I recomend this game, the history, gameplay, graphics, all are balanced, with glimps of nostalgic, is the perfect game to play with a bearin your hand and thinking about what ephimeral we are.

I loved this game, the vibe, the main character (Aloy) and the mechanics. Our main character lives in an 802,701 AD styled world akin to H.G. Wells the Time Machine (i.e. Aloy -> Eloi) where the modern world is now ruins and fossils centuries in the past. The game itself is colourful, beautiful, setting up a world incredibly unique and I even see similarities of its impact on design of the world and enemies in Palworld or Monster Hunter Wilds to even Rimworld Biotech Expansion. As a game itself it stands alone as solid interesting and fun.

What really stood out was the Gone Home style background story that unfolds over time, made possible by the Focus device Aloy found in the forbidden ruins, and its from these revelations we find along the way that was the standout of the game as Aloy finds the truth and the history of the world. It's a love letter to the field of archaeology and conducts a role reversal of how a Bronze Age civilisation would perceive the ruins of our own civilisation (Also how a merchant overanalyses a coffee mug even attributing it for ritual purposes will never not be funny to me), But the story itself is complex, thoughtful and was the only thing making me want to play this game through to the end. Even though we as Aloy are the main character, I felt like this game is one of the strongest arguments in video game form advocating for open source knowledge and understanding and how all efforts to conceal and bury the truth will not only be in vain but also hurt generations to come. Future generations need our lesssons today to learn and improve as well as illustrating the consequences of our (in modern times) actions - what is important, what is unimportant, how future generations will see us today and the world we tried to create for them, that the best way forward is truth and openness.

The main story itself was strong in the first act when Aloy was a child up to the proving trials while being raised by Rost. The main story after Aloy inevitably leaving the valley (the tutorial area) was alright as Aloy rallies her allies but Rost should have played a bigger role (Fallout 3 style) because Rost could have introduced emotional stakes for Aloy making the main storyline more compelling. But the archaeology backstory held the story part of the deal and gave the game the narrative and moral weight needed to make this a great game and story.

Or if you like this primitive cybperpunk colourful world, this game is for you too. But its the backstory that stands out that I remember to this day, foreshadowing a world we now see ourselves in where AI agents and whispers of ASI play a bigger part of our lives and what will happen if we are not careful.

Gameplay:

Probably the worst part of the game. The stealth gameplay is bad compared to other stealth games. A lot of the things that make stealth fun are locked behind skills, and even then, the stealth still doesn't feel good. The enemy detection range is not very lenient, making it difficult to sneak up on enemies. If there are no shrubs around, then good luck trying not to get detected. In loud gameplay, humanoid enemy AI doesn't seem to coordinate as a team and will just run around, occasionally even walking right up next to you and standing still. Weapons feel weak throughout the entire game, even with better gear and upgrades. Machines also do a significant amount of damage, so much so that you would be surprised by how quickly you can die. The hitboxes on enemies (specifically humans) don't work occasionally. Arrows would go straight through enemies as if you had missed. Climbing is cool but significantly underutilized. There aren't many pre-placed climbing spots, making it difficult to traverse vertically. During climbing or while navigating obstacles, sometimes the game won't detect the pole or ledge, and you'll just fall off and die. Melee combat is unsatisfying. Enemies have armor, and your attacks do less damage after the first few strikes. On top of that, they can break out of your attack stuns, making melee feel not worth using. Hunting is fine and generally fun, especially when scavenging and looking around the map.

Story/Characters:

The story is decent; however, it takes maybe a quarter of the game before it really gets going. The game has a really slow start, with the first quarter feeling like one long tutorial. After that, you're tasked to help people you recently met and don't have any real reason to care about, which eventually leads you down a rabbit hole. It would have been better if the people you help were developed a little more before asking you to get involved, giving you more of a reason to actually care about helping them. The characters' dialogue delivery is generally flat and uninteresting, excluding Aloy and a few others. Most of the characters aren't particularly memorable and don't feel very important to the overall story. The NPCs in the towns and cities also feel very scripted and generic, making the world feel less alive.

Environment:

The environment is the best part of the game. It has amazing lighting, wild landscapes, and interior designs of the ancient civilization from the metal world. It looks and feels really good and organic. However, the world generally feels empty, with long stretches of land where there isn't much around other than machines, strongholds, and campfires. There aren't many interesting locations to explore outside of the story-focused areas.

Final Thoughts:

Although, I don't like the combat. The story and the world itself was interesting enough to stick around to the end. Would give this game a mixed reception. DLC story is better than the main story in my opinion.

Rating: 7/10.