Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores ReviewWelcome back, Aloy

By Divyanshi Sharma“She flies, she fights machines, and she has fancy moves,” this is perhaps, the best way to describe Aloy, one of the strongest female characters we have seen in the gaming world. She doesn’t take no for an answer, dives straight into trouble, and never backs away from a fight. And it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the world forgot about Aloy way too soon after Horizon Forbidden West made its debut last year.

The game released in February 2022 and was much hyped, until it got overshadowed by other titles like Elden Ring and the God Of WarRagnarok. Now, I have nothing against Elden Ring and GOW. In fact, I played both games and absolutely loved them. But I did feel sad for Aloy, as she didn’t really get the attention she deserved — at least that is what I feel. If the game was released in a different year, perhaps, its hype and reception would have been truly different.

And the extended version, has some cool upgrades.

There’s a different storyline (obviously) and new places to explore. Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores also feels like a treat for all Horizon games fans as there are some new armory. Since I played the last version more than a year back, new weapons can take a little time to get into the groove. I was soon able to assume control of Aloy just like before and (literally) dived in this new-yet-familiar world.

Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores Plot

The story of Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores begins after you finish the base game’s main story. After completing the final mission of Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy gets a call from Sylens, who tells her of a powerful enemy at the ‘Burning Shores’. He also reveals that the area was previously called ‘Los Angeles’.

Aloy hops on her Sunwing and journeys across the sea, to enter what we know today as Hollywood. Well, a post-apocalyptic rendition of it, of course. The game wastes no time and drops Aloy straight into action and we meet Seyka, the co-lead of the story.

Together, Aloy and Seyka embark on an important mission and revealing anything about the same would be a spoiler.

The story of Burning Shores kicks off with a bang, progresses at a fast pace, and struggles a bit towards the end. It also feels familiar as once again, the fate of the world depends upon Aloy. I would’ve loved if there was a different theme this time and if the sub-plots somehow were woven into the main story.

Coming to the ending, it felt a bit abrupt and in just about 7 hours, I was through with it. However, I was at level 52 before even starting the DLC content so if you are at a lower level, it might take you a bit longer.

What all is new?

Coming to the characters, there’s a brand-new tribe, the Quen, and you want to get to know them better. There’s also a brief off-screen appearance by Beta, and I felt nostalgic hearing that voice.

The one character that stands out from the lot is Seyka. Together, Aloy and Seyka make quite a team and often engage in hilarious banters too. Seyka, is perhaps the missing link in Aloy’s story and her significance increases even more towards the end.

There are other characters too that require Aloy’s help through side quests and she obliges. However, very little is known about them.

There are also new costumes, face paints, weapons, and more to explore. And among these, the face paints were my favourite and I had the one titled Quen Freediver on during most of my gameplay. For me, it represented someone brave and beautiful, and that’s exactly who Aloy is.

The new costumes were decent enough and I had no favourites there but, a super-cool futuristic weapon awaits as you progress through the main story, and it will leave you with an adrenaline rush after each use. You can also buy weapons used by the Quen tribe and they’re quite useful in the game.

In addition to this, a new mount awaits and (spoiler alert) it can dive underwater as well as fly in the sky! I absolutely loved Aloy’s new ride and prefer to commute that way for the entire game. At the beginning, Aloy also rows a boat for quite some time and doing that was a therapeutic experience.

You also fight a couple of new machines but after facing the Specters in the last game, they don’t seem as dangerous. And a very familiar foe returns towards the end.

Side-quests and the world

The side-quests, even though limited in number, are spread neatly across the map and are quite fun. They allow Aloy to upgrade her weapons and I recommend completing all of them before heading for the main story’s final quest, especially if you are playing the game on a higher difficulty setting. The quests also help form a connect with other characters in the world.

The Horizon Forbidden WestBurning Shores’ world, in general, is much like the base game. There are machines lurking around, bandit camps, trouble brewing among various tribes, etc. It feels quite familiar as we return to the game after a year. What sets the world different from HFW main game is a sight where one can spot the Burning Shores. Apart from that, it’s more of the same and frankly, I love it.

Aesthetic brilliance

One area where the game shines, again, is its aesthetic brilliance. The developers have created yet another stunning world, within an already well-crafted world and I could not get enough of the clear waters and blue skies. There is also a dinosaur-themed amusement park and that was my favourite location to hang out at during the game.

PSThe world underwater is surely worth exploring. I spent a lot of time at the bottom of the ocean, collecting savages, hiding from the machines, and so on.

VerdictHit or miss?

If you have finished the original game and are a loyal follower of the franchise, the Horizon Forbidden West is a must-play. It is an important chapter of Aloy’s story and gives us a more up-and-close look at her. However, if you are venturing into the franchise for the first time, I’d suggest you start with Horizon Zero Dawn, then play the Horizon Forbidden West main game and then, buy this DLC.