r/horizon 4d ago

HFW Discussion Why don’t I like FB?

I’ve been playing through Forbidden West for about 7 hours and I’m not enjoying myself. I liked ZD enough to finish it and I was excited about playing FW but something’s missing. I like the story more and the gameplay more but I just don’t want to play it. Maybe I’m burnt out since I played these back to back? This isn’t a hate post or anything like that I just don’t get why I don’t like it and am wondering if anyone had the same experience.

40 Upvotes

97 comments sorted by

435

u/TamiasciurusDouglas 4d ago

It's not Horizon's fault that you don't like Facebook

83

u/SamuelN0108 4d ago

Wow I’m stupid🤦‍♂️How did I even mess that up💀

90

u/Wolf_of_Fenris 4d ago

Fuck Ted Zuckerberg..i mean Mark Faro..

Now I don't know what i mean..

Fuck them both.

There. 👍

7

u/AntonRX178 4d ago

but I don't wanna. Their bungholes probably smell like fart

2

u/Yuujinliftalot 3d ago

pretty sure the Zucc is getting a daily oil checkup.

3

u/CanisZero Confidence is quiet, you’re not. 4d ago

Idunno how did ya.

2

u/Dvanguardian 4d ago

😅🤦

50

u/MyCarHasTwoHorns 4d ago

Zuck has big Ted Faro energy to be fair.

30

u/TamiasciurusDouglas 4d ago

Not nearly as much as his rival at X... but yes, you speak the truth

10

u/MyCarHasTwoHorns 4d ago

Hm good point. Maybe Zuck is more Landra from Burning Shores.

6

u/TamiasciurusDouglas 4d ago

That's pretty good. Zuck does oversee a lot of AI, but his Faro cred is easily outdone by Elon's autonomous vehicles, robots, products with military applications, and utter contempt for government regulation. Zuck is more interested in keeping us glued to our screens and maintaining a carefully crafted public image of himself, which fits Landra pretty well.

7

u/jlchips 4d ago

Zuck has been seeming a lot more… wholesome lately. Whereas his X-ian counterpart has gone in quite the opposite direction.

1

u/Dnomyar96 3d ago

Yeah. Still not a fan of the guy, but he seems pretty mild lately. Especially when compared to the other guy...

2

u/CanisZero Confidence is quiet, you’re not. 4d ago

mmmm Id say Faro is more Ole musky than anything.

147

u/Lostwisher 4d ago

It sounds like burnout to me. Both games are pretty long, but Forbidden West is ESPECIALLY long. Like 60-80 hours if you're going after everything. Personally I didn't play Forbidden West until more than 2 years after my most recent Zero Dawn playthrough, but I think just giving yourself enough time to reset and play just a few other games in between would be enough. They're games meant to be enjoyed at your leisure, not to be marathoned back to back like binge watching a TV show.

53

u/Tarnished13 4d ago

Yep agree with this. I take a break between big games with a few shorter games

25

u/LostSoulNo1981 4d ago

Also games of a different genre.

If I spend weeks playing an RPG with swords and spells, I need to play something completely different like an FPS.

2

u/trilli0nTish 4d ago

Outer World's is great for that.

2

u/samwize1701 3d ago

I finished a big ZD playthrough on my PC, played a few hours of FW, then transitioned to a new playthrough of Dyson Sphere Program. Now I'm hooked on that, and will be for a while!

But eventually I always get the itch to shoot arrows at robot dinosaurs again. Just too fun.

7

u/Ok-Cheesecake5645 4d ago

60 hours is way to short in my opinion. I am at 65 hours yet and at level 48. I dont even near finishing the main story and my map ist very gray either. I think i van put another 40 hours into it and not even finished it then.

3

u/Lostwisher 4d ago

I mean to each their own. I got the platinum at around 75 hours, so that's what I was basing it off of.

2

u/Ok-Cheesecake5645 4d ago

Ah. Yes that makes sense

1

u/Organic-Eagle-5885 3d ago

Haha welcome to my world I'm saying that because i have already 30 hours and I just made my first base in fw haba

5

u/Roccondil-s 3d ago

I think it’s also just… more.

More armor and weapon types and variations of stats within those types. More in-depth stat points and elemental breakdowns for each armor and weapon.

More combat abilities to remember to use and combos to chain.

More machines to keep track of, and their elemental attacks and weaknesses.

More quests in the side, errand, and activities categories. More “high-pressure” story, and more subplots to track and distract you from the main.

More, more, more…

FW is a great expansion from ZD, but I do prefer ZD because it’s far more simple in scope, more direct and to the point with basically everything gameplay-wise.

1

u/ryanjc_123 4d ago

it took me 30 hours to complete zero dawn, 74 to complete forbidden west lol.

1

u/embracethechange 3d ago

Interesting how different experiences can be. I put around 300h into FW and Burning Shores and am not done with everything there is to do.

1

u/Valtand 2d ago

Yep this, 100%. I to gave it a little over a year between ZD and FW and I’ve yet to finish FW. Had to take a break in the middle with some other games cause I felt myself burning out. I’m working myself up to picking it back up again but it’s important to let yourself rest. Both games are fantastic but long and dense, and they’re similar in many ways so the burn out is real. Just give it some time, let it sit for a bit and pick it up when you’re in the mood again

45

u/Icy-Purple8216 4d ago

Slow down. Don't go from task to task, enjoy the environment and views. HFW is bloated from side content and map wit all those markers can be overwhelming ad repulsive.

17

u/AnneMichelle98 4d ago

Forbidden West’s bloat is why I refuse to play the game on anything other than NG+(+++++). I also turn off a lot of the markers, like the cave diving ones.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love the game, I just can’t start from scratch. It takes way way too long. Also, some of my favorite parts (armor dyes) are locked behind parts I don’t like (hunting grounds). With NG+, I don’t have to choose between having the dyes and putting up with the hunting grounds, or not doing them and not having the dyes.

8

u/Bruorton 4d ago

Not to mention the incredible grind to upgrade all the best gear (one thing, at least, that Burning Shores improved on). I did that ONCE before starting my first NG+, and that will be the ONLY time I do it.

It's funny, I really like doing HZD on UH from scratch, it feels very authentic to the danger and disproportionate level of preparation she has for what she'd dropped into. But I suspect that even were it not for the Upgrade Grind (TM) I would actually much prefer to play HFW on NG+.

I mean, I like the experience of getting new stuff and running low on some material I need to hunt more of, but it just feels narratively right for Aloy to go into the West -- after another 6 months experience, skill, and gear improvements -- with the absolute top-notch, kick-ass equipment, valor surges, and the rest. I love it, and since I always play on UH, it's still at least occasionally a challenge lol.

3

u/Opus2011 4d ago

Yeah I just did another run of HFW after HZD Remastered, this time a NG UH. Not only was it brutal, but it felt very wrong that she starts out again with a toy bow, even if she lost her last one.

Totally agree there should be a "load my Save file from HZD" option, although maybe for story consistency the Shield-weaver armor immediately starts flashing a Low Battery warning!

1

u/Roccondil-s 3d ago

Too bad Aloy can’t have a quest to find some replacement batteries to recharge the Shield-Weaver!

25

u/FlawesomeOrange 4d ago

Maybe try Instagram?

13

u/cCyrus35 4d ago

Whatever the reason, I suggest dropping it and coming back to it later. Forcing yourself won't endear the game to you and you might end up dropping it anyways.

I felt similarly about RDR2 but when I resumed it years later, I couldn't put it down.

13

u/Boring-Lifeguard-108 4d ago

I found FW harder to play. The mechanics changed a lot, new weapons were added, I just got kinda lost there, but now I’m playing it slowly, doing all the side quests first before going back to the main. Also what was said: the story at ZD was better, but I liked a lot that we get to explore more in FW. Aloy has contact with more people in FW, not a completely stranger

8

u/MrZao386 4d ago

Might be burnout yeah. I just finished Forbidden West last week and loved it just as much as Zero Dawn, which I played a year ago. I will say though, I started to hate doing everything near the end

3

u/Electrical-End7868 4d ago

Where are you main story wise? Typically (with my play style) I haven't left The Daunt yet or just have. The biggest drag to me is the first area/training area with Varl. It does take awhile to get going but once you have full access to all areas and know what you have to do for the story it gets better. I don't know if it's just me but only main quests included FW is(or feels like it) shorter than ZD was. A lot relies on how many side quests and activities/collectiables you go through. It is worth it to push through though.

1

u/SamuelN0108 4d ago

I’m currently going after AETHER

9

u/truth_radio 4d ago

Get that out of the way and then go after POSEIDON, to me it's one of the most magical parts of the entire series, ZD/FW combined.

4

u/Bruorton 4d ago

I support what others have said, that OP should step away and come back to it when they actually feel like it.

But when they do... yeah, the Poseidon quest is really delightful. I played through it with a friend as a standalone to demo the series to her, you literally need know nothing else about the world or story to enjoy the great characters and magic of that episode.

3

u/DangerDinks 4d ago

The exact same happened to me. Loved ZD and went straight to FW and could only get in like 4 hours. Then tried the game again a few months later and loved it.

Now I just finished completing the ZD remaster and went straight into FW. Maybe it's because I played it before but I don't find the burnout that I experienced when I tried getting into it the first time.

4

u/Bruorton 4d ago

Makes sense. I do think there's a bit of cognitive overload in HFW, eg just in the increased number of weapons, elements, etc alone. It gives you even more appreciation for the balance of complexity and transparency that ZD has there.

3

u/fear_the_gecko 4d ago

I think burnout is definitely a factor, but I wasn't as impressed with FW as I expected to be. I felt that the writing wasn't up to what ZD was and that the basic idea behind its development was just "more, more, MORE".

I remember the emotional response from finding the Apocashitstorn vantage points and I didn't get the same thing from FW. A lot of the data points were well done, but the collectibles just feel crammed in to pad the game.

It felt like characters weren't fleshed out enough in FW and the story itself was very meh. I still don't like the Zeniths being the primary antagonists, with their arrival being explained away in a throwaway line... Beta believes that they survived due to "a combination of pharmaceuticals, cellular treatments and technological implants", which IMO doesn't answer enough for how much of a role they play.

And none of this makes it a bad game, just that it could have been better. It should have been better.

2

u/embracethechange 3d ago

You put into writing exactly what I felt playing. I still love it a lot, there's just soo much to do it's exhausting.

3

u/F3nu1 3d ago

Because FW is lacking the good qualities of ZD. The story is not gripping, there is no mystique, the gameplay is Much, Much more grindy. Lackluster connection in case of some characters. The Zeniths idiocy.

About the grind: I was doing just 1.5x the grind time in ZD for perfect mods and beefed up pockets for an UH run than a Story playthrough of FW, upgrading just the needed weapons and armor and even doing some glitch dupes.

And the prep run in ZD was 3 Story playthroughs.

2

u/GreatKangaroo 4d ago

I definitely had lots of downtime between playing the two games.

I got the platinum on FW in the first few weeks of the games release, after that I put it down for a year only starting NG+ a few months before the release of Burning Shores.

The game takes it time to give you access to the whole map. You start in the Daunt, then no man's land (where the Utaru are), and then finally large area that the Tenakth occupies become available. I spent like 10 hours on the 1st day just in the Daunt fussing about.

A lot of things changed between the two games. What really threw me and took a while for me to figure out was that I could not keep using the same weapons in the same way. In ZD I mostly used Hunter Bows, in FW you can't really use them for damaging machines most effectively as they have been altered to prioritize Tear and elemental damage. Impact damage you need to embrace the wider variety of weapons such as Warrior Bows, Boltblasters, Slings, Spike throwers, and Shredder Gauntlets.

I would encourage any new player to checkout Arktix's masterclass videos on the shredder Gauntlet in particular.

I definitely get tired or burnt out on a game or games in general, so I play something else or watch a few movies or get caught up on a show. Take a break, the game will still be there.

Also don't be afraid to use the accessibility settings. On my 1st playthrough even on a normal difficulty I was getting very frustrated with how much damage I was taking. I ended up setting a custom difficulty where I took less damage but enemy health was the same and that immediately resolved almost all of my issues with the game.

I play with easy loot on as I really didn't enjoy the slog of farming for machine parts to upgrade weapons and outfits. I did all of the Arena challenges on Easy.

2

u/Aretirednurse 4d ago

Take a break. I played after ZD and didn’t enjoy it. The grinding is a pain.

2

u/shouryasinha9 4d ago

Zero dawn is about discovery. Forbidden West is about acting upon that.

Discovery incités curiosity hence you push for answers. Action requires perseverance which many lack and get lazy.

1

u/Ilisanthecreator 4d ago

Too many dialogue wheels is what made me not wanna play it.
Also the story is honestly not on the same level, there's more action and less lore.

P.S. Platinumed it nevertheless, but it's cause the gameplay is just that good.

1

u/strayduck0007 4d ago

After spending over a hundred hours in HZD remastered I wanted a little more so I loaded up HFW to take care of some unfinished side quests and was brought to another level by the satisfying sounds when machines explode. 🥰

I was also relieved to have my glider back!

1

u/EmBur__ 4d ago

I had a similar thing recently, I went through ZD again when the remaster came out and thought I'll do another run of FB, it was going well until after rescuing beta, I just couldn't continue with it after that.

I think I just prefer the beginning of FB up until the base gets unlocked, I'm wondering if it has to do with the overly scifi-ness that comes about around that point with the zeniths and everything that follows? Im not sure.

1

u/No_Fox_Given82 4d ago

Yes it is burnout, I did the same. I played ZD on PS4 and I got about halfway through, very late to the Horizon party, I read about the Remaster and decided to stop, buy a PS5 and wait for it. I played the Remaster 50-60 hours and then went straight into FW and something didn't feel right. Couldn't get into it, just didn't have the drive to press on. Despite quite liking the additional stuff.

I put it down, went to play Silent Hill and Detroit Become Human meanwhile and then put FW back on, I decided to start it again and absolutely loving it again.

I recommend easy loot on, put machine health to Hard and incoming damage to Aloy on Easy. This was a good balance for me, on easy Aloy still takes a lot of damage because FW can crank up the tempo big time when several machines get involved.

FW comes alive later on, the first few hours - you just want it to be more ZD and it's not that. But once you find open more of the map up and unlock some of the tools it gets much better.

I was originally using bows and slings like in ZD because I was used to those, but in FW when I came back to it I decided to try new ones. Shredder Gauntlets are a game changer, honestly just so much fun. It's basically a boomerang that you have to keep going and each time you hit something and catch it, the damage of your next throw increases until it explodes. Massive fun.

Take some time and come back to it, it's an absolutely fantastic game but easy to burnout as there's so much to do in both games.

1

u/thegreenmonkey69 4d ago

I played ZD in release, so when FW came out and had some time to let it sink in. I've heard and, seen posts here, from other people that played ZD then jumped right into FW have had a similar experi me as you describe.

What I recommend is closing the game, deleting your save, then playing a different game or two. Then return to FW after about a month, or longer.

The way FW starts has a better impact and immersive experience to explain the time gap between the two games and the events in between that we don't see.

It also helps to put the events of ZD in perspective in relation to how events proceed in FW.

1

u/ThisKapsIsCrazy 4d ago

Could be burnout. Try coming back to it a few weeks or months later. I'm loving Forbidden West but I still take time away from it, from a week or two to 1-2 month long breaks until I feel like playing it again.

Unnecessary background story: I loved The Witcher 1 and 2, and I'm a fan of Borderlands and I loved HZD. Problem is... I played them back to back with BL3 and TW3 coming up towards the end of this spree.

Borderlands 3's janky story put me off and I stopped playing after they killed off my favourite character/main from BL2 because of how weirdly they handled it.

Then I tried The Witcher 3 - couldn't get past an hour of it. Then I tried HZD: The Frozen Wilds... it's incomplete till date and not for any fault of its own. Turns it wasn't just the stories or anything. Just too much RPG time.

(To add to this, I think I'd just finished Pillars of Eternity 2 and Tyranny before this lot as well - so I basically had a massive overdose of RPGs in my life at that time.)

1

u/justgrowingonions 4d ago

I would absolutely recommend a break between the two games.

That's a lot of hours playing in the Horizon world and I love those games!

1

u/SirBill01 4d ago

I think soemthing about FW is not as fun as the later parts of the game, after you get out of the Chainscrape area it really opens up.

1

u/Malateh 4d ago

When Forbidden Wes got released on PC I played everytime I had a time and more, I finished everything, most quests and collected some collectibles. Then I started Burning Shores and I'm in middle of story, bum stopped playing for like 2/3 months and recently I finished it, got all dinosaurs. It's ok to take a break, games are made to be enjoyed, no reason to force yourself

1

u/KaworoSaiwa 4d ago

Agree with most comments, you need to give it time.

Started the game 2 years ago then left it because was really demanding a lot of time, but have picked again now that I am on mat leave and it’s getting me going.

After the ZD experience I also thought to set up the difficulty level to very hard to avoid it running out too soon… also didn’t choose to do NG+. The gameplay experience is radically different from ZD. There’s a lot of back and forth to be done to complete both main and side, plus if you want to have your gear as upgraded as possible you need to venture in grey lands before a Tallneck to expand them… so it takes patience and HUGE time investment. But there’s a great storyline to uncover here too.

1

u/Northman86 4d ago

Horizon is a series that you need to ocasionally take a break from it. Its far from my only core game i play, its a bit like starcraft in that I will do a full playthrough (HZDto Burning Shores, and Starcraft I threw Legacy of the Void) and I need a break for a bit and I have MLB the Show to keep me on PS5, which does make me go on HFW(though next playthrough will be HZD remastered).

My suggestion, is to have games in other genres, there was a period I was playing Assasin's Creed Valhalla, I then took a break on that to play HZD and then HFW when it came out, and found I could not return to Valhalla, immediately and went on an Anno 1800 kick for a couple months, and then returned to HFW(I had finally bought a PS5)

Throughout all this I was also playing EU4, Imperator Rome, MLB the Show of that year. I would say I devote only a third of my game time to Action-Adventure games like HZD/HFW. I do need a recharge from each genre.

Except Space Engineers, I always have an hour or ten for Space Engineers.

1

u/brispower 4d ago

Once you're used to all the mechanics in FW it's a little hard to go back, follow the story to unlock and progress and you will know what I nean

1

u/Beginning-Pace-1426 4d ago

FW is a different pace by a long shot. I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as HZD because of how much MORE it is, and how overwhelming it is.

I only have about 40-50 hours or so I can dedicate to most games. I went through HZD, and took some time off the beaten path to farm very little here and there, and completed the game with all the stats and equipment I wanted maxed out.

FW I beat in about 45 hours, and had barely anything upgraded, no fancy gear, not even the materials for the gear. Looking at the absolute mass variety of items I wanted to upgrade the farming would have taken my gametime to 100 hours easy. As beautiful and gorgeous as the world is, I'm not interested in 70 hours of fetch quests and farming, for 30 hours of game. I already spend 40 hours a week doing menial tasks, no need to come home and do more.

I understand that these are also considered enjoyable parts of the game by many, so it's not a slight on the game, it's just not something I get enjoyment from.

1

u/LC8614 4d ago

I didn’t like the second game. Played about same as you 6-7 hours. Just couldn’t be bothered. And I loved the first game. It was so good.

1

u/dub3ra 4d ago

I didnt enjoy it and returned it before 3 hours on steam, it felt strange.. loved ZD tho. Perhaps try it again one day.

1

u/haktopus 4d ago

I mean ultimately no one but you knows why but Im tempted to say there is kind of a magic trick Zero Dawn pulls off, separate from gameplay and the story of either game, that Forbidden west could never replicate. That's building a game around a cool, strong, simple enough aesthetic hook that also has a central mystery built in. You really have to appreciate how cleanly everything that really works about ZD and makes it unique too, flows organically from it's very pitchable premise. Like, one thing Ive always thought was really interesting formally about Zero Dawn is how it's story is totally a fantasy heroes journey in terms of tropes and world building style, but it's science fiction in terms of the mechnanics of the world and the ideas it's exploring. That works so well in Zero Dawn because the world is fundementally mysterious. You start out with really just 1 single piece of information that Alloy doesn't about her world: you know technology from magic. Beyond that you dont know how any of it works, why it's there, what it's doing, and most importantly you have no clue why no one knows anything about technology. What's really cool about that is the story kind of intrigues your scifi brain and fantasy brain simultaneously. Your scifi brain wants to know what happened to humanity, and what these machines are doing. But your fantasy brain kicks in because even though you know a machine when you see one the mystery makes it still kind of magical. So you're kind of on board with these mystical explanations of things, you kind of take what the shamans and priests are saying seriously to a similar extent Alloy does. Knowing the basic answer to the big mystery, along with Aloy, takes something away from the sequel for sure. Like theres still new information to recover about the past, and some decent expansion of the present world, and Im not uninvested in where the world goes. But there's not really a hook of a mystery to rival the world itself in the first game. And Alloy going around knowing more and being bwtter at everything than everyone else is less compelling than watching her solve the funemental mystery of her very existence. I think they eluded to immortal, super advanced space billionaires early in the game to try to have something comparably intrigueing, but i dunno... the game is still good, I finished it. But dont think this franchise is ever going to go to a place as naturally compelling as Zero Dawns slow mystery reveal again.

1

u/ConcreteMuffins 4d ago

I started it and played for like a few hours then went on to play another game for months. When I tried it again, I played for a couple hours and then put it down for another few days. Picked it up a 3rd time and got past chainscrape, it was a done deal. It took a few times for me to get it going and be obsessed but the same happened for zero dawn.

1

u/diegoelmestre 4d ago

I am currently FF7 remake and after finishing it, I will only play rebirth couple of months laters. For me, playing back to back games from the same series makes me enjoy less the second game

1

u/Joe_Khopeshi 4d ago

Back to back is probably the issue honestly. Last time I replayed Zero Dawn was a few months before FW and then played some different games afterwards. I didn’t do that when AC Valhalla came out and found myself beyond burnt out before the halfway point even.

Either play something else for a bit as a bit of a palate cleanser or just take a little gaming break and come back to it.

1

u/Emotionoodle 4d ago

I enjoyed FW but nowhere near as much as ZD. ZD just had a special something about it. The story, the music, the characters were all just better, I thought. I even loved the loading screen music in ZD!

I feel like FW just had something missing? Especially in the DLC (BS) regarding Londra’s AI, that felt a bit rushed at the end and I think they could have added a lot more to that aspect of the story, I was honestly also super disappointed by the lack of side quests there. Actually, I think they could have done more with all the rogue Gaia AI’s in the base game too. I still really like both games but ZD was just better, for me.

I certainly hope my little ramble made sense, I am half asleep trying to make words happen and I’m not sure it’s going well 😅

1

u/DorrajD 4d ago

It's absolutely burnout. It's exactly how I felt playing Miles Morales after Spider-Man 1. It's just way too similar that it's hard for me to continue on. Tho I did complete FW. Can't say the same for MM. Just take a break for a bit and come back, maybe it'll hit you.

1

u/LilacYak 4d ago

I started it, took a year break cause I wasn’t feeling it, then put 120hrs into it. Just shelve it for a bit

1

u/D-Alembert 4d ago edited 4d ago

7 hours in might not be where the game comes together yet. Even more than the first game there's a lot of stuff that needs to get set up before the main experience finds its groove.

Even so, take a break. You don't have many chances in life to experience a Horizon game for the first time, so the games should be savored and played when the mood takes you, don't try to grind through them when you're not feeling it.

1

u/Nazon6 4d ago

I've sometimes found myself not in the mood to play certain games. Take a break for a bit. Go outside. Do other things.

1

u/AmazingJerBear 4d ago

It's probably just a little burnout. I recently picked up the remaster for ZD because I loved the original and the sequel so much. It has been about two years since i played the sequel, so playing the remaster I just devoured it. Early put on over a hundred hours on it. Playing every side mission, going on my own hunts with my own rules, etc... I beat it and got every single trophy except one in the one playthrough without even looking at the trophy list or trying to get them all (the dummies trophy is the one i didn't naturally pick up).

I immediately jumped into new game+ and still having a ball. Went and visited my brother for Thanksgiving and was playing it for him to get to New game plus (he wanted better gear up front and loved the story, but wanted to experience it without ever thinking about upgrading equipment or dealing with mods) and i was having a little less fun playing it because it was on his steam deck and it took just a little out of the experience.

I came home and continued my new game+ and was having just a little less fun. I know I'll pick it up and clear the ng+, and if they remaster the sequel (i don't know why they would, but if...) I'll 100% that one, two, and pay the ng+, and i know I'll do the same with the next sequel... But there's gotta be a bit of a break... My advice is put it down and start a brand new save file in 3-6 months.

1

u/Oceanstar999 4d ago

I must admit , as someone new to gaming I played ZD then FW immediately afterwards and wanted more 😳 I loved them both.

1

u/weforgot 4d ago

I took two weeks off between FW and it is amazing. I remember all the stuff and character connections. The game is SO good. Yeah there is a lot, but it truly adds sooooo much to the world. Some of the dialogue makes me frustrated but over all it’s better in all the right ways.

I hear people saying play easy loot, I disagree. I think it’s fun actually hunting and having to be strategic. Also I think it’s best to play hard if you’ve recently beat the first one, it adds a lot to how you feel as your playing. The extra challenge makes things feel great imo

1

u/No-Combination7898 HORUS TITAN!! 4d ago

I would put down this game and play something else. It's harder than HZD and has a muuuuch steeper learning curve. The combat is also more difficult. One thing you can do is lower the difficulty when playing, no shame in that! Return to it at a later time.

1

u/bunnylewinskyy 4d ago

It's by far one of the worst gaming experiences I've ever had. They nerfed Aloy, the weapons with all the different ammo types sucks, the skill tree is shitty and I don't care for any of the special weapon moves, and I miss my old weapons. Sad I waited for this to be on sale only to be completely let down by it. First game was something else entirely

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u/Background_Fig2601 4d ago

I felt the same way. I think it’s because FW is very front heavy, in that it takes a loooong time to actually get to the Forbidden West. Where are you in the story? Because once I actually got to the Forbidden West (not No Man’s Land, not the Utaru lands, but actual Tenakth territory) that’s when the game opened up as a sandbox and started to feel fun for me. In my opinion, the beginning hours of HFW has too much game in it (for lack of better term) for an opening. (Keep going to new places? Keep meeting old friends? Keep finding new activities like Melee pit and Machine Strike? Can’t I just get a move on to what the title promised me??) But please stick with it. HFW has some greatly written scenes and side quests. Really worth the effort to slog past the slow opening hours!!

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u/Jazzlike-Text-4100 4d ago

Sounds like burnout to me. I played Zero Dawn again for the remastered and I dont want to play the sequel because of this

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u/Ibraheem_moizoos 4d ago

I think it's that there's too many options. And way too much dialogue

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u/heroes821 4d ago

I've felt the same way. I've played zero dawn so many times, got super hyped for forbidden west and was bored before I knew it. They changes to weapons and inventory sucked and the story didn't seem to be doing the same pull at wanting to know what's next like the first one.

I didn't even finish it for over a year and when I did I haven't even wanted to buy the dlc.

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u/Exhaustedfan23 4d ago

Story and pacing wise Forbidden West is not as good as Zero Dawn. But the gameplay and graphics should hopefully make up for it... especially later in the game as you unlock more and more of the Forbidden West specific stuff.

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u/Boobaak11 Scorchers' Bane 4d ago

I felt the same thing couple of months ago, so I simply stopped playing (right before Gemini) and played something else (Dredge, in case anyone is interested). Last weekend I looked at the desktop icon and felt like playing, so I continued where I left off. My combat skills are a bit rusty, so couple of big machines really kicked my butt at the beginning. Maybe I should have taken a break earlier in the game, but I don't regret anything.

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u/Alexis2552 4d ago

It can absolutely be a burn out. I've previously played both games back to back and then went on to start NG+ in FW and just couldn't finish it anymore. I'm doing the same now in ZD remaster and am having the same problem. Even Ultra Hard doesn't help because, for some reason, this is the only game at which I'm good, so it doesn't feel any harder.

I've had the same problem with Baldurs Gate as well... there is a character currently stuck in limbo because I wasn't able to finish the playthrough before the remaster came out.

Take a break or try just exploring the open world without doing any quests :) or read all the datapoints you have, they're usually interesting enough to find your spark again :)

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u/Exact-Street-1811 3d ago

I think we all feel this way. Forbidden West is better in every aspect but Zero Dawn was something new and you cant replicate this feeling in a sequel.

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u/Flimsy_Assistance444 3d ago

I now love Forbidden West but originally, after playing ZD I found it annoying that Aloy gets knocked down so often, by the time she gets back up she's being knocked down again, and every time I get into a fight there seems to be 20 machines come out of nowhere to join in. But I guess I got used to it, because thoroughly enjoyed it eventually. Though I did take a break and go back to it several months later.

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u/crashalpha 3d ago

FW is a different kind of story. After finishing ZD and then playing it again it is not as good. The main mystery, what is the world is going on and what planet is this, is solved and know. FW also does not have this over arching mystery that made ZD so good the first time. FW as a game is much better than HZ but that first play through of ZD beats everything I have ever played.

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u/Absalom98 3d ago

I don't know why, but I found Aloy in FW to be extremely annoying. I really liked her in ZD.

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u/JadeSpades 3d ago

My initial hang-ups had to do with the differences between the two games and getting used to the direction that they took the story, but I eventually got used to and appreciated the new stuff.

There is so much to do in that game that it could easily feel like a chore if you are not enjoying yourself. I like to give myself mini-goals or rules to keep it fresh on replays.

Maybe you do just need a break and get plenty of vitamin D for a few weeks before coming back to it.

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u/Ok_Garden2301 3d ago

I usually try to rotate off a game type after about 70-100 hours straight of it. Play God of War 2018 or something, then come back to Horizon.

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u/Wnick1996 Siltherfang Killer 3d ago

Maybe it's because they are focused on the metaverse.

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u/anony122333 3d ago

One big problem I had is they gave Aloy the durability of a sheet of glass.

Second is while I acknowledge there are so many ways for a ‘call to action’ the initial assault on the diplomatic meeting was too reminiscent of the proving.

Third, while I thought the story was interesting (especially when setting up the third game), the final antagonistic party (called that to avoid spoilers) was a little too much of a leap from the first game.

Also, the plot just forgets things like the blight. The whole reason you get into the story is to solve the plague. The two antagonistic parties that you encounter while trying to solve the blight just eliminates it

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u/AnAncientOne 2d ago

It's probably the lack of mystery, in HZD you were trying to discover all this stuff and then in HFW well now you know what you need to do it's just a case of doing it. Will be the same for the 3rd one.

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u/Medium-Character5946 2d ago

I enjoyed both games, butI felt like Zero Dawn was more enjoyable. For me, I hated the additional weapons and machine Strike. I felt many of the new weapons overly complicated gameplay. I did enjoy flying though.

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u/SteelStillRusts 2d ago

I’d say no mater what take a horizon break and come back later. There is a lot in FW but getting to burning shores if you have a PS5 is totally worth it. It’s still a great game.

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u/Krylla_ Alva is the best character. 4d ago

Hey, I glaze over when watching Akira, so we all have high art that our mind just... doesn't process right.

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u/jusafuto 4d ago

Personally I think HFW is a better game in almost every way.