Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is ever beautiful, and that's enough

Beauty doesn't need excuses. When Sony unveiled plans to remaster their 2017 robo-dino hunting masterpiece, scepticism ran high. The original already turned heads like a Tallneck at a giraffe convention, so why bother? Yet here we are, mouth agape, watching sunlight pierce through realistically swaying grass while a mechanical T-Rex prowls in the distance. Sometimes pretty pictures tell the whole story.

This isn't just a quick resolution bump. Developer Nixxes took their time here, rebuilding fundamentals that most players probably thought were fine already. Water moves more naturally now. Characters' faces show subtle details that make conversations more engaging. And the lighting - probably the biggest upgrade - makes the original's impressive system look decidedly first-draft in comparison.

The world itself feels more lived-in. It's not just about the obvious improvements to textures and effects. Small touches make the difference - the way grass moves around as you walk through it, how shadows fall across old ruins, the subtle changes in terrain. These aren't revolutionary changes, but they add up to something that feels more real.


Where chrome beasts dance



Strip away the marketing pitch and Horizon 's core idea remains wonderfully odd: tribal warriors hunting robot dinosaurs in the ruins of our world. The remaster adds clarity to this strange mix without overdoing it. The machines move more convincingly now, their parts and weak points easier to spot without feeling too game-y. The PS5's controller features actually add something useful - you can feel the tension in your bow, the weight of each step.

The ruins of the old world tell better stories now too. The crumbling buildings and abandoned tech feel more haunting, more grounded. You can better see the contrast between the tribal villages and the mechanical threats that roam outside them. It's still a weird mix, but it works better than ever.


Mother nature gets an upgrade

Meridian, the game's main city, actually feels like a city now. There are more people moving around, and they move with more purpose. The weather does more than just change the scenery - rain feels wet, snow keeps track of where you've been. None of these changes are revolutionary, but they make the world feel more complete.




The day-night cycle might be the best showcase of the improvements. Sunrise and sunset transform familiar places in subtle ways. Shadows stretch across the land more convincingly, settlements light up more naturally as darkness falls, and the machines cast more meaningful silhouettes against the changing sky.


Still 2017 under the hood


Not everything gets a complete makeover. The open-world checklist – climb tall thing, reveal map, repeat. Still feels like, well, a checklist. Fighting human enemies isn't nearly as interesting as taking down machines. But these familiar limitations feel less noticeable when everything around them runs this smoothly. Character conversations have more life to them now, and the improved sound design actually helps you track machines better.

You can choose between different graphics modes, trading visual quality for smoother performance or vice versa. Both options work well - it's just down to what you prefer. The technical improvements serve the game rather than showing off.


The art of doing less, better
Sometimes magic happens twice. Nixxes took what was already a looker and turned it into a showstopper. The remaster works because it knows what it needs to be - a better-looking version of an already good-looking game. If you're new to Horizon, this is obviously the version to play. If you're coming back, the visual upgrades make it worth another look without pretending to be a whole new game.

In an industry obsessed with justifying every re-release, there's something refreshing about a remaster that simply says, "Look at this." And when "this" looks this good, that's all the justification needed. Beauty might be skin deep, but sometimes that skin is wrapped around one hell of a game.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered proves that sometimes making something prettier actually makes it better. It hasn't changed the game, but it has made sure this strange, beautiful world will stay beautiful for years to come. And yes, that's enough.