Sony is Trying to Convince Us That Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered Makes Sense. Company Discussed Most of the Changes
Sony published an extensive article describing the changes introduced in Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered. The new version's quality is expected to approach Forbidden West.
The announcement of Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered did not meet with too enthusiastic reception from the players. Some people believe that refreshing this barely 7-year-old game is completely unnecessary, and moreover, the original is said to look better in comparisons. Sony, however, is not giving up and continues to try to convince fans that a remaster makes perfect sense.
On the PlayStation blog we can read an extensive article about the matter. improvements introduced in the new version. Many elements have been rebuilt in it, so that its quality would approach that of Forbidden West.
Improvements over the original
All of the game's vegetation has been refreshed by using better quality textures, geometry, shaders and interactivity. Many biomes have also been improved to bring them closer to the vision of the original artworks. A more vibrant, immersive world has been created by adding more NPCs to empty towns, outposts, and areas.
All textures (and "materials", as stated on the blog) of the terrain have been replaced, using the sequel's library and adapting it to the atmosphere of the prequel. In addition, some details were added, such as deformations in snow and sand. In the cities, on the other hand, we will find completely new ground textures, and the buildings have received additional geometric details. The beautiful landscapes will be complemented by the Nubis cloud system from Forbidden West.
Entire sections of the game have been re-lit, with "at least twice the reflection detail" achieved thanks to an improved light-burning system. Also the movie cutscenes have been improved in this regard. Now, instead of two light sources, five are used, as is the case in the sequel, and each is modified depending on the shot.
As for the characters, their models have been "significantly improved" with, for example, a greater amount of detail, better quality of hair or costumes from the second game. From now on, all of them will also react to environmental elements, not just Aloy, as was the case in the original.
It must be admitted that the list of changes sounds quite impressive, although I still haven't mentioned all the modifications here. However, this does not change the fact that not everyone has to like them, and Sony's practices of withdrawing older editions from stores and adding the requirement of PSN do not help to gain points in the eyes of fans.
Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered will debut on October 31 on PC and PS5.
