Third Day of the Icon

It appears that I am nearing the end of Horizon: Forbidden West and a case can be made that this is one of the best games I've played. 

Without looking online and potentially spoiling the experience, there's several reasons I think I'm nearing the end. The progression of plot suggests that most if not all of the major tasks have been completed, leading up to the final and climactic showdown with the bad guys. My character just reached Level 49 (of a possible 50) and the skill trees are nearly full. Most of the map has been cleared except for a few nooks and crannies (the map is initially covered by clouds, which dissipate as you explore the area beneath them). I've accumulated at least 90% or more of the collectible items.   

Also, and maybe most significantly, I've played 168.5 hours according to my Steam statistics. I completed the entire previous game, Horizon: New Dawn, including DLC, in 183.1 hours.

The thing is, though, I don't want this game to end.  I'm enjoying it that much. I know that when I'm done, there's a DLC waiting at the end for some more play time, but that's sort of like a limited-duration afterlife.  

Sure, like any game, I occasionally get frustrated. There are some ruins, for example, where it seems impossible to figure out how to obtain the hidden collectible ornament. There are some machines ("machines" being mechanized beasts, the principal adversaries in this game) that seem impossible to beat, that will absorb seemingly infinite amounts of damage and then still kill you after a 30-minute battle. And there are some overly long dialogs with random NPCs that make one wonder if the writers were paid for minutes of dialog.

But those are minor complaints and more or less universal to all video games. The visuals are absolutely stunning - this is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. There have been moments in the game where I just stopped playing in order to stare and take in the landscape and scenery around me.  Screenshots don't do the scenery justice - motion seems to be necessary to fully enhance the 3-D imagery. 

There are whole days where I've played without completing a single quest, task, subtask, or errand and  done nothing but explore the open-world environment. In fact, it may not have been a great game, but if it consisted of nothing more than exploring the environment, it still would have been an interesting experience.   

And the ludic quality of gameplay is quite satisfying - not too easy to be boring (usually) and not so difficult as to be frustrating (most of the time). And there's something so satisfying to me about the metallic sound of a 10-ton mechanical beast hitting the ground after battle. 

Most of the battles are puzzles of a sort, too. To defeat some enormous mecha-beast, you don't just stand there and fire arrows. You need to recon the situation, find the best available cover and protection, don the appropriate armor for the type of damage the beast inflicts, select the right ammo for the beast's weaknesses, and come up with a game-plan strategy. Attack from behind this rock, lure the beast into a trap over there, follow-up with different ammo, and then finish it off with a charged-up power strike. It's so satisfying when it all works and the beast comes down with a thunderous crash of metal on rock.

You have to experience it to understand the thrill.

Anyway, the point here is that the Gaming Desk wants to advise you that if you enjoy playing video games, check out Horizon: Forbidden West.