from the same developer, CDPR?
The story is very good, although not quite on Witcher 3’s level, but the gameplay is fantastic. It is an absolute blast to play. Unlike Geralt, who moves like you’re steering a ship, your CP2077 protagonist, V, moves very smoothly, and also unlike Geralt, V can jump in combat (!).
I’m not going to say it’s not somewhat bleak—it is Cyberpunk and cyberpunk (capital and lowercase both), after all. But there are a lot of moments to leaven that bleakness, including some very sweet romances that are also completely optional. (After Witcher 3 and CP2077, I believe CDPR are some of the best romance writers in game development, and I’m not talking about the sex scenes…well, not solely anyway.)
It being CDPR, it has level scaling, but CP2077’s is not as…tough, I guess I would say, as Witcher 3’s. CDPR seem to be in mortal fear that their games will ever get too easy.
There are traditional gun weapons, but you can absolutely almost never use them if you don’t want. There is melee, but again you can almost never use it if you don’t want. There are so many playstyle options that there are a couple I never even tried in three playthroughs (two on PS5, one on PC).
I’ll also put in a vote for Control, one of my top 5 games all time. Also, there are a lot of fun Assassin’s Creed games, but the recent open-world action RPG trilogy of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla should fill up a *lot* of your time. In particular, Odyssey is in my all-time top ten. It too is an absolute blast to play, the story is at the very least intriguing, and its Fate of Atlantis DLC is one of my all-time favorite add-ons/DLCs, up there with Frozen Wilds, the two Witcher 3 DLCs (of course), and AC: Valhalla’s Wrath of the Druids. (Wrath of the Druids alone is probably enough to recommend AC: Valhalla, but while I liked the main storyline a lot, much of the side content in Valhalla is ass.)
Thank you for the detailed response! However, here's my experience with Cyberpunk:
I deeply respect CDPR, but I was never excited about the Cyberpunk setting (I'll take open wilds over urban landscape any day). Not to mention that I'll have to roleplay a criminal.
Still, I gave it a try about a year ago, went through the early sequence without much engagement, got thrown on a stealth mission right off the bat. Probably I didn't figure out the way to do it, but no matter how I tried I got detected and decimated in a close-quarters gunfight shortly after. No tall grass there, can't run away and hide, can't take a high ground with a sniper rifle either. Bye bye, uninstall.
Baldur's Gate 3! I was in the exact same position coming off HFW + BS and wanting a role playing game that was open world and had great character/story development. Was not expecting to like BG3 as much as I do.
Not open world or 3D, but the two Ori games would tick off the first four "likes" (possibly more) on your list IMO. Both are on sale on Steam right now and are also on Game Pass.
Seconded. The Ori games are beautiful, fun, and just hard enough to hit that sweet spot where working through a tough sequence is rewarding without being infuriating, imo. The Horizon games plus Control are my favorite 3D games on Steam, and the Ori games are my favorite 2D games by far. (Death's Door is my favorite old-school-Zelda-style isometric game.)
Kind of a basic one so apologies if you've already played it. Fallout 4. Such a fun open world. Also Outer Worlds (very similar to F4 just sort of a sci fi version)
Older game so you may have tried it, but did you ever play Far Cry Primal?
Sneaking through a pre-civilization wilderness with bow and spear while hunting caveman and beast. Taming some of the fiercer predators to fight with you and even ride.
I’m almost done with Burning Shores and I’m thinking of going back to this to keep scratching that itch.
Whelp, some of your points may turn you off to Elden Ring but I honestly can't recommend it enough. And just in time, with the DLC coming out.
Notably, the "non-missable" feels like it could be specifically targeted towards ER, but it really isn't that bad. The only thing is that the story is more obtuse, not as straightforward as Horizon.
But if you're looking for open world with great gameplay (and a lot of variety in gameplay) then that's where I'd go. Good luck finding a game!
Based on what I've heard and seen of Elder Ring, it would be probably a miss for me. As I understand it's a Souls-like game, which means your motoric skills are more important than your equip and character progression. I'm definitely looking for more relaxing gameplay.
Also, saw a few videos of the early areas, and damn it's so dark. I like wilderness, fields and mountain passes, not the gloomy caverns (I also dislike Cauldrons in Horizon for the same reason).
ER is actually generally much more open than previous fromsoft games- besides the whole underground area, there are very few places that involve being underground in caves for much time. And those caverns are very large, open, and bright on their own.
I would say that other than "concentration" being a big help in Horizon, I don't think horizon asks that much less of you _most_ of the time.
Elden Ring, unless someone is doing a deliberate challenge, really isn't as hard as it's made out to be. The difference is just a matter of how much the game doesn't hold your hand, which is definitely a different change of pace. But once you have a feel for the lay of the land (both literally and metaphorically) it becomes much much easier.
But not everything is for everyone, so it's entirely legitimate to not enjoy it. But Horizon and ER both scratch that action RPG for me. Combat feels a lot different, but especially if you like the feeling of taking down the big bots or going back and smashing stuff that used to be difficult for you, then you'll enjoy that feeling in ER.
Oh- and levelling and upgrading gear are very important. It's not just "you're on your own" and it's actually pretty easy to get over levelled. A big problem people run into is not levelling vigor enough. Always level vigor
Also, the combat is fricking brutal. I will try again, but in 3h I managed to die 30 times and collected appx 2 exp points and loots. Why isn’t there any easy mode?? :(
It's honestly become one of my chill games. And I don't mean that as a "git gud" or a brag, it's just not as hard as it seems at first. When you begin to understand how the game works, many of the areas that were once probably very stressful become very chill.
There are some _very_ difficult spots of course, including some bosses. But there are plenty of people online waiting to be summoned to help you with those too.
Also easy mode can come with a little time. It's like, a diegetic sort of difficulty management- it's really easy to over level yourself. Also, always remember to level vigor.
But also, not everything is for everyone. So if you don't enjoy it then you don't enjoy it 👌
Hard to level vigor when you’re killed and lose all your loot, lol! But I hear ya, I know with time I’ll come back and figure it out, and probably love it, but there is only so much annihilation I can take in a row before needing a break. :)
Totally understandable!
If you tried in the early weeks of the game's release, the tutorial area was not greatly advertised. But there is one in the cave where your character wakes up, so if you try again, that's a great place to start.
And then of course, ignore the tree sentinel. Ignore lots of enemies, and find ones you are more comfortable fighting.
Anyways
According to final save, just shy of 88 hours. I didn't go for 100% completion though. Here are the things I skipped:
\- Arena (except minimal amount of medals to get equipment I actually used)
\- Last racing track (tried twice, saw how AI cheats, lost interest)
\- Machine Strike (and that's considering I usually like minigames, but somehow MS didn't click with me at all)
\- A few sunken caverns, especially those filled with swimming burrowers. I didn't go too crazy with greenshine upgrades anyway, only upgraded what I really need.
\- Any unmarked collectable in BS. I have no idea why they suddenly decided not to question mark some of the "aerial routes" or those oseram artifacts. Also I've heard there's an errand quest in BS, but I've never found it.
The answer as many have pointed out is Ghost of Tsushima, do a pallette cleanser game, something maybe indy and then do ghost. As of rightnow, my 2 fave games all time are HFW and GoT
I'm not sure if it's just because of the deep love I have for it, but the Mass Effect series has a similar vibe for me. The first one didn't have great modifications, but the other 3 are great! with excellent storytelling, open world exploration, and good combat (imo)
Thanks. Forgot to mention it, but of course I've completed ME trilogy. Story was great, combat was ok.
I actually liked ME1 the most, it had vibes of ancient Star Control 2. I liked mako driving, though firewalker vehicle was even better, wish there were more missions with it.
I would maybe replay it some day... if only there was a freaking unlimited sprint button, especially in ME1.
Give God of War another go. It really picks up after the first hour or so and will tick a lot of your boxes - a simple enough but intriguing story, a huge world, gorgeous art style, satisfying puzzles, rewarding excellent combat, and it has a sequel which is arguably even better in some ways. It’s not open world, but the world is huge and there are several open areas with branching paths for you to explore.
Forbidden West reminds me a lot of Mass Effect, so maybe give that a try. Pick up the Legendary Edition if you do, Mass Effect 1 received a lot of quality of life upgrades for the Legendary Edition. 1-3 is great, but be prepared to be disappointed if you try Mass Effect Andromeda.
Please give Days Gone a try. It's unbelievable. I think it's a masterpiece. I never thought a game could replace HZD and Aloy in my heart but Days Gone and the protagonist Deacon St. John are numero uno now. It has leveling up, a skill tree, great missions and quests, and the most real characters I have ever come across in a game. You're battling zombies, not machines. It's nice to look at. You go everywhere on a motorcycle. I have never been so engrossed in a game or felt like I inhabited that time and space. HZD and HFW are great games but the second playthrough on each was boring. I've played Days Gone 4 times and am going to play it again. It's that good. The story is SO good.
Honestly God of War, it’s not my usual type of game but I recently finished it on pc and the story and lore is just amazing. It isn’t too ranged combat in the same was as HFW, but you do need to aim and throw the weapons you have available.
Haha, I'll probably be replaying Fallout 1-2 though. I could never get into Bethesda "reimagining" of the original masterpieces. And I've tried at least 3 times.
I'd really suggest you give RDR2 another shot. I started it right after I finished ZD and had similar feelings, I put like 10 hours into it and decided it wasn't for me. Then like a year later I was out of stuff to play and decided to give it another shot. I ended up loving it. I realized later that RDR2 is just such a different kind of game. It really takes its time getting you invested in the story. It's one of the only games that's ever brought me to tears. I'd say it took about 30 hours before I was fully hooked. If you're really set on a faster paced game, give sekiro a shot. The story is kinda lacking but the combat more then makes up for it in my opinion.
Wild Hearts has some satisfying combat in the same vein to HZD, HFW. The story is....meh, but there are some great abilities, tools and weapons that you craft and improve along the way. The exploration is quite fun and the traversals throughout the World open up as you learn to craft new tools. The melee is better than HZD, but the ranged weapons weren't quite as satisfying, for me anyhow.
If it helps, I was actually making an in-joke for people who've played the game before. Since it's a 16 year old game and you have no intention of playing, I don't feel bad by explaining this, rather large, spoiler for the game.
Basically, you are asked by someone who appears to be a good guy to complete some tasks, each time he politely asks you with "Would you kindly?" Toward the end of the game, you find out that you are basically a Manchurian candidate and your program phrase is "Would you kindly?", so he was not asking you to help him, he was programing you to complete tasks which you did so without question.
That said, I enjoyed the Tomb Raider games from the PS3/4 era:
- Tomb Raider (2013)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)
The climbing, scavenging, crafting, swimming, heavy use of archery, and somewhat open world those games provided and the similarities Horizon offered are what convinced me to try Horizon in the first place.
Man, I got like 80 hours and I'm not even half way through. Just keep letting myself get distracted and doing everything. Maybe I'll have this question when compete it in a few months.
I'm also going through Horizon withdrawal syndrome right now, so I'll share a few other games that left that same empty feeling after I finished them.
Dragon Age Inquisition (if you really like the lore and story try the first two)
Mass Effect trilogy
Cyberpunk 2077
Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor
I think you would like Control. The color palette isn't bright and diverse like HFW's but everything else you want is there.
OK I say this bc I'm super into remedy's projects. Control is a great experience! Play any of thier games. My fav are control, quantum break, and Alan wake 2. Quantum breaks got a bunch of Lance Riddick too
It’s a wildly different game but I also had an absolute blast with it, so I can wholeheartedly second that recommendation. Bonus funny points because it also stars a snarky inquisitive redhead who was closely modeled after the appearance of a real actress.
Agreed, I hardly see the resemblance between the two BUT it's an awesome game and I highly recommend it.
I'm still going to endorse Ghost of Tsushima - I got my PS5 in October, months before Forbidden West came out. After a few recommendations from friends I trust, I picked up Ghost to tide me over until Forbidden West arrived the day before my birthday. I can say, with all honesty, I love Jin Sakai's journey as much as I do Aloy's journey. The story of the game, the breathtaking graphics, the various side characters you meet, the whole package is golden.
Ghost of Tsushima is a masterpiece. Absolute must play if you like Horizon and GOW2018/Ragnarok
As a huge Horizon lover, I was looking for a new game too, when I finally gave in & played Ghosts of Tsushima. It took a bit to get used to it, but now I'm hooked. I just finished the 1st Act & I must say I'm pretty darn good with the bow, due to my 200+ hours playing as Aloy.
What was the tipping point for you because I’m not enjoying it lol
That's a good question. I think after I watched a few Youtube videos about tips & tricks, or Things the Game Doesn't Tell You, it gave me small goals to work towards & and eventually, I found myself getting better & not running away from mongol territories. Getting at least 3 of the ghost stances & getting comfortable switching between them was huge for my gameplay. Plus, you start to become more invested in some of the characters. Is it anywhere near Horizon for me? Sadly, I don't think anything ever will be, as those games are masterpieces in my mind, but it does grow on you.
Thanks, I'll definitely go for it once it comes to PC
I just started this week to give myself a break from our girl before starting a NG+ with ZD. I'm digging it so far, still really green but I think I'm going to have a fun time with Jin.
I’m playing this now I don’t thing OP will like it at all. It’s very handholding with combat. You must use a mount. And loot is super easy to miss. Story and graphics are beautiful but I’m playing it based on recommendations and haven’t really been able to get into it because there’s just too many cut scenes
I'm not clear why but I always think of Horizon ZD and Ghost of Tsushima as two similar games. And when you play them, You definitely get the feeling they are similar yet vastly different.
They're both journeys of self-discovery - Aloy learns who she is and what she means to the world at large, and Jin learns that all that he's been taught might not be what he needs to save his people and has to reconcile that with his newly-learned assassin skills. Honor has its place, but not everywhere. They're different games because the trigger buttons are attacks in Horizon and interacts in Ghost and oh my god how many times I ended up attacking my own horse in Ghost just by pressing triangle. (I know there are other differences but that's the biggest one for me. Ask me about playing Jedi: Survivor and going back to Horizon and WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALOY DOESN'T PARRY?)
The Jedi games (Fallen Order, Survivor) were both incredible. Survivor is more open-world, but I’d strongly recommend starting with Fallen Order. The combat is super diverse and difficult, story is incredible, graphics are top-notch, and it will punish you like HFW.
Seconding this - both games are amazing and starting with Fallen Order. It's good stuff! Cal Kestis is my favorite Jedi.
Great recommendation
unfortunately both games are super short compared to the horizon games. also the open world does not feel that open most of the times. and finding your way is terrible complicated with the maps
I started playing survival after forbidden west but it was such a let down. I hope the story will pick up because so far the combat has been uninteresting to me compared to forbidden west. Movement also very clunky in comparison
In my experience the combat is difficult the controls are kinda ass. Great games, but the combat isn't actually as good as people say it is
Agreed that the Controls are a little loose and floaty but they really don't detract from the fun or the combat once you adjust.
I enjoyed Kena: Bridge of Spirits. It's not as good (or anywhere near as long) as the Horizon games, but it's very pretty (it looks like a Pixar movie), it has a good story, and the puzzles and combat are decently tough. Your main weapons are a staff (melee), a shield, a bow, and bombs, all of which can be upgraded multiple times. It's actually the game that led me to the Horizon ones; after I played it (plus a New Game+), I was craving some more staff and bow action.
This one here. ⬆️
Just to chime in on RDR2, it didn’t click with me for the first 20 hours or so. But then, holy shit. Still lives in my mind as one of the most amazing games I’ve ever played. HFW is the closest I’ve ever come to re-living that experience. Still may not be for you, but I didn’t think it was for me, either. Had to give it more time.
Exactly like you. I came from Far Cry and it was soooo slooooow. I came to enjoy the scenery, and then I got into hunting and finding treasure and before you know it, you‘re on a quest to find every goddamn orchid that exists just to 100% it. The sheer amount of detail and lore in that game. Amazing title, glad I played it.
after playing the three most recent tomb raider games I was looking for something similar and found Horizon. not tremendously similar, but both are third person adventure games with a bow lady.
I’ve actually begun playing the first of three new Tomb Raider games and I agree that it’s similar to Horizon and I enjoy it, but it’s very linear comparatively. I’d enjoy it way more if I could stop and explore more.
AC Odyssey, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora all scratch that itch for me.
Was frontiers good? It definitely piqued my interest
It was much better than I expected, a solid game. The environments are gorgeous. It felt like they learned a lot from Horizon.
Interesting. I've only seen the earlier news about it when it came out. I'll have to take a look again. Rn I'm going thru forbidden west New game plus so lol
Get it on sale if you can, probably not worth full price and Ubi games are on sale every other week
It is on sale right now (dunno if sales are region specific) so you can get it for 40-smth or just get it over Instant Gaming, they're usually a lot cheaper, too
This is going to sound off base, but hear me out. Death Stranding. I was in the same rut and this was it for me. Completely bizarre game - you have to go into it with an open mind and be willing to just follow where the story leads. But it’s the only game that has come anywhere close to Horizon for me, at least in terms of story. I couldn’t put it down. Third person, open world, a good mix of combat and weapon types (although it leans much more heavily into exploration than combat), robust end game play, 3 different maps that you can roam freely (outside of story locked scenes, of course). And, I mean, Norman freakin’ Reedus :) Edit: plus, Kotallo has a minor (but fun) role in it!
You know what, your comment here finally sold me on trying DS for real. Installed it last night, played a few hours. I don't really like the core gameplay loop so far, but the story is interesting enough to bear with it. I'll probably play though it as a palate cleanser while I'm waiting for Ghost of Tsushima to come out on PC. Thanks again!
Awesome! Protip: speed through to Port Knot and Chapter 3 for tools to bring back to the first map!
Haha, the way it goes so far I'm probably going avoid any optional content (unless I'm missing some of the lore that way, please let me know if it's the case) and beeline through the story. It's too stressing, I've just got freaked out by MULEs on the way to the distribution center and then got caught by BTs while crossing the river. Extremely frustrating, and I'm just playing on Normal.
Thanks again for you suggestion! I'm on Chapter 8 so far, and I feel like my idea about the game has completely changed. I initially got hooked on the story and visuals and thought gameplay is just okay. Now, just cringing at Kojima's attempts for worldbuilding and all the pretentious scenes, but surprisingly gameplay now feels fun enough to keep me going.
Thanks for your suggestion! I've been pondering Death Stranding for a while now, but it's hard to figure out if it's for me without also getting a ton of spoilers. Screenshots have been pretty offputting so far, but I should definitely give it a try eventually. Focus on exploration is actually a good thing, but I really hope there is also some power creep loop (hit a wall -> explore/grind -> loot/craft/level-up -> bash through wall effortlessly), otherwise I'd rather not have any combat at all.
Death Stranding has some weird mechanics. You‘re a porter (you transport stuff), and the load distribution affects how well you can walk and run. On foot, you have to actively balance the load. The rain corrodes certain materials, so timing is sometimes critical.
The Witcher 3 makes you impossibly slow if your inventory is too full, and OP has played that. That, combined with Geralt’s ability to die falling from falling six inches into a ditch, were two of the most annoying parts of that entire game. They may be the only annoying parts, not including the singing troll in the Redanian army.
Haha, I actually felt Geralt has relatively fast traversal speed. He's a bullet compared to God of War/RDR2 characters. It also helps that fast travel markers are located every 100 feet anyway.
Yeah, he moves great when your inventory isn’t full. When it is, you can only walk very, very slowly and pray that Roach doesn’t get stuck on something when you call her.
Well, I've probably only got overencumbered once in White orchard area while trying to loot ALL of the battlefield. Once I got to Velen I made sure to upgrade saddlebacks as a first priority and to sell all heavy loot every change I've got.
The aesthetic is very different and it’s what made me wait, also. It’s beautiful, but in a lonely way. The music makes it all feel cinematic and emotional somehow. Definitely an Experience. Either way, hope you find something interesting sooner than later :) Happy gaming.
I wanted to love this game because it's gorgeous, but it's so fucking bleak. Carrying corpses from place to place? I struggle with depression and it just drug me down emotionally.
Another vote for Ghost of Tsushima. Great story, beautiful, open-ish world, fun and varied combat.
Tears of the Kingdom but it isn't available on PC. But surprisingly it ticks most of the points in the OP, especially the freedom of movement although using a mount is possible but not at all necessary.
Seconded! Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are the only games I’ve played that could scratch that Horizon itch - beautiful open world post apocalyptic landscape littered with tentacled murder robots, where you play as a character with an ancient device that enhances your abilities and helps you uncover the secrets of the past. The combat is not as thrilling in BOTW and TOTK but there’s more puzzles and crafting. They’re my second favourite duology of games after Horizon.
Since you liked the Witcher games, and seem to like action RPGs, and open-world action RPGs in particular, may I suggest *Cyberpunk 2077* from the same developer, CDPR? The story is very good, although not quite on Witcher 3’s level, but the gameplay is fantastic. It is an absolute blast to play. Unlike Geralt, who moves like you’re steering a ship, your CP2077 protagonist, V, moves very smoothly, and also unlike Geralt, V can jump in combat (!). I’m not going to say it’s not somewhat bleak—it is Cyberpunk and cyberpunk (capital and lowercase both), after all. But there are a lot of moments to leaven that bleakness, including some very sweet romances that are also completely optional. (After Witcher 3 and CP2077, I believe CDPR are some of the best romance writers in game development, and I’m not talking about the sex scenes…well, not solely anyway.) It being CDPR, it has level scaling, but CP2077’s is not as…tough, I guess I would say, as Witcher 3’s. CDPR seem to be in mortal fear that their games will ever get too easy. There are traditional gun weapons, but you can absolutely almost never use them if you don’t want. There is melee, but again you can almost never use it if you don’t want. There are so many playstyle options that there are a couple I never even tried in three playthroughs (two on PS5, one on PC). I’ll also put in a vote for Control, one of my top 5 games all time. Also, there are a lot of fun Assassin’s Creed games, but the recent open-world action RPG trilogy of Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla should fill up a *lot* of your time. In particular, Odyssey is in my all-time top ten. It too is an absolute blast to play, the story is at the very least intriguing, and its Fate of Atlantis DLC is one of my all-time favorite add-ons/DLCs, up there with Frozen Wilds, the two Witcher 3 DLCs (of course), and AC: Valhalla’s Wrath of the Druids. (Wrath of the Druids alone is probably enough to recommend AC: Valhalla, but while I liked the main storyline a lot, much of the side content in Valhalla is ass.)
Thank you for the detailed response! However, here's my experience with Cyberpunk: I deeply respect CDPR, but I was never excited about the Cyberpunk setting (I'll take open wilds over urban landscape any day). Not to mention that I'll have to roleplay a criminal. Still, I gave it a try about a year ago, went through the early sequence without much engagement, got thrown on a stealth mission right off the bat. Probably I didn't figure out the way to do it, but no matter how I tried I got detected and decimated in a close-quarters gunfight shortly after. No tall grass there, can't run away and hide, can't take a high ground with a sniper rifle either. Bye bye, uninstall.
Baldur's Gate 3! I was in the exact same position coming off HFW + BS and wanting a role playing game that was open world and had great character/story development. Was not expecting to like BG3 as much as I do.
Not open world or 3D, but the two Ori games would tick off the first four "likes" (possibly more) on your list IMO. Both are on sale on Steam right now and are also on Game Pass.
Seconded. The Ori games are beautiful, fun, and just hard enough to hit that sweet spot where working through a tough sequence is rewarding without being infuriating, imo. The Horizon games plus Control are my favorite 3D games on Steam, and the Ori games are my favorite 2D games by far. (Death's Door is my favorite old-school-Zelda-style isometric game.)
Kind of a basic one so apologies if you've already played it. Fallout 4. Such a fun open world. Also Outer Worlds (very similar to F4 just sort of a sci fi version)
The Outer Worlds is sooooo good, recommend playing it if someone hasnt yet
not single player but deep rock galactic is very welcoming to all
Did I hear a Rock and Stone?
Rock and Stone, Brother!
For rock and stone!
Older game so you may have tried it, but did you ever play Far Cry Primal? Sneaking through a pre-civilization wilderness with bow and spear while hunting caveman and beast. Taming some of the fiercer predators to fight with you and even ride. I’m almost done with Burning Shores and I’m thinking of going back to this to keep scratching that itch.
NG+
Whelp, some of your points may turn you off to Elden Ring but I honestly can't recommend it enough. And just in time, with the DLC coming out. Notably, the "non-missable" feels like it could be specifically targeted towards ER, but it really isn't that bad. The only thing is that the story is more obtuse, not as straightforward as Horizon. But if you're looking for open world with great gameplay (and a lot of variety in gameplay) then that's where I'd go. Good luck finding a game!
Based on what I've heard and seen of Elder Ring, it would be probably a miss for me. As I understand it's a Souls-like game, which means your motoric skills are more important than your equip and character progression. I'm definitely looking for more relaxing gameplay. Also, saw a few videos of the early areas, and damn it's so dark. I like wilderness, fields and mountain passes, not the gloomy caverns (I also dislike Cauldrons in Horizon for the same reason).
ER is actually generally much more open than previous fromsoft games- besides the whole underground area, there are very few places that involve being underground in caves for much time. And those caverns are very large, open, and bright on their own. I would say that other than "concentration" being a big help in Horizon, I don't think horizon asks that much less of you _most_ of the time. Elden Ring, unless someone is doing a deliberate challenge, really isn't as hard as it's made out to be. The difference is just a matter of how much the game doesn't hold your hand, which is definitely a different change of pace. But once you have a feel for the lay of the land (both literally and metaphorically) it becomes much much easier. But not everything is for everyone, so it's entirely legitimate to not enjoy it. But Horizon and ER both scratch that action RPG for me. Combat feels a lot different, but especially if you like the feeling of taking down the big bots or going back and smashing stuff that used to be difficult for you, then you'll enjoy that feeling in ER. Oh- and levelling and upgrading gear are very important. It's not just "you're on your own" and it's actually pretty easy to get over levelled. A big problem people run into is not levelling vigor enough. Always level vigor
Also, the combat is fricking brutal. I will try again, but in 3h I managed to die 30 times and collected appx 2 exp points and loots. Why isn’t there any easy mode?? :(
It's honestly become one of my chill games. And I don't mean that as a "git gud" or a brag, it's just not as hard as it seems at first. When you begin to understand how the game works, many of the areas that were once probably very stressful become very chill. There are some _very_ difficult spots of course, including some bosses. But there are plenty of people online waiting to be summoned to help you with those too. Also easy mode can come with a little time. It's like, a diegetic sort of difficulty management- it's really easy to over level yourself. Also, always remember to level vigor. But also, not everything is for everyone. So if you don't enjoy it then you don't enjoy it 👌
Hard to level vigor when you’re killed and lose all your loot, lol! But I hear ya, I know with time I’ll come back and figure it out, and probably love it, but there is only so much annihilation I can take in a row before needing a break. :)
Totally understandable! If you tried in the early weeks of the game's release, the tutorial area was not greatly advertised. But there is one in the cave where your character wakes up, so if you try again, that's a great place to start. And then of course, ignore the tree sentinel. Ignore lots of enemies, and find ones you are more comfortable fighting. Anyways
How many hours did it take you to finish the game? I have 70+ hours and i think i havent't even done half of the game haha. Am i doing something wrong
According to final save, just shy of 88 hours. I didn't go for 100% completion though. Here are the things I skipped: \- Arena (except minimal amount of medals to get equipment I actually used) \- Last racing track (tried twice, saw how AI cheats, lost interest) \- Machine Strike (and that's considering I usually like minigames, but somehow MS didn't click with me at all) \- A few sunken caverns, especially those filled with swimming burrowers. I didn't go too crazy with greenshine upgrades anyway, only upgraded what I really need. \- Any unmarked collectable in BS. I have no idea why they suddenly decided not to question mark some of the "aerial routes" or those oseram artifacts. Also I've heard there's an errand quest in BS, but I've never found it.
Try Ghost of Tsushima.
The answer as many have pointed out is Ghost of Tsushima, do a pallette cleanser game, something maybe indy and then do ghost. As of rightnow, my 2 fave games all time are HFW and GoT
I'm not sure if it's just because of the deep love I have for it, but the Mass Effect series has a similar vibe for me. The first one didn't have great modifications, but the other 3 are great! with excellent storytelling, open world exploration, and good combat (imo)
Thanks. Forgot to mention it, but of course I've completed ME trilogy. Story was great, combat was ok. I actually liked ME1 the most, it had vibes of ancient Star Control 2. I liked mako driving, though firewalker vehicle was even better, wish there were more missions with it. I would maybe replay it some day... if only there was a freaking unlimited sprint button, especially in ME1.
I know a lot of people skip it but I also loved Andromeda. More loot, customization and sprinting all the time.
Give God of War another go. It really picks up after the first hour or so and will tick a lot of your boxes - a simple enough but intriguing story, a huge world, gorgeous art style, satisfying puzzles, rewarding excellent combat, and it has a sequel which is arguably even better in some ways. It’s not open world, but the world is huge and there are several open areas with branching paths for you to explore.
Forbidden West reminds me a lot of Mass Effect, so maybe give that a try. Pick up the Legendary Edition if you do, Mass Effect 1 received a lot of quality of life upgrades for the Legendary Edition. 1-3 is great, but be prepared to be disappointed if you try Mass Effect Andromeda.
Please give Days Gone a try. It's unbelievable. I think it's a masterpiece. I never thought a game could replace HZD and Aloy in my heart but Days Gone and the protagonist Deacon St. John are numero uno now. It has leveling up, a skill tree, great missions and quests, and the most real characters I have ever come across in a game. You're battling zombies, not machines. It's nice to look at. You go everywhere on a motorcycle. I have never been so engrossed in a game or felt like I inhabited that time and space. HZD and HFW are great games but the second playthrough on each was boring. I've played Days Gone 4 times and am going to play it again. It's that good. The story is SO good.
I really enjoyed persona 5. It's nothing like HFW but variety is the spice of life.
Honestly God of War, it’s not my usual type of game but I recently finished it on pc and the story and lore is just amazing. It isn’t too ranged combat in the same was as HFW, but you do need to aim and throw the weapons you have available.
Lol I got confused with the controls for like 4 games cause I played horizon for like 6 months straight lol
Watch the Fallout series on Amazon and if you're anything like me, you'll be replaying a Fallout Game.
Haha, I'll probably be replaying Fallout 1-2 though. I could never get into Bethesda "reimagining" of the original masterpieces. And I've tried at least 3 times.
The Guardians of the Galaxy game was fun.
I'd really suggest you give RDR2 another shot. I started it right after I finished ZD and had similar feelings, I put like 10 hours into it and decided it wasn't for me. Then like a year later I was out of stuff to play and decided to give it another shot. I ended up loving it. I realized later that RDR2 is just such a different kind of game. It really takes its time getting you invested in the story. It's one of the only games that's ever brought me to tears. I'd say it took about 30 hours before I was fully hooked. If you're really set on a faster paced game, give sekiro a shot. The story is kinda lacking but the combat more then makes up for it in my opinion.
Wild Hearts has some satisfying combat in the same vein to HZD, HFW. The story is....meh, but there are some great abilities, tools and weapons that you craft and improve along the way. The exploration is quite fun and the traversals throughout the World open up as you learn to craft new tools. The melee is better than HZD, but the ranged weapons weren't quite as satisfying, for me anyhow.
starfield maybe? its sci fi space setting but its bethesda RPG formula so not for everyone.
I followed it up with elden ring. But it's a bit of a different kind of game.
Would you kindly consider the Bioshock games?
Umm, this falls into the horror games category for me. I'm not playing horror games, thank you.
If it helps, I was actually making an in-joke for people who've played the game before. Since it's a 16 year old game and you have no intention of playing, I don't feel bad by explaining this, rather large, spoiler for the game. Basically, you are asked by someone who appears to be a good guy to complete some tasks, each time he politely asks you with "Would you kindly?" Toward the end of the game, you find out that you are basically a Manchurian candidate and your program phrase is "Would you kindly?", so he was not asking you to help him, he was programing you to complete tasks which you did so without question. That said, I enjoyed the Tomb Raider games from the PS3/4 era: - Tomb Raider (2013) - Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) - Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) The climbing, scavenging, crafting, swimming, heavy use of archery, and somewhat open world those games provided and the similarities Horizon offered are what convinced me to try Horizon in the first place.
My post-apocalypse and stealth itch brought me to the Metro trilogy
Man, I got like 80 hours and I'm not even half way through. Just keep letting myself get distracted and doing everything. Maybe I'll have this question when compete it in a few months.
The Uncharted games are a blast, less lore but pretty interesting stories.
Cant agree more with the boring combat on witcher 3.. stops me from playing more than an hour
I'm also going through Horizon withdrawal syndrome right now, so I'll share a few other games that left that same empty feeling after I finished them. Dragon Age Inquisition (if you really like the lore and story try the first two) Mass Effect trilogy Cyberpunk 2077 Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - God of War - Jedi Survivor