Game review: Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC (PS5)
It has been over a year since the release of Horizon Forbidden West, which came out for PS5 and PS4 consoles back in early 2022. Now that we are in 2023, developer Guerrilla Games has released the game's first DLC called Burning Shores.
Before I begin talking about the DLC, there are two things you will need to know before you can access this part of the game. Firstly, Burning Shores is an exclusive DLC that is only available for the PS5 version of the game. Sadly, you cannot play this game if you own the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West.
Another thing you need to know before playing Burning Shores is that you need to finish the main game first. If you haven't finished Horizon Forbidden West yet, you won't be able to access Burning Shores until you do.
Anyway, Burning Shores is a somewhat lengthy DLC that sees Aloy visiting Los Angeles for the first time in the series' history. Sylens has found a new Zenith that is still alive named Londra, and he wants Aloy to investigate and kill him.
Aloy isn't alone in her journey because she is joined by a new character named Seyka. Sekya has her own agenda against Londra, as she feels he is responsible for the disappearance of her people, including her own sister.
Having Seyka around in this DLC is pretty cool, mainly because she can somewhat aid Aloy during combat. Many of the robotic enemies have elemental weaknesses, and Seyka is able to exploit them if you don't have the right gear prepared for Aloy.
Los Angeles isn't as big as the main game, although there are a ton of main quests and side quests that Aloy can undertake. In terms of the DLC's length, I managed to complete the main quest in only around nine hours. If you want to complete all of the side quests as well, you are looking at a generous 15 hours of additional gameplay.
The DLC also offers some new enemies and some new weapons that Aloy can use. Some of the new enemies include a menacing-looking Spinosaurus as well as a Waterwing that is able to both fly and swim underwater. The Waterwing reminds me of some of the animals that could swim and glide in Avatar: The Way of Water.
Burning Shores isn't all about action, as there are some puzzles to solve, as well as outdoor exploration. One of the cooler new levels you get to explore is an abandoned dinosaur theme park featuring many fancy-looking holographic projections.
While I cannot talk about the final boss, I will just say that the end fight is epic in scale. It's probably the most epic boss fight you will have ever encountered in any Horizon game released to date. Seriously, you will want to play this DLC until the end to see the final boss!
As for its graphics, Horizon Forbidden West is still one of the prettiest-looking PS5 games I have ever played. The coastal region of Los Angeles looks beautiful, and the character models are realistic too. Not to mention you can play the game at 60fps if you want to experience smooth gameplay motion.
Burning Shores is a fun addition to Horizon Forbidden West as it offers an interesting story that could lead to a potential third game in the series. Not to mention the combat is as fun as it has ever been. The only disappointing thing about the DLC is the fact that it's a PS5 exclusive, so PS4 owners will have to upgrade if they want to play it.
Verdict: 8.5/10
