Game of the Year 2017: Rebekah’s picks

Rebekah’s Game of the Year #2 – Horizon: Zero Dawn

Like Super Mario Odyssey, Horizon: Zero Dawn takes a familiar formula and polishes it to near-perfection. There’s little in this game we haven’t seen in other open world adventures if you’re just describing the features: there’s complex combat, crafting, stealth, beautiful landscapes, a large map to uncover, and plenty of sidequests. But Horizon turns the dial up to 11 on almost all of these, creating one of the most polished and enjoyable versions of the open world adventures to date. Even more importantly, we get to experience this excellence through the eyes of an incredible protagonist in Aloy. Really, all you need to know is that she has incredible hair and kills robot dinosaurs with a bow and arrow. That’s certainly what sold me on the game!

Of course, Horizon offers more than just cool robot slaying. Aloy’s story examines human failure, the meaning of life, and the power of science and technology from a perspective we rarely, if ever, get a chance to see. Not only did I fall in love with Aloy, but I found myself greedy for any scrap of universe lore I came across as I tried to put the puzzle pieces together about what happened to make the world the way it was. If you somehow missed Horizon: Zero Dawn or haven’t yet returned for The Frozen Wilds DLC, make sure you don’t miss this pinnacle of the genre.