Greater Human Enemy Variety
There’s no doubt that Horizon Zero Dawn’s terminator-meets-prehistoric creature adversaries are a huge part of the game’s appeal; so much creativity and thought that has gone into the varied and unique designs of these bad ass robo-dinos. But in between the awe of staring at giant Tall-Necks and fist-pumping at the sound of Watchers being knocked to the ground in intense melee combat, hostile human enemies comprise many of the game’s camps and Cauldrons. And, unfortunately, there isn’t nearly enough variation in their design to keep these encounters fresh and interesting throughout the game.
For starters, visually, the Shadow Carja are very samey. There are some subtle differences in the color of their cloaks, and then there are cultist variants, too. But even as early as a quarter way through the game, it’s largely a case of seen one bandit camp, seen them all. The lack diversity is a stark contrast from the imagination that has been put into the machine-creatures. Even small nuances such as changing the design of their appearance based on the climate that they operate in would have given some individuality and uniqueness to each area. A thick coat for the cold, shirtless in the desert, adorned with fauna in the forest; articulating the region’s populace in this fashion might have injected a bit of much-needed flavor.
More troublesome than their aesthetic, though, there’s also not enough variety in the way combat encounters with human enemies play out. Some bandits do wield heavy weapons or wear thicker armor and additional corrupted machines do add some individuality, but I would have liked to have seen more unique enemy types. For example, a Shadow Carja unit specific to the forest dwelling tribesman, donning a stealth cloaked and a long range bow. Or perhaps, a mountain Shadow Carja unit with superior climbing skills, swinging from clifftops to attack in close range with ice picks.
As players advance through its open world, the game should be adding a new dimension and challenge to combat against human enemies. In current guise, there’s very little motivation for players to engage in these encounters other than ticking off an objective on the map. Horizon’s human enemy encounters often feel like filler to break up segments of machine combat, which is what the game clearly does best. But there’s just not that same potential for emergent gameplay with human opposition as there is versus the machines, where baiting creatures over trip wires and traps, and using weapons to tie them down or tear away parts downoffers more interesting and varied experimentation. As good as Horizon feels as a machine-hunting playground, though, both gameplay and world-building would benefit from a greater diversity in human enemies.
In the end, as good as Horizon feels as a machine-hunting playground, both gameplay and world-building would benefit from a greater diversity in human enemies.
