Horizon Zero Dawn May Be Getting A PS5 Remaster
It's looking like Guerrilla Games' popular 2017 post-apocalyptic robot monster-hunting epic "Horizon Zero Dawn" may be getting its own "The Last of Us Part I" style remake for the PlayStation 5, at least according to some unnamed sources.
Initially reported by MP1st, then corroborated by VGC, it does indeed seem like a remaster is in the works — though, as both sites point out, it's a bit of a surprising choice seeing as "Zero Dawn" isn't all that old. In fact, unlike "The Last of Us," which was originally released on the PlayStation 3 in 2013 and has the excuse of being a couple of console generations behind the PS5, "Zero Dawn" debuted on the PS4 in 2017. Therefore, it's only separated from the PS5 by a single generation.
And that's to say nothing of the sequel, "Horizon Forbidden West," which came out in early 2022 for both the PS4 and PS5. Do we really need a remaster of the first game when it isn't all that old in the first place and we just had a sequel come out? Maybe Sony's plan is to capitalize on the recent sequel release, or maybe there's something new planned for the "Horizon" series, and it wants to offer up a remake of the original to help maintain interest while an even bigger project gets underway.
What leaks have to say about the Horizon Zero Dawn remake
Since the details haven't been confirmed by either Sony or Guerrilla Games yet, it's best to think of all of this as a rumor for the time being — a seemingly likely-to-be-true rumor, but a rumor nonetheless. With that said, there are some notable details found by MP1st that have been confirmed by VGC through anonymous sources.
Graphically, the remaster of "Horizon Zero Dawn" would be a visual update to make it look closer to what we saw with "Horizon Forbidden West." If that's the case, this probably won't be a ground-up remaking, but both site's sources indicate that it will have more detailed textures, improved lighting effects, and extended draw distances. Those sources have also said that the character models and animations will be updated to match up with "Forbidden West."
It's also expected that the various graphical modes (for performance, quality, etc.) and accessibility features that were introduced with the PS5 release of "Forbidden West" will also be incorporated into the remaster. As well, it's expected that the new "Zero Dawn" will probably make use of some of the general improvements made with the sequel like the far less fiddly inventory system. As for when this "Zero Dawn" remaster will be announced or released, that's anyone's guess at this point. Until either Guerrilla Games or Sony releases a statement, we'll just have to wait.
We may get a brand new Horizon game, too
But wait, there's just a little bit more. MP1st and VGC sources have also indicated that there's a multiplayer-focused "Horizon" game currently in the works, though it has even fewer details to mull over.
The game is reportedly going to be set in the "Horizon" world, obviously, but it's unclear whether it will be a PVP or co-op affair (or both). Supposedly the customization options — so, we can assume character customization is also in there — are tied to the various in-game tribes, which does make it sound like team-based PVP could be the focus.
That said, co-op would likely also be a big draw for multiplayer "Horizon" if it was handled right. A fairly common observation of the original game and its intense fights against very large, very angry machine creatures is that it's a bit like "Monster Hunter." So if this new online game could tap into the popular Capcom series' multi-person coordinated hunts — maybe tie certain weapons and tools to a particular "class" to help balance things out? — it would probably turn a lot of heads.