I've played maybe around 15 hours so far, and it keeps getting better. The game looks gorgeous and performs nearly flawlessly (rare small dips in busy situations). Impressive feat considering this is by far the best looking, most technically sound open world game on console to date. I have no problem with the look of any characters faces or expression. Be it kids or adults. They're all very well done to me. There are some lip-sync problems here and there, but it's not widespread. The story is very intriguing so far, and so is the setting. Very unique and a breath of fresh air.
The side-quests are surprisingly well fleshed out and are writen in a way that help depict the reality in which the inhabitants of this world live in. I'd say they're pretty on par with what's found in The Witcher 3. Although there's most likely not as many of them. The overall writing is also pretty good, and I'd also consider it not so far from what The Witcher 3 offered. The setting is really what makes it stand apart, and the lore, tribe customs and whatnot, are very well fleshed out and given proper explanations. The Witcher 3 is one of my games of the gen so far, and from what I've played so far, there isn't much Horizon should envy from it. Both are very adept at what they set to do, and I'd say both are comparable from a quality point of view. Except for one aspect where Horizon beats The Witcher 3 easily.
Gameplay is pretty much centered around the game's battle system, and my is it good! The first few hours of gameplay are pretty easy, with robots being dispatched like they're nothing. If you don't rush through the encounters and use stealth, everything will be over in no time and no sweat. But as you progress further, passed a certain point on the map, you get into much tougher encounters where you need to plan ahead and be cautious about your every steps. This is where the depth of Aloy's arsenal can finally start to shine. Many robots can't be one-shot killed by well placed arrows or through stealth. You have to place traps, seek vantage points to give yourself an edge if the terrain allows it, use the tripcaster properly, and everything else you can think of before the battle inevitably turns to chaos. And when you're finally done, the satisfaction you get from making it out alive is amazing. :D
The only negative so far is that it's a bit "by the book" when it comes to game structure. It feels a lot like The Witcher 3. It still does have its own identity by virtue of its very unique and intriguing setting, but when it comes to the rest, with the exception of its battle system, it does come off as a "by the book" third person open world RPG. Very similar to The Witcher 3 in its structure. But considering The Witcher 3 is such an excellent game, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just feels a little "samey" at times.
So far, it's a very enjoyable game, and I'm intrigued to see where it will take me. This is certainly a tour de force by Guerrilla Games, and a very, very good first entry into a new IP. There's really not much to fault it with so far. Everything is very polished and of very high quality. An outstanding achievement considering this is a new IP in a genre that is completely out of their comfort zone.
