Game news Elden Ring Vs Horizon: What sets these two great games of 2022 apart?
As the year got off to a slow start, the video game schedule sent us two uppercuts, one after the other. The first, Horizon Foribdden West, is the direct sequel to the excellent Horizon Zero Dawn, released in 2017. And the second is, of course, Elden Ring, the new bombshell from the FromSoftware studio. Two standout games in 2022. Want to know how they differ from each other? Follow the leader !
To continue, above, in autoplay, find our video “Horizon Forbidden West, Pokémon Arceus, Elden Ring: What’s the Best Open World?” released earlier this year. Happy reading and happy viewing!
Were you planning to equip “cushy cheep” in 2022? Well, if you are a fan of video games, you missed it! A few weeks after the release of Pokemon Legends Arceussome Horizon Forbidden West has arrived on PS4 and PS5. Then again ten days later with Elden Ring, new project from FromSoftware studio (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro). With these two open-world action-adventure titles, there’s no time to leave the house at this rate. But despite a common genre – at least in appearance – there is a chasm separating Elden Ring and Horizon II† If you can’t really tell the difference, JV is there for you.
TWO VIEWS OF THE OPEN WORLD
The thing to understand with Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring is that it is about: two radically different visions of the open world† Since sometime in the mid-2010s, “open world” games have been cooked in all sauces. More than a genre, then it’s almost a spec to be respected for any triple-A on PC, PS4, and Xbox One (The Witcher 3 and Metal Gear 5 The Phantom Pain for example). The open world style then crystallized around specific elements, now considered classic: question marks to reveal on a map, GPS system to get there, sometimes the famous “Ubisoft towers” to see some of the playing field to reveal, etc. What ? Are open worlds worthless? That used to be Zelda Breath of the Wild does not arrive and smashes the house in 2017. With a massive universe and a navigation where the player’s curiosity is the only compass, Nintendo has written a whole new page of the genre.
From left to right: Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West
Simply put, Horizon Foribdden West builds on the classic open world heritage asElden Ring plays it rather “new wave” Zelda Breath of the Wild way (we’ll go into more detail in the next second). That’s not to say that PlayStation’s title is fundamentally less successful than FromSoftware’s. As mentioned above, these are simply two branches of the same genus. The choice of one over the other is quite easy to explain. Horizon Forbidden West is a much more story-driven experience than Elden Ring – it’s a direct sequel to Aloy’s adventures in Horizon Zero Dawn – and for this letter to express itself, a clear structure is needed, with main and mandatory missions. For its part, Elden Ring, despite collaborating with Game of Thrones author George RR Martin, places explicit history in the second or even third plan. The lack of a linear frame forces the player to forget it in favor of exploration.
A VERY DIFFERENT NAVIGATION
As a result, we don’t walk around Elden Ring like we walk around Horizon Forbidden West. In the PlayStation blockbuster, we either place a marker on the map which is then displayed on the screen, or we see an icon using the radar at the top of the screen, or we let ourselves be guided by the game itself. to an element of decor that protrudes into the distance (a last case that occurs quite rarely). While for Elden Ring it’s the exact opposite. It is above all our perception that proves useful in orienting ourselves. Because here no question marks on the map or the GPS system. Only the wilderness, and a map that is certainly usable but needs to be supplemented with fragments first. Unlike Horizon, Elden Ring has everything to gain from confusing players† At FromSoftware, the most valuable treasures, including weapons and powers, are found off the beaten track. A central aspect of the progression system, it is literally by walking that you become powerful and then ready to take on the big challenges. A point certainly present in Horizon, but much less supported.
RADICAL ARTISTIC CHOICES
Make no mistake. In Horizon Forbidden West it is quite possible to wander around, encounter quests or creatures that will make you stronger, which will necessarily be useful at one time or another. But this will happen in a less fluid way than in Elden Ring, for a simple reason: the PlayStation title is rooted in a form of realism while it is the exact opposite of that of FromSoftware. As a reminder, Horizon is set in a very real America where once ruled the ancestors, the equivalent of the people of our time, but with much more advanced technology. It’s still science fiction, but the Guerrilla Games studio, behind Horizon, needs to provide settings that are credible enough to make a clear distinction between “technology that has destroyed humanity” and “nature taking back its rights”. Inevitably, this postulate limits level design extravagances, such as the Legacy Dungeons or Elden Ring that can be seen for miles. So it makes sense that we at FromSoftware end up in a world with a completely different look, much more fantastic.
EXPERIENCES AT THE ANTIPODES
All in all, it’s a certainty: Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring don’t offer the same experience at all. This is a good thing. Video games, even if they have quite a few points in common (here “open world” and “action-adventure”), aren’t necessarily meant to be faced directly. Thereby, Horizon is much more mainstream than Elden Ring, with PlayStation many settings to adjust to customize the adventure. For example, the difficulty can be changed on-the-fly, whenever you want, as can the tools that may or may not be guided during quests, and that’s not all. Which largely helps you when you feel the need. For its part, Elden Ring will give you very few gifts, even if it is itself considered “Dark Souls easy mode”. Because unlike other FromSoftware games, the new open world structure allows you to level up before encountering the obligatory bosses, which are often very difficult. There are also new things – especially ghosts – that will help you. But the adventure will not be easy at all.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE CHALLENGE
So it’s (still) a certainty: Elden Ring is an experience that will push you much more into your entrenchments. But it all depends on the difficulty you set Horizon Forbidden West to. Because in “normal” mode, the title of Guerrilla will give you a hard time, with a particularly well-balanced challenge. Even more than its predecessor, Horizon encourages you to be observant and smart when dealing with huge robotic animals. You can shoot them in the face, of course, but it’s better to aim carefully at the parts that make up them. So it is possible to set up a powerful chain reaction, take out a rocket launcher to protect yourself or even drop this weapon to defend yourself. Also, your ammunition doesn’t last forever, sometimes forcing you to rethink your strategy. Also in Elden Ring you need to know how to adapt. Each boss is animated by his own gestures. So it’s up to you to decide whether you prefer a light or heavy weapon, or a fight on the back of grinds. Its highly advanced RPG dimension allows you to customize your hero from A to Z. In short, Horizon or Elden Ring, the choice is yours. Games that are different, so why not try both?
Through IndiaJournalist jeuxvideo.com
P.M
