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Double Review!
7 years ago
General
First on an unrelated note to this double review: Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy the night, eat candy, and enjoy the night with family. Now onto this double review. The games in question: Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Banner Saga 3!
Horizon Zero Dawn takes place far into humanity's future, where a apocalypse caused by robots gone rogue ended human life. Or did it? Playing as an outcast of a tribe of survivors, Aloy of the Nora was living her life alone, wanting to know about her mother, who she doesn't know, as she was seen as a motherless child and made outcast by the Nora. When at the Proving, a contest that will allow her to ask the matriarchs who her mother was, they are attacked by a group of people.
After fighting off the mysterious invaders, she enters the heart of All-Mother mountain, a sacred place for the Nora, discovering that she bears a resemblance to a woman. Named a Seeker by the matriarchs, she leaves Nora lands to go on a quest to find herself, uncover the attacker's identities, and find out the secrets of the world.
HZD, made by the guys who made the Killzone series of games, is a single player third-person adventure game in an open world. Playing as Aloy you can travel the world, do side quests, and face off against various robots in order to find your quest for identity, and explore the world. The world is gorgeous, with breathtaking vistas and the life of the world is magnificent. Each tribe has their own motif, with the Nora as a tribe where they are seen by others as a savage tribe of all females, in actuality the Nora are a tribe of close-knit people, who run via a matriarchal based society, but the men can also fight and train as well. The Carja are a kingdom of sun-worshipers who predominately are the largest of the tribes, boasting a breath taking city and landscape where you'll be doing a lot of the journey there. Next are the Oseram, the blacksmiths and best forgers and craftsmen of the land, and the last tribe of people who can control and seek to become knowledgeable of the old world, the Banuk.
Now onto the biggest draw, the robots, each robot species is taken after some form of animal, from the Grazers who look like mechanical deer, to the fearsome Stormbirds, massive avian robots armed to the teeth. The robots are the bread and butter of the game, and you will be encountering them a lot on your journey. The world is full of challenges, from collecting old mugs, finding metal flowers, locating vantage points, and even hunting the robots for sport in hunting challenges. The game is long and addicting.
Now some might find the facial animations a bit jarring, and crafting can be tedious, especially collecting materials. However, there are skills you can get to be able to fix that, making things easier. There is also the Frozen Wilds DLC, which adds a new region and more story which can help you when it comes to learning about new things, including adding now things like new robots and skills.
Really i have nothing bad to say about the game, I had a lot of fun and hope that they make a sequel for this game, as there is a ton of potential for this to become a franchise in it's own right.
Now speaking of franchises, Banner Saga 3, the final game in the trilogy. I just made a let's play of it and finished, so I can say it's worth the money to get the entire trilogy.
Taking place immediately after the second game, the third game in the trilogy has you switching between whomever is in Arberrang (Alette or Rook) and Iver in the darkness. The Ravens must travel through the alien landscape to find a way to stop the darkness, while the survivors must hold out against the warped and the dredge. Now every decision you've made culminates into a ending to the series, and what you do will greatly matter. If you saved a dredge baby for instance, will become vital later on, or if you kill someone, you may end up regretting it later on. Now for those who got the game solo without the rest, the game won't be as impact as the trilogy. For those who do got the other games, then it's a good send off that can change depending on what you do.
The gameplay remains largely the same, with differences between the two parties, Arberrang's has you balance choices in keeping the city safe, while Iver's has you travel through the darkness tor each the source. The battle's play largely the same, except for the horde, which requires you to fight waves of enemies, the longer you go, the chance at the end to get items from the boss. Another new addition are titles. At level 10 you can grant a title to your characters, which can change how they play. One can give a person bleed every attack they do, another can give one increased buffs when alone, or with allies.
The story wraps up many plot holes and revelations are made of the wider world, culminating in a final choice that can determine who shall live or die. And towards the end, you will have a set amount of time between the two, where all your choices culminate in how long Arberrang holds out against the darkness. You get six returns, anything higher and it's game over.
For me, who has played all three games, this was a treat, as I got to see how my story ended. It was heartwarming when the credits rolled, and I saw the survivors rebuild. while it was somber, it was good knowing my choices mattered. I highly recommend getting the trilogy edition and save yourself the trouble of buying all single.
Anyway that's my reviews, and again Happy Halloween
Horizon Zero Dawn takes place far into humanity's future, where a apocalypse caused by robots gone rogue ended human life. Or did it? Playing as an outcast of a tribe of survivors, Aloy of the Nora was living her life alone, wanting to know about her mother, who she doesn't know, as she was seen as a motherless child and made outcast by the Nora. When at the Proving, a contest that will allow her to ask the matriarchs who her mother was, they are attacked by a group of people.
After fighting off the mysterious invaders, she enters the heart of All-Mother mountain, a sacred place for the Nora, discovering that she bears a resemblance to a woman. Named a Seeker by the matriarchs, she leaves Nora lands to go on a quest to find herself, uncover the attacker's identities, and find out the secrets of the world.
HZD, made by the guys who made the Killzone series of games, is a single player third-person adventure game in an open world. Playing as Aloy you can travel the world, do side quests, and face off against various robots in order to find your quest for identity, and explore the world. The world is gorgeous, with breathtaking vistas and the life of the world is magnificent. Each tribe has their own motif, with the Nora as a tribe where they are seen by others as a savage tribe of all females, in actuality the Nora are a tribe of close-knit people, who run via a matriarchal based society, but the men can also fight and train as well. The Carja are a kingdom of sun-worshipers who predominately are the largest of the tribes, boasting a breath taking city and landscape where you'll be doing a lot of the journey there. Next are the Oseram, the blacksmiths and best forgers and craftsmen of the land, and the last tribe of people who can control and seek to become knowledgeable of the old world, the Banuk.
Now onto the biggest draw, the robots, each robot species is taken after some form of animal, from the Grazers who look like mechanical deer, to the fearsome Stormbirds, massive avian robots armed to the teeth. The robots are the bread and butter of the game, and you will be encountering them a lot on your journey. The world is full of challenges, from collecting old mugs, finding metal flowers, locating vantage points, and even hunting the robots for sport in hunting challenges. The game is long and addicting.
Now some might find the facial animations a bit jarring, and crafting can be tedious, especially collecting materials. However, there are skills you can get to be able to fix that, making things easier. There is also the Frozen Wilds DLC, which adds a new region and more story which can help you when it comes to learning about new things, including adding now things like new robots and skills.
Really i have nothing bad to say about the game, I had a lot of fun and hope that they make a sequel for this game, as there is a ton of potential for this to become a franchise in it's own right.
Now speaking of franchises, Banner Saga 3, the final game in the trilogy. I just made a let's play of it and finished, so I can say it's worth the money to get the entire trilogy.
Taking place immediately after the second game, the third game in the trilogy has you switching between whomever is in Arberrang (Alette or Rook) and Iver in the darkness. The Ravens must travel through the alien landscape to find a way to stop the darkness, while the survivors must hold out against the warped and the dredge. Now every decision you've made culminates into a ending to the series, and what you do will greatly matter. If you saved a dredge baby for instance, will become vital later on, or if you kill someone, you may end up regretting it later on. Now for those who got the game solo without the rest, the game won't be as impact as the trilogy. For those who do got the other games, then it's a good send off that can change depending on what you do.
The gameplay remains largely the same, with differences between the two parties, Arberrang's has you balance choices in keeping the city safe, while Iver's has you travel through the darkness tor each the source. The battle's play largely the same, except for the horde, which requires you to fight waves of enemies, the longer you go, the chance at the end to get items from the boss. Another new addition are titles. At level 10 you can grant a title to your characters, which can change how they play. One can give a person bleed every attack they do, another can give one increased buffs when alone, or with allies.
The story wraps up many plot holes and revelations are made of the wider world, culminating in a final choice that can determine who shall live or die. And towards the end, you will have a set amount of time between the two, where all your choices culminate in how long Arberrang holds out against the darkness. You get six returns, anything higher and it's game over.
For me, who has played all three games, this was a treat, as I got to see how my story ended. It was heartwarming when the credits rolled, and I saw the survivors rebuild. while it was somber, it was good knowing my choices mattered. I highly recommend getting the trilogy edition and save yourself the trouble of buying all single.
Anyway that's my reviews, and again Happy Halloween
