Four hours was long enough to get a handle on that battle system—and to see that it's a higher priority in the game than puzzles or "find the dungeon item to unlock this other region's content" pacing. I did get just enough time to take on one of Horizon's dungeons, known as "cauldrons," and it offered a solid enough indoor challenge. I found myself in a mechanical sorting facility, full of platforms that ran on loops near the ceiling. I could jump and hang onto those platforms to get from place to place in the facility, which let me either skip certain dangerous foes or get a better position to battle them. The more closed nature of this cauldron also changed the pace and intensity of combat, which made it a particularly feverish climax point in my session. (In this, I tried, and failed, to fell a deadly, armored Shellwalker, even though I had very nearly figured out how to cleverly overcome his shielding techniques.)
I also became pretty acquainted with the plot and dialogue, though that multi-chapter skip didn't help me track exactly what was going on. The writing and voice acting both seem remarkably solid, and my preview session set me up to believe that there's quite a bit of rich lore for Guerrilla to work with here, particularly in having the main characters explore issues such as societal castes, traditions versus compassion, and bonds of blood surviving over others. Yet the game's world is clearly built upon some other deep mysteries, which I won't spoil here, even though you only need to play the game for about 15 minutes to have some of those mysteries wallop you over the head. Still, I'm eager to see just how this apparent multi-world stuff ultimately plays out.
After four hours, I really just want more, more, more. There's an economy and crafting system that I didn't get to toy so much with, and I want to see how expansive it is. Like other games, Horizon employs a conversational decision wheel, though this one lets you pick a "fist," "brain," or "heart" response in certain dialogue trees. However, I didn't use it much, and I'm not sure how much it impacts the plot's progression. And I want to know how more animal species, weapons, items, traps, and quests play out as the game goes on. Did my first four hours betray a far less interesting experience over a longer span of time? Did I get a glimpse at pretty much all of the game's mechanical variety? Or was I just getting started with the good stuff?
ff:
Die Grafik ist gut, Detailreichtum wird scheinbar ein wenig mit niedriger Weitsicht/Nebel erkauft, denke aber es wird mir gefallen. Das Setting ist mal was anderes.
