2023-05-04 13:00:40
If Microsoft has multiplied the disappointments at the start of 2023, Sony has on the other hand offered practically nothing in terms of first-party exclusives. The first extension of Horizon Forbidden West, however, saves the editor’s bet.
We expected it, the year 2023 was going to be very bitter for PlayStation players, with the release of PSVR 2 at the start of the year, but very few first-party exclusives planned throughout the year.
Fortunately, we can count on the Guerrilla studio to come to the rescue. Burning Shores, the first extension of Horizon Forbidden West was released in April 2023 and the result lives up to our expectations. Explanations.
When we think of Playstation exclusives, we mainly think of God of War, Last of Us and Horizon, the three licenses that have driven PlayStation console sales in recent years. And unsurprisingly, Horizon the Forbidden West was the title best positioned to qualify for an expansion. Like its predecessor, it is entitled with Burning Shores to a new adventure. The expansion not only introduces us to new enemies, bosses and locations, but also new environments. This time, we leave San Francisco Bay to explore the city of Los Angeles, where nature has reasserted itself.
Be careful though, if you haven’t finished the original game, you won’t be able to play Burning Shores. The adventure will only begin once you have completed the “Singularity” quest. Burning Shores is therefore only for veterans who have completed the original. And besides, this is where this extension shines the most, because it is endgame. You start this “new” adventure right where you left off, with your full gear. No more long tutorial, all the cogs of the game are supposed to be well mastered.
Burning Shores adds a very long list of novelties: a new weapon, new enemies of different types, a new object (beacons to place on the walls to help you climb), explosive crystals and of course new bosses that alone represent a good reason to fall for this extension.
Quite paradoxically, the difficulty seems to have been lowered and this is probably the main flaw of this extension, which puts us in control of an overpowered character once morest enemies who are not necessarily more powerful than in the original game…
The Burning Shores adventure is very pleasant to go through, but ultimately not very difficult compared to the main adventure. It is completed in less than 5 hours flat and there is hardly any reason to go back to it. In terms of rhythm, however, it is perfectly mastered, with a final climax once morest a gigantic boss, sequences of action, exploration and puzzles. The only real fiasco of Burning Shores is to try to put us at the controls of a tub which does not have much use compared to our mount which allows us to travel faster and more efficiently
Side scenario also, small disappointment with a very banal story in the end, which draws a little in length and a cast moderately convincing. Our heroine finds herself here the target of projectiles along the coast, and decides to investigate… She will meet a new character, Seyka, a warrior with whom she will befriend (and more, given the affinity of the two characters) and will have to face an antagonist with disproportionate ambitions. It smells a little warmed up, it fits awkwardly into the main plot but it has the merit of “doing the job”, while waiting for a new episode.
So, should we fall for Burning Shores or not? Certainly, if you loved The Forbidden West. This is a solid extension, which is a continuation of the main game, and which makes us discover a new region of the world. The adventure is gripping from start to finish, but Burning Shores is clearly not reinventing the wheel. If you want to continue the journey in the Horizon universe for a few hours, here is in any case a solid extension. It should be noted in passing: only owners of the PS5 version of the game will have access to this extension. And it’s not so bad following all because we can feel it, the developers let loose here and had a lot more freedom in the construction of the universe. The original episode was limited, technically, because of the PS4. This extension is not, and it is definitely an asset.
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