I think the thing I appreciated about Horizon over anything else was how the game (for the most part) lets you decide how to approach any given combat situation. I'm not a huge action game fan because I'm not necessarily the twitchiest player, but being able to safely pick off enemies atop a Tallneck or finding a ledge to avoid the gaze of a Sawtooth let me experience the game the way I wanted to.
I saw the title and immediately thought of Flashback: The Quest for Identity. I’ve never played Horizon. I’m sure it’s a good game, but it seems to blend in with a lot of other modern titles these days.
I had the "Flashback" thought too, played the game a lot as a kid. Though it's really just another amnesia-driven plot, more of a "quest for memory", and then your memories are restored early on and it becomes a quest to save the world.
Horizon sounds like it touches some deeper themes, though the game overall is probably not my jam. And in any case I don't own any Sony consoles at the moment.
But I can think of a lot of games where the character lacks a family or a tribe to identify with -- it's a well-worn trope, but obviously some explore it much better than others. Terra from FF6 is the first video game character that comes to mind that explores the idea more deeply and satisfyingly.
Interesting that Terra's a female character, at a time when female leads were much less common. There's a theory that horror movies need to focus on a female character, a "final girl", because we're viscerally disgusted by the sight of a man giving in to abject fear. We expect to see a man kicking butt and taking names. Just a thought, but maybe it's similar with identity -- we're more prepared to accept a woman struggling with her very identity -- her "sense of self" -- than a man. A man may ask himself if he's strong enough, if he's capable of rising to the occasion and becoming the hero, but we get annoyed more quickly by him asking basic questions like, "Who am I?"
Horizon hooked me with its story, but the heavy emphasis on combat intimidated me at first. I stuck it out, and in the end, I think I enjoyed the combat over the story! Not sure I would recommend it to anyone, though, unless they were already interested in playing it.
"Just a thought, but maybe it's similar with identity -- we're more prepared to accept a woman struggling with her very identity -- her "sense of self" -- than a man. A man may ask himself if he's strong enough, if he's capable of rising to the occasion and becoming the hero, but we get annoyed more quickly by him asking basic questions like, "Who am I?"
I could see that. Honestly, I think it would be refreshing to see a man struggle with identity in a modern film/game, since I think a lot of men (particularly those without fathers) struggle to know their place and role in society. Speaking for myself, anyway.
Great post!!
I think the thing I appreciated about Horizon over anything else was how the game (for the most part) lets you decide how to approach any given combat situation. I'm not a huge action game fan because I'm not necessarily the twitchiest player, but being able to safely pick off enemies atop a Tallneck or finding a ledge to avoid the gaze of a Sawtooth let me experience the game the way I wanted to.
Thanks!
Gotta love the height advantage when dealing with the larger enemies, haha.
Most of the time I preferred the stealth approach, but as I got stronger, I would usually just rush in with reckless abandon. Fun times!
I saw the title and immediately thought of Flashback: The Quest for Identity. I’ve never played Horizon. I’m sure it’s a good game, but it seems to blend in with a lot of other modern titles these days.
Woaaaah, I completely forgot about Flashback.
-Er, I mean, that was intentional, my good man. Completely intentional!
It took a couple tries and many hours for me to sync with Horizon. I'm actually surprised it's as popular as it is.
I had the "Flashback" thought too, played the game a lot as a kid. Though it's really just another amnesia-driven plot, more of a "quest for memory", and then your memories are restored early on and it becomes a quest to save the world.
Horizon sounds like it touches some deeper themes, though the game overall is probably not my jam. And in any case I don't own any Sony consoles at the moment.
But I can think of a lot of games where the character lacks a family or a tribe to identify with -- it's a well-worn trope, but obviously some explore it much better than others. Terra from FF6 is the first video game character that comes to mind that explores the idea more deeply and satisfyingly.
Interesting that Terra's a female character, at a time when female leads were much less common. There's a theory that horror movies need to focus on a female character, a "final girl", because we're viscerally disgusted by the sight of a man giving in to abject fear. We expect to see a man kicking butt and taking names. Just a thought, but maybe it's similar with identity -- we're more prepared to accept a woman struggling with her very identity -- her "sense of self" -- than a man. A man may ask himself if he's strong enough, if he's capable of rising to the occasion and becoming the hero, but we get annoyed more quickly by him asking basic questions like, "Who am I?"
Horizon hooked me with its story, but the heavy emphasis on combat intimidated me at first. I stuck it out, and in the end, I think I enjoyed the combat over the story! Not sure I would recommend it to anyone, though, unless they were already interested in playing it.
"Just a thought, but maybe it's similar with identity -- we're more prepared to accept a woman struggling with her very identity -- her "sense of self" -- than a man. A man may ask himself if he's strong enough, if he's capable of rising to the occasion and becoming the hero, but we get annoyed more quickly by him asking basic questions like, "Who am I?"
I could see that. Honestly, I think it would be refreshing to see a man struggle with identity in a modern film/game, since I think a lot of men (particularly those without fathers) struggle to know their place and role in society. Speaking for myself, anyway.