Horizon Zero Dawn Full Story Recap

[@TheFinalStanza94]

the most gripping parts of this game are when you're reading listening and watching recordings of all the people involved in the GAIA project... conversations between regular people who knew their time was up (i remember one voice recording of a woman kicking herself for not going to Machu Pichu with her husband cause she was too busy and didnt have time). the concept of the game has been done before but they added so many layers to the plot it was really a breathtaking experience.

[@jonide8914]

This! These little things are what made HZD one of my favorite all time games. There were a few recordings and other communications that made me tear up a little. I am mad because I am missing like 4 from the first game and was never able to find them.

[@shookest]

One of the many reasons I love this game

[@0ctoberForever]

That moment when you discover what actually happened to the old world is up there with the best video game moments

[@NextGenNate]

Imo one of the best sci fi stories told!

[@wayneh6356]

So much more than what I expected.

[@0ctoberForever]

@@wayneh6356 I know it was pretty mind blowing

[@wayneh6356]

@@0ctoberForever So pumped for the next one 💪🏻

[@0ctoberForever]

@@wayneh6356 looks incredible

[@emeewoks]

Now that's how you do a story recap. Take notes IGN.

[@mrmiruk]

So true, I had to stop watching the IGN one because it was terrible...and I have completed HZD already so I can only imagine how people who haven't played it before would have found it

[@prabalhayden8963]

😂😂😂😂 agreed

[@jackjohnson8305]

Boy this story is deeper than i remember, only played it once back in 2017 then never touched it again so i appreciate the recap i totally needed it

[@mistadangerzone8362]

Ikr?? All I remember is robot dinosaurs lol

[@jackjohnson8305]

@@mistadangerzone8362 I blame breath of the wild, that game was so good it made me forget about horizon's story since both released around the same time

[@A_mir0_0]

:(

[@seabass9935]

If you have about an hour and a half theres a video from “random side quest” on horizon called “Complete History of Horizon: Zero Dawn to Forbidden West, and i kid you not its the full entire story and backstory as well.

[@eyrebear]

@@jackjohnson8305 lets be honest Zero Dawn was better than BOTW. Zero Dawn had a better very deep lore and story / better visuals / better combat. Breath of the wild had weapons that broke almost immediately / basic combat (with some nice dynamic affects) / no decent boss dungeons and a dull story. Dont get me wrong zelda franchise is great but people think its better than it actually is.

[@SenterSen]

Rest in Peace Lance. Absolute legend of a man

[@thekul121]

It's so refreshing in a sea of sequels and remakes to see a properly new and creative world like this. You can tell it was made with real passion

[@thedanielstraight]

This was helpful... I always got so sidetracked, I only remembered about 25% of the actual story.

[@ashleydowdful]

Me too I'm forever wandering

[@timlamiam]

it's why i did every single sidequest first before doing the main story so i could understand the story lol.

[@SirBilliam96]

Idk why, but even though I had so much fun with HZD and the DLC, I had so much trouble remembering the story since it took me awhile to complete as I was playing it and doing college at the same time. Thank you for this awesome recap that managed to be just long enough so that I could actually remember what happened without being an hour long and diving into small details that didn't really matter. Great job Adam!

[@eyrebear]

I think you will find that it was actually Ted Faro without Elizabet who created the killer robots and marketed them as un-hackable (as there was no back door to override them and to brute force your way through the encryption would take decades) unfortunately there was a glitch in one of the swarms and they went rogue. Elizabet was asked to help resolve the situation by Ted Faro. As there was no way to stop the swarm which when low on power would convert carbon mater (which includes humans) into energy, the only course of action was to create an AI which would brute force the encryption over the next few decades even after humans were wiped out. Once the encryption was cracked a signal was sent out to stop the swarm and then the other AI's would begin to repopulate the planet with forna, flora and eventually clones of some of the best and brightest that were working on zero dawn.

[@tylergriffiths8432]

This needs to be pinned

[@chrimbus3442]

Yes absolutely good job

[@ccrow3430]

Yes Elizabet was called in later to clean up his mess, but when she was given all the facts realized it was unstoppable. Then she started working on GAIA

[@draakjuh]

Exactly! I missed this key info in the recap

[@stespin]

And if i'm not mistaken the subsystem tasked to send the signal to stop the machines was Minerva, and it was broadcast from the spiral tower near Meridian (in fact, Minerva), which is why Hades wanted to use it, to stop the other signal and send its own.

[@blazingphoenix1000]

As someone who played and beat this game when it first came out back in 2017 this recap was much appreciated.

[@nbkchaosseph9066]

Who is also here for before playing forbidden west for the first time on PC releases few days later?

[@3mresLP]

Me! 🤣 Played HZD all this years ago and wanted to get a refresh. Very good video. Have fun with HFW! 😄

[@SaL-mh9vh]

Played first one on ps4 pro. About to play 2nd instalment on PC. Need a bit of a pick up story wise. Game looks stunning.

[@NoWayToHell]

We are all here for that

[@alexr5774]

I played first one on PS4 and forbidden west on ps4 and in like a week I'm getting complete edition on pc

[@Ejgotsart]

game is so beautiful!

[@wutangklan5084]

When it first came out I was sure that a video game of hunter-gatherer society in the far future with robo animals would be a terrible story. Man was I way wrong. Every trip into a ruin yielded more explanation to the mysteries and some of the best video game plot twists in recent memory. Bravo on the storyline and thank you for reminding me how much I enjoyed it.

[@ghostie4202]

I remember back on highschool (around 2017/18) my friend showed me the trailer of the game in early development, and I remember not thinking much of it at the time cause I knew it would've either been an amazing game or a giant let down. 2023 and it's still one of the best games I've played 🙇🏾‍♂️🔥

[@slowgti05]

I thought the same thing. I just now gave it a chance only because the VR2 I got came with the VR Horizon.

[@DonOmarRamiro]

Im 37 and its the second time I own a console. I owned the first PlayStation and then got into computers, I still have my gaming PC but just got a PS5 just because Forbidden West and The Last of Us exclusives... I played Zero Dawn (with DLC) on PC when it first came out and this video helped me relive a lot of things as I am starting Forbidden West now... Thank you so much.!!!

[@arby456]

I platinumed the first game and it's DLC, but I DEFINITELY needed this recap.

[@WraithTimid]

I'm late to the party - started playing last week and just finished 10 minutes ago - but yeah, this is one of the best games I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Awesome combat, beautiful landscapes, top-notch voice acting...and most important of all, a genuinely fantastic story. Thanks for making this.

[@NoWayToHell]

Better late than never 🎉😂

[@dim9907]

I will miss Lance voice so much! So unique and recognizable.. He has been in so many things that I loved. RIP Legend.

[@Benji-Lindz]

This was soooooooooo helpful. I put this game down about a year or two ago before finishing and I couldn't for the life of me remember anything about the story. Thank you so much!

[@ketchup7867]

Just to clarify Everyone who finishes the the proving becomes a brave, and so, even if Aloy was to lose but complete the trail she'd have bacome a part of the Nora (but she wouldn't get the boon)

[@jorgegutierrezalayo4638]

@Jake M you can´t lose

[@ketchup7867]

@Jake M you cannot lose

[@russlmao7091]

@@jorgegutierrezalayo4638 You cannot lose. but you can certainly die and not finish

[@singleplayersquad1]

I have watched 4 story recaps of zero dawn and this one was by far the most coherent. Well done

[@andersvad1209]

Thanks for the recap, just what I needed to start forbidden west. Even if i last played the game half a year ago, the story is a bit complicated to remember, but you made a very good summery of it.

[@Ruderickle2424]

One of the few games where the action and more somber, story driven moments are able to perpetually one up eachother in the best of ways.

[@vanpiisu88]

Excellent recap! So amazing that the sequel is almost here.

[@ArmoredLeo72688]

If hades and hapheastus both survived being purged then it stands to reason that apollo survived being purged by ted faro.

[@Shinzon23]

Odds are they all survived in some form. I suspect even GAIA survived; she was too important to the Zero Dawn program for her to be destroyed from a single facility cooking off from a fraked up reactor. She may be damaged, and not running at full capacity,but she's around somewhere. There's also the issue of what EXACTLY that "External signal of unknown origin" that caused all the subordinate AI under GAIA's purview to break their shackles and start going nuts was... because if something as powerful as GAIA could be destroyed, then someone's out their with the tech and coding skills that match the Old World at the height of its power... and we have no idea who could do that. Hopefully it's not aliens...

[@ArmoredLeo72688]

@@Shinzon23 gaia is dead, she said as much from that recording in the first game but she did say her core AI could be rebuilt but everything else has to be in working order before then. At least thats what I took away from the recording.

[@QuayNemSorr]

Hades and Hephaestus wasn't purged. They were released from Gaia and became independent like the other sub programs. Apollo was deleted by Ted.

[@brynphillips9957]

Apollo kind of survived as far as I understand. The issue is that Ted Faro wiped the database that Apollo had all the knowledge stored on and the only other copy we know about was on the colony ship that blew up. Apollo is pretty much an empty shell. Pretty much, as far as we can tell, all Gaia's subsystems that were turned into independent AI seemed to have escaped. Creating Aloy was pretty much a desperate long shot to try and create a solution since Gaia really didn't have many other options.

[@brynphillips9957]

@@ArmoredLeo72688 Her AI core wasn't to be activated till after Hades was wiped because the same command that would wipe Hades was designed to wipe her too. It was her failsafe which is why it worked on all her subsystems.

[@aspxnvii]

Beat HZD back in 2016, and then platinumed it last year, as well as the DLC. The DLC was one of the best I've ever played. Only a few more hours until Forbidden West drops! thank you for the recap! I'm so excited to see where Aloy is taken next

[@monkey-gamer6969]

2017*

[@HamZa-mm2im]

2016? The game was released in 2017!

[@GeoElmoGeocaching]

Thank you for putting this together, I just got HFW for free but never played the HFD, and didn't want to start without some knowledge of the original game.

[@bryanhaubert5770]

Thank you for this! I beat the game a few years ago, and wanted a recap before playing Forbiden West because I couldn't remember the whole story. Great job.

[@RobertF-zj2rm]

probably the best DLC I’ve ever played in both gameplay elements and what it adds to the larger story

[@Road_to_Dawn]

Watching this while waiting the final minutes before Forbidden West unlocks on my Pro. Thanks for the recap!

[@RileyDia]

There's so much Lance Reddick love in this video makes me sad that he's gone

[@nicolaslabra2225]

in my head cannon, frozen wilds takes place after the main story, it just makes more sense honestly

[@NXTHNU.]

same, the way she talks about Sylens when he starts talking in the beginning makes sense

[@MsVicem]

maybe not. aratak actually helped her in the spine. so frozen wilds first before the finale

[@nicolaslabra2225]

@@MsVicem true

[@katie98711]

it makes more sense before last main quest - sylens talks to her when she does into the wilds and aratak is there with her during the fight then, it was thought like that because if you finish main story first time gets back so you can do dlc before the last quest. Also she talks with the Spirit about hades being out there.

[@sarahjoy7511]

I have picked up and put down this game multiple times over the years, but never actually finished it. Played like 75% of the story and I just don't see myself taking the time to to finish it. But every minute I did play I LOVED. breathtaking landscape, and things to do, plot twists. One of my favorite games and I am so stoked to try out Forbidden west, but wanted to know what really happened in the end before I started. Thank for this!

[@mrdevious-s9r]

needed this to understand anything. i started in forbidden west so this helped

[@VoidExileYT]

Having not finished zero dawn but having got a good way through, not remembering which platform I played it on, I felt I would rather watch a recap than play through the whole game again now that forbidden west has JUST released on steam. Appreciate the recap

[@KnuckleTucker47]

Needed this before the PC launch of Forbidden west

[@johnjohnson-wd1yo]

Horizon zero dawn came out the same week as breath of the wild. I got far into it & then breath of the wild came out. i played that instead & never went back to zero dawn. Recently i finally continued where i left off & beat zero dawn a few weeks ago. Was totally lost as far as story goes since it was 5 years ago since i played. Good to have this recap in time for forbidden west.

[@cube-]

I played quite a few hours of Breath of the wild, but I can't bring myself to like it or to complete it

[@jcage1022]

To be honest, I avoided Horizon Zero Dawn for a long time. I had gotten tired of open world games the generation before, and I can honestly say that, if I never picked it up in 2019, I would still be bitter towards that genre today. Never would've touched Ghost of Tsushima, Breath of the Wild, nothing.

[@Arney0408]

Yeah this game brought me back to single player games after I was only playing MMOs and Multiplayer Games for a decade.

[@jcage1022]

@@Arney0408 I never really got into Multiplayer games, I just started to avoid open worlds and leaned more into linear and retro games.

[@stfu7203]

Bro if you haven't tried The Witcher and are into medieval/fantasy I'd definitely recommend giving that a go. It's an amazing open world game.

[@Poob1204]

Thank you for explaining this in the proper games timeline, I stopped playing around half way into what project zero dawn was and wanted context anything after that I’m currently playing thanks man

[@vulcan4d]

They should make prequel games where you fight for survival but ultimately know you will lose. Would be cool to see the story unfold which created this future world.

[@3adgamd3r]

I disagree, I think anything we can imagine is better than what they could make, also I think given the story it’d maybe make a good movie in the right hands

[@aleczin8160]

About to dive into Forbidden West and this was just the recap I needed to remember where I left of from Zero Dawn!

[@cutnocorners5570]

It's like you knew I'd look up this video right before my pre-order unlocks

[@IOSARBX]

GameSpot, Your videos are fantastic! I just had to subscribe!

[@mohdesu2287]

Am playing HFW and I forgot plenty of stuff from HZD, this video helped me and it was all I needed, thanks for this you are an amazing person ❤️ you deserve the like and the subscription

[@ydoihave2picaname]

I remember playing the game thinking "is this it?" Then I remember the world opening up and it wasnt just this bow and arrow girl in a field anymore. One of my fav gaming moments. Love this series.

[@Steve0Gmz]

This was awesome :) . I just got forbidden west but didn’t know the story behind the previous game

[@terriblemaze]

Funny, over the years I'd forgotten some of the cooler aspects of the story. Psyched to play the sequel in just a few days!

[@faridahassan8356]

Great recap. Though you missed Grave Hoard/Operation Enduring Victory

[@sirarietichee7260]

Thanks for the recap. I hadn't played in almost 2 years and i had no idea where I was or what I was doing when i got back into it

[@benjiskitts]

Can’t believe it’s been 5 years since I played this …. Time flys

[@DH-rt3fk]

The second you said the word montage, I was already singing the song. Love you South Park

[@thepatient123]

Downloading Forbidden West tonight. I remembered most, but recap deffo needed. Thanks man!

[@russelllapua4904]

Anyone else here because they just got HFW on PS Extra?

[@blitroi]

Yessir havnt played the first one since I beat it back in 2017

[@Xariann]

This story is fantastic, and awesome recap.

[@Frost4Real]

This games story left me speechless like no other. The revelations of what happened to the old world alone, and their plot twists, are better than some entire films and series I've seen.

[@myneufseptcentvingtdeux9041]

Thanks you man! Great recap!!! Really funny and interesting

[@LandynRey]

just beat the game, i watch my brother play it on a ps4 when i was a kid, one of the best game i have played

[@Deyv1d]

When was it released

[@LandynRey]

@@Deyv1d idk it’s was on a ps4 so it was probably some what new

[@Deyv1d]

Not my type of game ngl . But It looks really good and you can tell the developers put time in it imma try it at some point

[@LandynRey]

@@Deyv1d you should I only played it cause my brother but the story is so good I’m waiting for the new game to come to pc

[@majicMix911]

Amazing recap! I am ready now for West.

[@ModernTalkingCentral]

Incredible story so far and more to come! 😎

[@nivrittimarga6178]

Thanks for the recap, I just bought H:FW and to my horror realized I can remember very liitle of the Zero Dawn story. Recap appreciated!

[@tikicasha130]

Watching this while Forbidden West is downloading on my ps! It’s finally here…

[@flowrider2007]

Me to. lol

[@timlamiam]

Glad to see I was not the only one mentally replacing the soundtrack with the montage song during the montage

[@DeadCanuck]

RIP Lance Reddick😢 Your acting always was some of the best in everything you were in

[@randyjax09]

“…Aloy starts to hear a mysterious voice in her head that guides her….” Way to make her sound crazy.

[@sentientmustache8360]

To be fair, if Lance Reddick started to speak in my head, i’d do what he says

[@AlejandroLZuvic]

Yes, lol. I was like "I don't remember Alloy having visions or hearing voices" then I got he was talking about the Focus voice chat "app" lol

[@campbellblk7484]

Thanks for the recap. I did not feel like replaying Zero dawn and going through that whole story again.

[@Zhawk1992]

After watching this, I am now realizing that the tens of hours I have on the first game barely scratched the surface of the main storyline LOL

[@PetitAmiral]

Thanks for the story recap. Takes its time and is very complete.

[@thompsign]

Great video! I love this story. i felt like I was watching a season 1 recap of The 100 ( but with machines) and i cant wait to play season 2 LOL

[@richardkongshavnmortensen1176]

Thank you for a relatively quick and funny recap : ) Other videoes are like 1 hour. What's that all about?...

[@mizzle733]

What an amazing video and amazing game. Its been a long time since I last played it through and you just reminded me of how nice it is. Thank you

[@ChasingChampionships]

Thank you for sparking my memory before I get to play the next installment!

[@JdMarlow85]

I remember getting this game and only getting to level 20 or so and stopping. I went back a year later and continued the story I was so mad at myself for not playing earlier bc it ended up being a pretty amazing story!!! Im just now getting forbidden west!

[@repvoid7680]

One of the best recaps ever 👍

[@pokken564]

I just beat the first game and forgot the dlc went before the end, this video saved me a couple of hours of backtracking for the dlc

[@Yosukei22]

The thing that fuels me to play this game is the story. And it doesn't dissapoint.

[@midago7332]

Just finally grabbed forbidden west, great recap and much appreciated. Looking forward to getting into the sequel.

[@endless_sora]

Great video! That put me in a good place to start forbidden west

[@slapworthygames]

Rip Lance reddick you will be missed

[@vvnn3948]

Just got forbidden west! This video really helped me keep up W the story didn’t wanna have to play all of it again to keep up so thank u!!

[@LazyboyZZZyobyzaL]

Amazing story~ game story is something that movie story cant beat. Movies have to compress and delete details to fit in a 2-3hr time frame.

[@xXw3as3lXx]

You did such a good job and I'm so stoked for this game now. It's on the way as I type this. Zero Dawn was easily one of my favorite games of all time and I'm so ready to play Forbidden West.

[@russlmao7091]

The most underrated game of the decade for me. I wished I played horizon franchise way sooner.

[@huhhuhhuh4069]

Thanks for the recap. Still don’t know what happened in the story tho, as is the case for all video game stories.

[@NextGenNate]

I want this story to be a whole saga. Like a tv show based in elizibeth leading up to her death and maybe tv shows on other characters

[@Shiftshapercat]

It would be too expensive to make imo. Even if it was limited to the Gaia prime facility with small cutaway flashbacks of life outside before. A limited series about the Gaia Prime section of the timeline would be sick.

[@CaroliineSousa]

Assistindo pra começar o forbidden west (que saiu na plus deluxe) e não lembrava o quanto a história é densa

[@Looking.for.Lilith]

There’s a short list of rpgs that my brother and I spent hours and hours switching off after each death and arguing over major story choices. Love this game

[@glesgagreg2255]

Thank god for this vid. I loved this game but couldn't follow the story at all, and that was 5 years ago lol

[@steeveabitbol2466]

Played a full play through in 2018 and definitely do not remember it being this deep!

[@Scar841]

Thank you for this recap

[@meechp123]

9:18 RIP, Lance Reddick.

[@ninfreak95]

Don't forget that Faro with a few select people go somewhere to live the remainder of their life in a safe haven. I have a feeling that's gonna have some importance later!

[@markkeane6843]

Just about to play forbidden west, great and clear recap

[@jonahnelson1883]

Nice one, gonna start Forbidden West now. 👍

[@joseramirezmorales4634]

GREAT summary. Thanks!

[@The_Wailing_Doom]

This game's story and world are just absolutely incredible.

[@iyeetsecurity922]

Thanks for the proper recap! I never found the time to finish Zero Dawn.

[@The_Tundra_]

i loved everything. although who compares watchers to horses? 🤣 you must know some weird horses :D

[@WanderlustWithT]

Flawless recap of an amazing story, thank you!

[@MrSnip07]

One of the greatest sci-fi stories and universes of all time

[@travisbarron7218]

Amazing recap! :D

[@roseylove13]

Thanks! I couldn't remember some details but didn't want to have to play it all over again. This is a long game

[@realprevatin]

Thank you for doing this video it was pretty good