Horizon Burning Shores is a new DLC for Horizon Forbidden West. It starts from where the previous DLC left off. It takes place in a new location and there are some new things in the game as well. The performance of the game is solid with not too many useless events happening in the world. Even the small events are tied into the bigger events. There are some new tribes as well that ramps up the scale of things.
The game also introduces some new characters and a new location. There are a lot of water bodies on the map. It further scales the idea of flying around on the flying machine. There are some new machines as well. So the DLC introduces some new things in hopes of refreshing the series. The question is, are all of the changes make the DLC worth $20? Let’s find out.
Plot and Setting (Spoiler Free)
The game takes place directly after the events of Horizon Forbidden West in Los Angeles. You can’t even start it if you have not completed the final mission of the base game. The game acts as a bridge to the third installment rather than being a side adventure. Developers have given important positions to the expansion of the series. The map is 3rd the size of the base game’s map.
It sets you off after the last living member of Far Zenith who is living in the ruins of LA. You will meet a new side character named Seyka. She is one of the best-written characters in Burning Shores. Seyka will go with you as a tag team to fight alongside you. She will even help solve puzzles with you.
Flying off to Los Angeles is not possible since towers will shoot you down. Nothing can go to LA unless the towers are shut down. You have to take down the towers to unlock more of the area as the story progress. The companion will be with you throughout the game. Some new things are happening in the story. Horizon Burning Shores set a decent setting for the story.
Main Missions, Extra Content, and Map
The story missions of the game are great and they are on par with the base game if not better. There is a lot of fun stuff happening in the game. Most of it revolves around fighting machines but some of is about finding your way through them.
Side missions are good and they are just not simply there to add some extra content. Each one of the side mission is unique and different which add more life to them. The side quests are good and it is not simple. You will not just get quest by talking to someone. They get triggered by different events and different parts of the game. Side missions can start in a storm, inside ruins, and things like that. Such triggers make exploration rewarding and encourage exploration.
The map has lots of water and different areas are protected by towers. These towers will shoot anyone who gets close to them. As you progress you will turn off more of these towers which will open up new areas. It feels good to fly around, dive and swim in the water. There is now a new mountable machine that can dive and fly.
The new location has a new style and mostly contains water. There are a lot of destroyed blown-out old buildings but there are new ones as well. The set pieces of the game and the way they look is quite different. At the time it even feels like Horizon 3 with how many changes it brings. Burning Shores is a complex and interesting location in the series and the game thoroughly explores it.
Combat
The game has not seen much change other than some new weapons and a small addition of new enemies. There are even new skill tiers to unlock that are unique to the Horizon Burning Shores. These skills are unique to the DLC. There is one new big machine that looks like a frog and will throw poison at you. The frog machine is a good addition and makes the game feel new.
One of the new and most unique weapons is the Spector gauntlet. It is a 3D printer that prints ammo on the go using resources. It can even shoot homing missiles. The DLC brings some new content to keep players engaged with the game.
General Gameplay
Some new tribes in the game have different hierarchies. Such an introduction of tribes creates a good setup of new characters. Their base also has new armor that you can buy using Brimshine which is a new currency that you can find throughout the map. All of it feels good and unique thanks to all the changes that the expansion brings. These armors are not essential but they are powerful.
Visually the game looks impressive. It shows LA in a better way than San Francisco. It has ruins with lots of good places. There is even a complete holographic Jurassic Park. LA has a treacherous high cliff, and random molten lava, with everything looking great.
One of the main issues is the game starts off and assumes that you know everything. It is fair since you can’t start it without completing the base game. However, if you have completed the base game near launch then it will take you some time to get the hang of it.
Performance
Horizon Burning Shores is a complete next-gen game that is only available on the PlayStation 5. It has better graphics than the base game and it does not have performance issues. The game will give you solid 60 fps nearly all the time. It just looks different and better overall than the base game. You can fly higher and see more of the land compared to the base game. Everything in the sky looks great including the cloud.
Verdict
The story of Horizon Burning Shores is good but the core gameplay is mostly the same. There are new things to explore and see but the main fighting system remains the same. It is not a bad add-on as a lot of the things that it does are pretty good. Burning Shores is a good continuation of the game where the real star of the show is the environment.
The DLC is good but it is too short for its price. Though it is far better than other DLCs we have seen over the years. You can complete this DLC in four to six hours depending on how much side content you do. It offers some improvement in crafting, weapon, and currencies. If you want more Horizon experience then this is a must. Plus it was also Lance Reddik’s last game so we get to see him perform one last time.
