In Horizon: Forbidden West, Guerilla Games have created the most satisfying combat experience that I’ve had in a game—maybe ever. I will try not to stray into hyperbole in this piece, but clearly, HFW hit almost every note right for me, and I will have more to say about the rest of the game in the coming weeks. For now, though, we will concentrate on the kinesthetics of Aloy, her combat abilities, and the enemies she faces.
Years ago, I questioned the common wisdom that first-person
games are more immersive and ‘visceral’ than third-person games. Supposedly,
the camera-through-the-eyes experience places the player more squarely in the
shoes of the player-character, and creates a deeper sense of immersion. For me,
however, I find myself distracted by the way the incorporeality of the
character affects movement and vision, and the extremely strange way that one’s
hands are almost always visible. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim in particular
suffers from this, in that the player-character can be sprinting across an open
field, not even carrying a weapon, and still their hands are held out in front
like a cartoon mummy’s.
