We are already quickly breezing through 2017, with January already behind us. While some very strong games have already been released in the early weeks of this year, there are many other intriguing titles just on the horizon.
One game with a lot of potential in my opinion is Horizon Zero Dawn, a new open world action RPG developed by Guerrilla Games (The Killzone franchise) and published directly on the PlayStation 4 by Sony Interactive Entertainment. To me, one of the reasons this game stands out is that, although melee combat is included in-game, it actually seems to make third-person archery/ranged combat quite accessible and appealing as a gameplay option. Time will tell if my expectations are met – and if protagonist Aloy becomes an iconic character like Nathan Drake was to the PlayStation 3, Jak and Daxter / Ratchet & Clank was to the PlayStation 2 or Crash Bandicoot to the PlayStation 1.
In the lead-up to Horizon Zero Dawn’s March 1st release date, both developer and publisher have shared a trio of new behind-the-scenes videos which focus on the history behind and creative processes that went into the game. All three can be found below:
Video #1
“From Corridors to Mountains”
Guerrilla Games’ Managing Director Hermen Hulst, Studio Art Director Jan-Bart van Beek, Game Director Mathijs de Jonge and Technical Director Michiel van der Leeuw discuss the challenges they overcame in making the switch for the upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive title.
Video #2
“Growing Guerrilla”
Knowing that storytelling would play a central role in Horizon Zero Dawn’s creation, the team at Guerrilla brought in writing talent and formed a new group within the studio. Their sole focus: to flesh out a rich narrative and extensive history for the world of Horizon.
Video #3
“Creating a PlayStation Icon”
Creating Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn, was a difficult process; there were many iterations before Guerrilla settled on the adventurous woman you see today. In the third video of the series, the Guerrilla team speaks about bringing Aloy to life and how she has been received by gamers around the world.
