Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered It may not have seemed necessary to many when rumors about its existence began circulating, but since it was released, it has proven its worth tenfold. Its multitude of significant changes and improvements have breathed new life into an already exceptional game, ensuring that its legacy can continue free of issues that marred the original experience. It’s absolutely the gold standard for PlayStation remasters and a good indication of the direction future iterations could take.
However, while HZD Remastered For what it’s worth, there’s a lot more PlayStation can do to alleviate its biggest problem. This remaster, along with the many other remasters PlayStation has produced over the life of the PS5, is just a small step in the right direction. Sony needs to take inspiration from one of its biggest competitors to alleviate difficulties in its release schedule and see a return to the PS4 era of experimentation.
PlayStation needs smaller releases like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Helps fill in the gaps between your bigger games
The PlayStation 5 is in dire need of video games as fans continue to feel like there’s just nothing to play on it despite it being several years old at this point. While great games have been released, rising production costs and an increased focus on cinematic narrative-driven experiences have meant that Sony won’t be releasing many of its highly anticipated games for some time. Of course, it has committed to releasing one major title per year, which is shaping 2025 to be one of the best years for PS5 launches. However, there are still gaps in its upcoming calendar.
Fortunately, there is an obvious solution, which one of its biggest competitors, Nintendo, has been doing for some time. PlayStation needs smaller releases to launch between its bigger gamesgames that don’t require years of development and hundreds of millions of dollars to produce. It needs indie games and AAA titles to be released under its publishing banner in order to satiate fans while they wait for games like Yotei’s Ghost. So far, PlayStation has attempted to do this to some extent, although it’s mainly with remasters such as Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.
Frankly, especially considering all the changes Horizon Zero Dawn RemasteredIt was a worthwhile launch. It offered newcomers an excellent way to play one of Sony’s best games, and existing fans a genuinely compelling updated version that surpasses the original in almost every way. Despite HZD Remaster failing commercially is a step in the right direction, at least when it comes to how Sony should approach its remasters in the future. However, What PlayStation needs more than remasters are original indie titles or, perhaps more importantly, spin-offs.
LEGO Horizon Adventures proves PlayStation is learning from Nintendo
Spin-offs can be effective in attracting new audiences
LEGO Horizon Adventures It may have been another PlayStation flop, but it’s absolutely the kind of game that should be published. It’s a unique spin-off of one of its most beloved franchises that attracts a new audience while retaining much of what made its original audience love it so much. While it certainly has its flaws, LEGO Horizon Adventures looks like the most unique thing PlayStation has done in a whileand this should absolutely be celebrated.
While it certainly has its flaws, LEGO Horizon Adventures looks like the most unique thing PlayStation has done in a whileand this should absolutely be celebrated.
In many ways, this shows that Sony is learning from Nintendo. Nintendo often produces completely different games based on the same IP. RPG fans welcome Mario RPG and Mario Paperparty game fans welcome Mario’s Partyracing fans get Mario Kartplatformers get the main titles and fighting game fans get Super Smash Bros.. There are even Luigi’s Mansion for Luigi superfans and the Wario games for anyone who wants something truly weird and wonderful. They all utilize familiar characters and familiar properties, but completely change the genre to ensure that absolutely everyone is on board with the game. Mario movement.
No one else has actually done this – there isn’t a Halo Party or Halo Racefor example – which always seemed a little surprising. Nintendo has found great success in its many spin-offs, with several of them becoming entire franchises in their own right. Although Sony has dabbled a bit with spin-offs in the past, including the much-maligned fighting game PlayStation Battle Royale All-StarsIt hasn’t seemed like a priority for the publisher for some time now.
However, it appears this may be changing, at least as far as the Horizon franchise. In an attempt to continue its pursuit of live service titles, PlayStation is publishing the somewhat dubious Horizon onlinewhich will be launched in 2025 and will likely serve to help Horizon fans until the next main line entry. It’s a small step, but in combination with LEGO Horizon AdventuresIt’s definitely a move in the right direction.
Lower budget games allow for more experimentation
Enables developers to take IP in new directions
PlayStation is no stranger to smaller budget games. By the mid-2010s, it was publishing a number of smaller games from its various first-party developers, including games such as Ability, Concrete Genius, Dreams, Gravity Race, Little Big Planet, Tokyo Jungle, Journeyand even Helldivers. It’s amazing how different the original PS4 and PS5 libraries areeven at the same point in the PS4’s lifespan as the PS5 is now. Of course, at this point, PlayStation hadn’t yet transitioned into its incredibly expensive single-player cinematic narrative adventures and felt comfortable experimenting more.
In many ways, The expectation that next-gen consoles will offer next-gen experiences and little else is undermining that sense of experimentation that was prevalent during the PS4 era. The PS5 Pro and its library of enhanced games are indicative of this, a console entirely dedicated to making already beautiful AAA games look and play a little better. However, while it’s true that showcasing the power of these impressive consoles is a worthwhile endeavor, it can come at the cost of producing more memorable experiences.
The PS5 needs more fun spin-offs like LEGO Horizon Adventures and new experimental IPs like Return. Hopefully, despite the relative failure of PlayStation’s recent attempts to launch new IPs and spin-offs, Sony doesn’t back down and continues to produce more unique experiences that can help bridge the gap between bigger releases. Taking risks and striving to publish indies and AAA games, or even transformative remasters like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered it’s absolutely the direction PlayStation needs to go.
Source: PlayStation/YouTube
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
- Franchise
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Horizon
- Released
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October 31, 2024
- Developer(s)
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Guerrilla Games, Nixxes
- Editor(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment