Guerilla Games knows how to make a great first impression. It's the studio behind Killzone, after all, the latest of which – Killzone Shadow Fall– was one of the most eye-popping first-person-shooters of the last five years. However, now the studio's turning its attention to something entirely new and original – and it's not just another FPS series, either.
First unveiled at E3 last year, Horizon Zero Dawn is a third-person action RPG where players take the role of Aloy, a young hunter who's trying to find her place in a world that's terrorised by huge robotic monsters. This isn't your typical post-apocalyptic wasteland, though, as Guerilla's lush, verdant landscapes are almost more evocative of pre-historic times than anything else. Except, you know, with giant metal-plated dinosaurs stomping about the place instead of scaly reptiles.
It's still some way off from completion, though, so we've rounded up everything we know about the game so far in one handy article, including gameplay trailers, the release date and those all-important pre-order bonuses. We'll update this article with more information as it comes in, but for now, here's everything you need to know.
Release date
Horizon Zero Dawn is easily one of the PS4's most hotly anticipated exclusives, and we can't wait to get our hands on it. The bad news is that it's now been delayed until the 3rd March 2017 in the UK, after an original release date slated for some time this year.
"It wasn’t an easy choice to make," Guerilla said on the PlayStation Blog. "We know many of you have been anxious to play the game since we first announced it. However, we also want to ensure that Horizon Zero Dawn lives up to the visuals and gameplay quality that our games are known for. The new date affords us the extra time required to deliver fully on our ambitious vision for Horizon Zero Dawn.
"We realise that this decision may not please everyone. At the same time, we’re confident that the advantages of the additional development time afforded by the new date will become clear in the coming months, as we start to share more cool details and videos from Horizon Zero Dawn.
"We really, really appreciate your patience and continued support, and look forward to bringing you the best game we possibly can in March 2017."
Gameplay trailer
The upside of a delayed release date announcement, however, is that we got a brand new trailer to go along with it, which you can view in full below. Here, we learn more about Aloy's backstory and how she was made an outcast when she first joined her tribe as a young child. It also sets the scene for the dangers that lie beyond her village in The Valley, showing us tantalising glimpses of the so-called 'World of the Old Ones'.
In terms of looks, the crumbling, overgrown skyscrapers aren't too dissimilar from Ninja Theory's Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, but those huge robo-dinos are sure to pose devastating threats to Aloy's safety as she travels from one ruin to the next in search of answers about her origins.
We also see her riding smaller cyber beasts like a horse, so expect there to be multiple ways to travel across this huge, open world landscape. However, for the most part, it looks like you'll be spending most of your time taking down larger prey with Aloy's bow and collecting various machine parts to upgrade her toolset even further.
Enemies can be taken down in a huge variety of ways, from traditional (albeit massively enhanced electrical) arrows, explosives and setting traps to melee takedowns and tripwires. There's a certain hint of Monster Hunter to be found in the gameplay demos that have been released so far, and the one from E3 last year gives us our best idea yet about how fighting these incredibly large robo-dinos is going to play out.
Here, Aloy takes down a T-Rex-like beast known as Thunderjaw, taking advantage of the monster's slow, lumbering pace to tether him to the ground, halting his movements. Then, a well-timed explosive arrow to hit home and send the beast tumbling. Whether these encounters will occur naturally in the world or be confined to mission set-pieces is currently unknown, but it certainly looks like you'll be well-equipped to take them down exactly as you see fit.
Will we hear more about the game at this year's E3? Only time will tell, but we'll be sure to bring you all the latest information as soon as it's announced.
