Horizon Zero Dawn release date brought forward in the UK

Vaughn Highfield January 5, 2016

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Read our full review of Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn is, easily, one of Sony’s most interesting upcoming PS4 games and – thanks to some wonderful magic from the development team at Guerrilla Games – it’s now arriving two days earlier in the UK.

Usually games, especially titles with the scale and scope of Horizon Zero Dawn are plagued by delays, so it’s rather nice to see one being brought forward with all the bells and whistles of 4K HDR gameplay and PS4 Pro compatibility intact. So, instead of having to wait until 3 March to sink your teeth into Horizon Zero Dawn, we can jump right in on 1 March. As 1 March is a Wednesday, it’s likely this release comes as part of a PlayStation Store update so physical copies may not make it into your hands and stores until the Friday.

Horizon Zero Dawn: 4K gameplay

The most eye-catching aspect of Sony’s PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro announcement wasn’t the predictably black-n-rectangular consoles themselves, nor was it the brief clip of Mass Effect Andromeda. Rich in colours, light and shade, it was the 4K HDR footage of Horizon Zero Dawn that managed to steal the show.

The PS4 Pro is capable of playing certain games in 4K and HDR, as long as you have a TV that’s able to handle these demands. Horizon Zero Dawn will be one of the titles to get the enhanced graphics treatment. Not that you’ll need to buy a separate version of the game – the enhanced mode is downloaded automatically as a patch and the disk itself will work on both the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro.

Fancy visuals aren’t everything. I personally care a lot more about whether the game is actually well designed and written, but the 4K version certainly looks pretty and the post-apocalyptic robo-world of Horizon Zero Dawn offers a gorgeous pallet for high-end TVs. You can watch the footage below, although you’ll need a monitor capable of playing 4K to see it in its full glory.

Elsewhere, details of the game have surfaced in the latest edition of Game Informer. As spotted by TheSixthAxis, a NeoGAF user charmingly called Obliterator has posted a handy guide to the main details, which I’d avoid if you want to go into the game completely fresh as it gives a few things away about the opening story. If you’re up for knowing a few more details about the game, here’s an edited version of Obliterator’s post.

Guerrilla wanted to make a game that’s “Beautiful in a majestic way” instead of the grit of Killzone. They wanted to create a world you wanted to be in, instead of escape from.
There are desert, arctic, and temperate environments.
Players will find out how the world got this way. Guerrilla games say “this is a sci-fi game and that they won’t depend on fantasy at any point.”
The various tribes are radically different, including in terms of how they feel about the machines. Some of them believe the machines becoming more violent is punishment from the gods.
You don’t recruit different tribes to your cause but they will sell you different gear and have their own side quests and storylines
Aloy is most concerned with finding her origin, and most importantly who her mother was.
Aloy was raised in the Nora Tribe. For reasons she doesn’t know they seem to shun her.
The Nora are ruled by women, Matriarchs.
Aloy was raised by another outcast named Rost, who didn’t do it of his own will. The Tribe forced him.
Rost is stern and overprotective but only wants the best for Aloy. He’s a father figure
There are playable flashbacks of Aloy’s childhood.
There are Hunter Trials which are essentially Big Game Hunts / Hunter’s Guild.
There are “Corruption Zones” which are areas of the map filled with dangerous enemies. Some of the biggest fights in the game can be found in these zones
There are lots of side quests.

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