Guerrilla a tope
We are in the midst of what is probably the most competitive time in all of gaming history. Proposals of all kinds come out every day and many times, publishers and developers are already competing for our time, rather than for money as such. The rapid way in which new ideas and techniques arrive means that anyone who gets a little distracted gets lost in a sea of products. Undoubtedly, Guerrilla Games has become a key part of PlayStationWell, beyond being efficient when working and having franchises such as Horizon, the Dutch studio has created a graphics engine that not only impresses, but can also be exported for others to take advantage of. The DECIMA Engine is a true gem of which we are just seeing its true potential. As proof of all the above that I am telling you, it is Burning Shoresexpansion of the acclaimed Horizon Forbidden West which in addition to allowing us to return to the fantastic world of Aloy and company, gives us a glimpse of what the PS5 will be delivering throughout this entire console generation.
There is currently a heated debate about how the slow process of changing hardware is causing the true potential of things like the PS5 y Xbox Series X, could not be seen after more than two years on the market. In my opinion, calling last-generation consoles “drag” is somewhat unfair, but the reality is that when a developer is concerned that their game will run on a machine that is more than 10 years old, it is inevitably going to have repercussions. in which the new cannot be fully exploited. Horizon Forbidden West is a game that looks spectacularly good running on Sony’s current platform, but when you see Burning Shorescontent already fully thought for the PlayStation 5, You can’t help but think that we could have seen the full game give so much more. Leaving aside the graphic issue, I tell you that this expansion is more than Horizonfor with quite interesting additions that are quite worth it.
Horizon 3 prologue?
One of the most important parts of the PlayStation Studios games has to do with their narrative. Today it is very common to expect a Sony game to put special emphasis on the story it is going to tell, often leaving other aspects aside. Horizon Zero Dawn blew our minds with the universe and characters it created, leaving the door open for much-needed sequels that would tell us much more. With that important mission came Horizon Forbidden West, which, despite also having truly high points in terms of story, its ending and some details left us wanting more of its predecessor in this section. For Burning Shores, all of the above is taken, this to give a new common thread to Aloy’s path, one that the truth is, I did not expect it to interest me as much as he did.
Let’s take the most obvious question off the table. Do I have to have played Horizon Forbidden West to get into Burning Shores? Yes, here we have an affirmative answer with capital letters, because you not only have to have played said title, you have to have finished its main story. You can’t start with this expansion if you haven’t completed the primary quest you follow with Aloy. The reason for this is that this is a true sequel to what happens at the end of Forbidden West, to the point that I would venture to say that in order to start with a potential Horizon 3, experiencing this DLC would be crucial. So important are the facts that are told here.
Our journey begins when just after returning to our base after finding out about Nemesis and what awaits Earth, Aloy is contacted by Sylens, who asks us to go see him urgently, because he has clues about the missing Zenith that of course, he could have. Some clue to avoid the end of the world. Yes, here we have one of Lance Reddick’s last works after his sudden death a few weeks ago. Aloy does not doubt for a second the information presented to her and immediately travels south, specifically to the area of Los Angeles where this character is supposedly located. Upon her arrival, the redhead finds out about the complicated situation in the city of stars, because in addition to having to fight against another crazy ancestor, there are problems among the locals.
From that moment on, we could say that the Burning Shores plot splits in two. On the one hand we have everything that the Far Zenith I was talking about is plotting and on the other, there is the most human part with the tribe we know, which has a particular character who makes a strong connection with Aloy. To be honest, I didn’t expect too much from this story, since we remember that Frozen Wilds, the expansion for Zero Dawn, ended up being a fun adventure, but not very important for the lore of the series. As he already commented, the facts of this DLC are much more important, marking a watershed for what will be the next chapter in the life of the hunter and of course, the entire planet.
It seems to me that simply because of the excellent story that is presented to us and how important it is for this entire universe, Burning Shores deserves your attention, especially if you are one of those who is stuck with the details of this whole science fiction story that at the beginning could It may seem very simple but in reality, it has several layers of depth that are explored in this new content, not to mention the good way in which Aloy continues to be developed as a protagonist and as a human with whom it is easy to identify.
hot LA
Spending on a DLC or expansion is always a difficult decision. On the one hand there is the question of how much extra you will be getting for your money. There is always the question of whether they are not just scamming me with more of the same. And on the other, there is the dilemma of whether or not you are in the mood to return to a game that you have probably already squeezed enough of. The truth is that Burning Shores is remarkably honest content that knows what it’s about. Sure, it has a couple of details that we would have loved to see better or meatier, but overall, I think we’re getting what our money’s worth.
Starting right from the monetary side, I tell you that Burning Shores is sold at a price of $19.99 dollars plus taxes, that is, everything is around $24 dollars. In Mexico, go calculating just under $500 pesos. Its weight is almost 17GB, which is added to the huge update that you have to additionally download of almost the same size. Yes, it’s rude what all of Horizon Forbidden West already weighs. Another important fact to consider is that this DLC is exclusive to PS5. No, there is no way to play it on PS4.
That said, I’ll tell you again that Burning Shores takes us to sunny Los Angeles, an area that now has strong volcanic activity that makes it especially dangerous to explore. This expansion represents a completely new map that works independently from the one we saw in the main game, that is, they are not connected. Its size is undoubtedly impressive, since we are talking about measuring almost a third of the size we traveled in Forbidden West. Like how long does it take you to complete its main story? At least it took me just over eight hours, a time that can undoubtedly be doubled if you do all the activities it has to offer.
Speaking of activities, we have a very interesting detail. One of the main criticisms that many of us made about Forbidden West, it had to do with how consistent he was. With how it is that we always depended on an icon on the map to indicate something to us, that is, there was little spontaneity and therefore, little surprise. Well, I’m sure Guerrilla took note, because in Burning Shores we have sidequests that can start out of nowhere when, for example, you fly into a suspicious storm over an island. The truth is that I was very surprised to see this addition that I think was so lacking in the main game.
Returning a bit to the subject of the map, I tell you that Burning Shores is one that is clearly intended to be explored on a flying mount, which was hardly used in Forbidden West because they already give it to you at the end. Having a place made up of islands and the skyscrapers of downtown LA made walking in the air so much more sense. Additionally, I tell you that at a certain point in the story, you are allowed to capture a Waterwing, a machine that, in addition to being able to fly, can swim. It is truly crazy to dive into the ocean from a great height. It feels amazing.
Speaking of machines, here we have an item that might not be to everyone’s taste. The above has to do with Burning Shores featuring few new ones. On the one hand we have Stingpawn, which is a kind of flying bug that hatches from eggs and usually dies from one or two blows, which makes them very fun to fight. In addition, we have the Bilegut, which is a giant toad that is extremely lethal due to the acid it shoots and the jumps it makes. Of course, there is also the Waterwing I was telling you about and the machine we face at the end of the story that I won’t reveal to you. From then on, you only come across Apex variations of other machines you’ve already seen. I think all this is not bad, but I would certainly have liked to see more new designs.
Added to all of the above, we have a couple of interesting additions worth mentioning. The first thing has to do with the fact that there is now a new resource called brimeshine, it is markedly scarce and is usually hidden in different points that are difficult to reach and that many require the use of geysers so that with Aloy’s glider, you can shoot out. Yeah, it got half Breath of the Wild too. The main use of this material is to exchange it for the legendary equipment corresponding to the tribe that we meet in this expansion. I would still like to tell you that as part of the update that Forbidden West received outside of Burning Shores, we have the implementation of Auto loot so that many of the resources that you have to collect join your inventory just by touching them. Addition that we undoubtedly appreciate.
It is clearly noticeable that at the level of gameplay and structure, the development team did not want to take big risks, however, things like spontaneous sidequests add much more flavor to the experience. Not to mention the final showdown at Burning Shores. Undoubtedly one of the most technically impressive things I’ve ever had to experience. Truly, this mission will surprise even the most demanding.
Very easy to recommend
We could definitely say that Burning Shores is more of Forbidden West and really, I think that was Guerrilla’s goal, to not mess with what already made the main game special. The list of additions that I already told you about in this review, added to how relevant and important its story feels, make recommending this expansion quite easy. I know perfectly well that its price may seem high, but in reality it is within a standard. If you compare it with other similar content, I feel that it is something that is totally worth it. There is undoubtedly the low point that PS4 players will not be able to enjoy something like this, and in my opinion, it is a clear message from Sony that support for its old platform has finally ended.
If you enjoyed Forbidden West and of course, you already completed its main story, I would say that Burning Shores is a true must-see, especially if you are one of those who wants to know more about its entire universe and lore. If, on the contrary, you played the aforementioned title and it didn’t hook you in such an intense way, I would tell you not to go near this DLC at all, because at no time does it try to change your opinion by staying very faithful to the forms and concepts already established. . It is extremely exciting to think about what is going to be done with DECIMA in the future and the plans that Guerrilla himself may have, because equally and as we already mentioned, those in Amsterdam are one of the most important jewels that the brand currently has .
