Despite fumbling attempts to improve upon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West plays fabulously well to the same strengths as its predecessor: telling a thrilling story in a richly fascinating world full of exhilirating action.

Which makes it kinda awkward for me to review -- after all, I don't want to dwell on the bad parts of this overall amazing game. Like how an inventory system I previously called a "train-wreck" has been enhanced with automatic sending-to-stash, and that's great, but makes it even more unpleasant when you run out of arrow-crafting resources mid-battle (because your stockpile is still in that stash!).

Or how all its new activity types feel under-done: Machine Strike is bewilderingly counter-intuitive and disappointingly boils down to Who Has Bigger Numbers (it's no Gwent); Arena challenges are an awful lot like Hunter Trials but without the option to sneak, plus sometimes replacing your own hard-earned equipment with a challenge-specific loadout (demanding you learn unfamiliar weapons with a tight time limit!); and Mario Kart-esque Gauntlet races can be ruined by the same bullshit last-moment overtakes as real Mario Kart.

Or how the new melee combos are just impossible to time correctly- ah, there I go. No! No, I won't obsess over the minutiae of Forbidden West's whiffed shots at iteration, nor the stale bits of 2017 that are still here (like the tedium of hunting critters for pouch upgrades).

Because those rough spots are overshadowed by what the game does right, and they're the same engaging, powerful things that made Zero Dawn such a delight.

The story is unforgettable, filling in more of the Horizon mythos while adding plenty of fresh surprises of its own; both new and returning characters make this post-apocalypse feel enticing with excellent dialog and emotive animation.

The world is sprawling, filled with diverse environments and well-integrated events that make it fun to explore for its own sake; I don't have square footage numbers on me, but Forbidden West's map sure seems bigger and diverse-r than Zero Dawn's was.

(Forbidden West also includes a larger number of memorable destinations and landmarks, though none are as awe-inspiring as the ruins of Las Vegas, and Aloy's quest to restore its neon holographic lights -- seeing that for the first time was a real descending-to-Rapture moment.)

The combat is heart-poundingly exciting, even if sometimes it's too much; I mostly avoided the fucking fire wolves, but now there are some real asshole ice turtles. And setting aside a glut of weapon types and elemental ammo that feel unnecessary, dodging enemy attacks and targeting their weak points is still plenty satisfying.

So... what Zero Dawn excelled at, Forbidden West excels even more. And while it's a shame that this sequel didn't manage to improve on the original's low points, achieving the same highs makes it a decisive "win" nevertheless.

Better than: Horizon Zero Dawn, if only by a bit.
Not as good as: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (come on, new-gen update!)
Wherever the third game goes from here: I'm stoked for it.

Progress: finished on Normal, 86.25% completion.

Rating: Awesome