The Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered features several significant visual and technical enhancements compared to the original 2017 release:
Character Models and Animations:
- The character models, especially for Aloy, have been greatly improved with higher fidelity, more detailed textures, and better lighting/shading. This includes adding features like peach fuzz and improved hair.
- The team recorded over 10 hours of new motion capture data to create more lifelike and expressive conversations between Aloy and NPCs.
- All companion characters now react to environmental elements like weather, bringing a more cinematic feel to the world.
Foliage and Environment:
- The foliage system has been overhauled, with enhanced shaders, textures, geometry, and interaction. Hundreds of plants, bushes, flowers, and trees were upgraded.
- The team aimed to bring the environments closer to the original concept art, increasing foliage density and diversity, especially in biomes like the rainforest.
- Terrain materials and building blocks were replaced with higher quality assets from Horizon Forbidden West, while still maintaining the original game's aesthetic.
- New features like deformable snow and sand were added, even outside the Frozen Wilds expansion area.
Living World Improvements:
- The team significantly increased the number of NPCs populating villages, outposts, and cities, adding more variety to their schedules and activities.
- Creative use of existing animations was implemented, like a woman feeding geese at a well in Meridian.
- The overall sense of activity and liveliness in the world has been enhanced.
In summary, the Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered brings the visuals and technical aspects of the game up to the high standards set by Horizon Forbidden West, while preserving the original's distinctive art style and atmosphere. Fans of the original game will find a more immersive and polished experience when replaying Aloy's journey.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered: A deep dive into its enhancements
Nixxes shares developer insights on remastering Guerrilla’s action adventure for PS5 and PC.
blog.playstation.com
