Horizon Zero Dawn Story Analysis - A Masterpiece of Storytelling

The first of three videos planned analyzing the stories and narratives of the Horizon series.
Twitter: / adam_the_chuck
Introduction - 0:00
Prologue: Mothers, Machines, and Metal Places - 3:22
Act 1: Embracing Lessons and Outlanders - 23:45
Act 2, Part 1: Secrets of a Forgotten Mess - 55:08
Act 2, Part 2: The Curious Case of Standards and Sidebars - 1:17:25
Act 2, Part 3: Runnin' with the Metal Devil - 1:26:57
Act 3, Part 1: Death of a Goddess - 1:48:41
Act 3, Part 2: To Sunder a Mountain - 1:58:50
Act 3, Part 3: An End to the Beginning - 2:10:09
#horizonzerodawn #guerrillagames #playstation #horizonseries #narrativegames #analysis #critique

[@Ricardo29j]

KZbin! WHY DIDN'T YOU RECOMMEND THIS VIDEO 10 months ago ???

[@n37z]

Ditto.. was looking for horizon story summary video couple month ago. And now it was randomly in my feed..

[@Random_Banshee]

@@n37z Search engine so bad and biased you literally can‘t find many videos if you type in their _exact_ title, same for a lot of channels

[@Unhinged_Salmon]

A YEAR for me :(

[@HurremDurrem]

It’s ironic that this comment is now 10 months old…right when I encounter it

[@manelcolomer9044]

You buy a phone and 5 years later it starts to malfunction. Meanwhile, the focus is still working 1000 years after its construction. Kudos for the old ones!

[@samsmith4242]

Miniaturisation and likely using the nervous system as a battery

[@amenoyoni]

Have you ever heard of planned obsolescence?

[@SoFarSoGoodSoWhat14]

I don't think any story reveal in a game has knocked me on my arse like the Faro twist in this game, absolutely perfectly executed

[@lyndenhaineault9082]

Honestly the lore and story of horizon is probably my favourite in any game series, followed closely by the xeno/blade multiverse and the fact this game came from a developer that exclusively made fps games is phenomenal and crazy to think of. Anytime I find a video going in depth of anything horizon I usually watch it asap.

[@NintendoRuns]

1:59:15 "The Stormbird however cant be avoided" sounds like you aint never just full sprinted through there never looking back

[@isdrakon9802]

I always used the ropecaster immediately and then ran

[@catcat63527]

Oh, ddi you not go to Rost's "grave"? It's near the og hut of Rost, and whenever Aloy goes there, it's so sweet and makes me cry. I'm Hindu and we usually cremate our dead, so it was an experience to see why people would want a grave.

[@aaroniscool7521]

Okay just need to admit this. The scene with Elizabet sacrificing herself for zero dawn and a future for the planet paired with Aloys theme genuinely makes me tear of a bit each time. Even listening to it for this video got me once more

[@cass7448]

I love Aloy as a protagonist. She's curious, intelligent and driven; a far cry from the passivity/reactivity that a lot of player characters sadly end up showing. She has clear things that she wants, and she goes and GETS them.

[@coladict]

What do you mean we don't know what caused the "glitch"? It's all but explicitly stated in HZD that it's because he made his robots smarter than legally allowed to gain his competitive advantage in war, but because he did so they became capable of disobedience. It's after the escape of Vast Silver that the world instituted regulations on machine cognition. The exact legal limit was stated somewhere in the Frozen Wilds DLC, measured in Turing units. The DLC further cementing the idea of that limit for those who may not have found the optional data points that reference it.

[@endertuber8300]

To be fair, even if it's been a while since I played the game, I remember that while the fault for the protocols, the ability of self-produce and to consume bio-mass to sustain itselfs were 100% Faro's and his hubris (read stupidity), the Glitch itself, that allowed the Machines to break free from human control and began consuming Earth, was left fairly ambiguous whether it was human meddling, a cyber-virus or a "natural" evolution of their code and AI...

[@coladict]

@@endertuber8300 In the third hologram between Faro and Sobeck in the FAS office she threatens to reveal "the real cause of the glitch" if he doesn't sign the Zero Dawn proposal. That's clue one that he did something he knew he wasn't supposed to. Clue two is in the Zero Dawn labs in the hologram where he tells her to put in a kill switch. "What if it becomes a monster? Have we learned nothing from our mistakes?" he says. "YOUR mistakes, I think you mean?" Sobeck snaps back. This tells us that was his final mistake - making the machine smart enough to think for itself.

[@sdownin72]

I love Rost as a character. He’s an amazing example of a positive masculine father. Something that’s all but absent in most modern media: Roat is competent, loving in his own way, raising his child to learn her society’s traditions, teaching her the skills she needs to survive, giving her the self-confidence and inner strength she will need as an adult, willing to give his life to protect her, but also teaching her to stand on her own two feet in life and to stand up for what she believes in. In our modern society, where fathers are looked at a almost unnecessary, Rost shows us the powerful effect a good father has on the lives of his children.

[@teqfreak]

Spot on! Hear hear! We need more inspiring men in media. It is really sad how few inspiring role models boy and young men have these days. Most of the options fall in the egocentric narcissist or infantile man child categories. For a more gritty, stoic example would add Joel from Last of Us (even with his flaws, he'll make you think about those flaws)

[@TheCompleteMental]

He's not the perfect dad, but you can tell he's trying very hard and doing a great job. Like how he trusts Aloy after she proves herself.

[@georgen5882]

@@TheCompleteMental Not only that, but think about the scene early on when she found the focus and he tried to take it from her. You could look at it as just them finding a way out of her losing it for story purposes, but it was creative nonetheless. He knew she was an outcast and needed something of her own, so he let her have it since he knew how strong willed she was. If he had forcefully taken it away she still could have stolen it back, but how would that make him look?

[@SWOTHDRA]

Yet they killed him off

[@balinthehater8205]

@@SWOTHDRA He was the mentor character, that's what usually happens to those in the hero's journey formula which zero dawn adheres to.

[@aljazslemc9569]

Funny thing is if aloy didn't talk to herself, we wouldn't really get a sense of her personality or struggles. Her talking to herself tells us so much about her that wouldn't work as well through conversation with others

[@NicoFitz]

Also as someone who talks to themselves I found it kind of refreshing lol

[@TheCompleteMental]

Like what? It's 90% "wow that sure is a [thing that it is]" or a blatant puzzle solution I'd adore a character talking to themselves if it meant a window into their inner conflict, like Jin Sakai's hot spring dialogues.

[@georgen5882]

I was reading comments recently from people who didn't like that. You can't please gamers now. They don't want a silent protagonist, but when they talk it's annoying. I don't mind the player controlled character talking, it fills silence and at times provides something you may not have known before.

[@TheCompleteMental]

@@georgen5882 I like both silent and verbal protagonists. Like Ellie in TLOU2 or any soulsborne character. I dislike badly executed concepts.

[@jacqueleneclark2325]

If you’re an only child, like me, you get the talking to yourself.

[@Marg_Sabl]

40:29 not trying to change minds, just illuminate some lore tidbits. 1. The Nora actually limit the number of children a family can have. The limit is 2 and for a couple to bare a new child, they must have this act blessed by a high matriarch first. 2. The Nora heavily revere the balance of nature, hence why they don’t have farms, only hunting and gathering. My takeaway is that the Nora worship the power of motherhood and family. Bigger families garners larger amounts of respect and political sway. Because too many children would not be balanced in their eyes, the only way to get a bigger family is to have as many surviving generations below you as possible. Also the rank of matriarch and high matriarch are different. Matriarchs have grandchildren and high matriarchs have great grandchildren. Both ranks can get demoted should your children die. This stops some guy with 18 kids from marching into mothers heart and becoming “el presidente” but to play devils advocate, this system encourages people to have children as early as possible. Tearsa, while looking older, is still active and capability of fulfilling her duties dispite being a great grandmother. To me, she can’t be older than 80. Teens must especially feel a lot of pressure. While far from perfect as Nora society is wrought with issues it’s a tad more nuanced than “more babies = more political power” again, not trying to change how you feel, just shedding light on some (arguably extremely missable) deeper lore. Overall love the vid tho! Keep it up, and I can’t wait for ur burning shores vid!

[@TheMightyWolfie]

"Hiii! Happy Birthday Isaac! Daddy sure does love his little big man" Always make me tear up 😢

[@seraphitella2466]

Very late to this but Great video! Horizon‘s stories are so so underrated and often classed as „boring“ to many but I find them so endearing - the horizon universe has so much amazing lore and world building. You really captured the essence of horizon‘s world in your video, well done!

[@meggymoo5496]

Me too and this is an amazing series ❤😊

[@RKDriver]

What's so compelling about these games to me is the "plausibility" of the stories. Greedy corporations creating things that could lead to the destruction of the planet. Things then spiraling out of control with no hope of winning so plans are made to preserve the planet and its inhabitants in the distant future. That was so interesting to me.

[@SWOTHDRA]

The first game, sure, but the second game was garbage

[@seraphitella2466]

@@SWOTHDRA how was forbidden west garbage? The world feels more epic & sprawling by every measure.

[@pixel6894]

I find it funny how I went from my brother sitting me in front of the tv to play this and skipping cutscenes, to being fully invested and doing every side quest and trophy. I feel my brother was correct when he said “ the side quests are the story”. Its so darn good man…

[@Emperor-Inker]

Great analysis, this makes me want to play through the first game again.

[@jaydeepaquette1022]

...while listening to this, amiright? lol

[@blackyvertigo]

it's so rare to get a truly unique sci fi story that is both compelling and moving. mass effect and arrival come to mind and it's hard to think of many more. Horizon is among my top 5 games and among the best stories i've experienced in any medium.

[@Ricardo29j]

24:42 I appreciate and I agree that it is crucial for more people to recognize the logical basis behind Aloy's self-talk in the game. The settings and context of the story provide a solid rationale for this narrative element. However, it's unfortunate that some individuals either fail to grasp the significance or choose not to acknowledge it, possibly due to their lack of familiarity with the game or simply not being fans of it.

[@Preohhh]

I'll start with this, Horizon is my favourite game series by a landslide. I absolutely adore it. That being said, I wish Aloy would talk less, atleast in certain sections. I know why she does it and it does make sense why she does it. I just wish she didn't spoil puzzles. Relating to the story it's fine and I quite like it. But her stating a game mechanic (i.e. "I should use my focus to scan X") or a hint at a puzzle takes me out of it a bit. I like her snarky remarks and comments during a fight like when fighting a Thunderjaw she goes "Whoa there, big guy". Or in a puzzle if she would just ponder to herself more in the likes of "Hmmmm, there must be a solution that I'm just not seeing..." or "I wonder if.... maybe not..." but the "Perhaps I could scan that device, could the code be in there?" is the game giving a hint disguised as Aloy pondering about something. Just my two cents. I wish there was an option to toggle off her talking during a puzzle. That would be the best of both worlds. Or maybe a popup stating "press x to give a hint" and then she would say it.

[@aljazslemc9569]

​@@Preohhhyeah, the puzzle thing i agree with. She's way to fast to drop a hint😅 should make it an optional thing.

[@StandAsYouAre]

What pissed me off so much was how Rost was treated. Which essentially means the writing is brilliant. It added situations that would add moral conflict for Aloy. A man who is kind, wise and wonderful was outcast just because he seeked revenge on those who took everything from him. His actions probably did end up saving more lives by removing those awful people from the world. Aloy after becoming a Brave and losing Rost could have told the tribe that treating her dirt to go to hell. But she didn’t. Aloy rose above everything, because Rost gave her loving guidance growing up.

[@ASAP_Kenny]

The voice actress for child Aloy did such a good job she was so cute talking to the hologram

[@SWOTHDRA]

She sounds boring

[@MrNAMASTE1968]

After completing this game several times, it's still one of the most incredible stories I've ever heard. I fear Netflix may be in over their heads, taking on such a task. I hope I'm wrong, though. Fantastic job, my friend!!!!!

[@will1565]

Hol up, Netflix are doing a series?

[@MrNAMASTE1968]

@will1565 yep. I believe their calling it Horizon 2074 or something like that. Taking place shortly after humanity's collapse.

[@anthoniG]

@@MrNAMASTE1968 Oh crap. They are going to screw it up, just like they did The Witcher

[@cass7448]

@@MrNAMASTE1968 Wait, AFTER? What are they gonna show, GAIA's video diaries?

[@aljazslemc9569]

​@anthoniG Netflix is just a publisher. Depends on who does it. Cyberpunk Edgerunners was great and that released on Netflix too. Really just depends on the writers...

[@markborsos646]

i will never forget the feeling that came over me when i learned what project zero dawn was. My stomach sank under my seat and i gasped with dread; until then i couldn't imagine how they finally won - well, they didn't.

[@TheKazragore]

It sent an absolute chill down my spine when I got there. Fantastic story telling and a complete reversal of typical apocalypse-beating narratives. This time, the world *wasn't* saved.

[@spacecadet-zero]

Again, love your content, particularly on my favorites: Horizon (and Cyberpunk 2077). I've noticed your essays maturing from this Horizon to that more recent video, shifting from summary to more nuanced thematic analysis. But this Horizon essay was a great recap. And Horizon might not be as character or theme-rich as the other narratively, but its depth lies in its beautifully detailed world-building -- similar to Tolkien's work. The Nora, Carja, Oseram, etc., their histories, and their beliefs derived from misinterpreted remnants of the Old World, truly steal the show. I think the game's storytelling approach aligns more with the traditional sagas and epics. The characters, particularly Aloy, serve as cultural representations and navigators in this vivid world, which might make them less layered. But embodying Aloy, the aspirational and noble-hearted outcast, has its merits. After all, characters like Aragorn became iconic for a reason. I appreciate the game's unique 'post post-apocalyptic' setting, a thriving rather than fallen world. I haven't encountered such a perspective in post-apocalyptic media before. P.S., if you're looking for future ideas, an essay on the cultures of Horizon, worldbuilding/history and how this functions within the world of the game and it's themes. Or maybe even an exploration between this mythic approach vs. a more morally ambiguous and messier post-modern style of storytelling (hint hint).

[@B-U-T-C-H-E-R]

The horizon series is underrated. I don't understand why you don't see it in more conversations. They were both amazing

[@its_saber1525]

The second one's story is kinda bad but everything else was amazing. Especially the side quest

[@B-U-T-C-H-E-R]

@@its_saber1525 I didn't mind forbidden West story. It wasn't TLOU or anything but if you compare forbidden West to any AAA 3rd party open world game out there it puts them all to shame. I liked harvesting specific parts for crafting, in depth side stories, great exploration, and graphics and the bleeding edge of gaming, putting unreal 5 to shame

[@The_Story_Of_Us]

I think Horizon is pretty underrated. I mean Zero Dawn sold like 24 million copies, so I don't mean in terms of popularity, but in terms of quality, I rarely think the quality of these games overall is done justice. The biggest problems with the original are all but fixed in the DLC and in Forbidden West, it's damn near perfection as open world games go.

[@SWOTHDRA]

Forbidden west, perfection? The map was bad, the story sucked, machines still walking in circles instead om more complex patterns. And yes ok we could finnaly fly, which was cool but doesnt feel good.....same as for the gliding, play breath of the wild and glide with link, feels way better......nah forbidden west is mid at best

[@The_Story_Of_Us]

@@SWOTHDRA I did say "near" and given the outer landscape of the open world scene with tons of total dogshit open world games I have to hyperbolize a bit for the good ones, but let's do this anyway... First: explain what in the world makes the "map" of FW worse than Zero Dawn. Second: I bet you can't justify the "story sucked bit" in comparison to Zero Dawn. Thirdly: Aside from the fact that they don't walk in circles, they loop around designated patrol paths that wildly vary in shape and size just like the last game... the fck do you want them to walk in? Figure 8s? Do a little circus number? Care to explain that a bit more? Fourth: nice assuming I haven't played BOTW, I've played like a thousand hours of it and it's also damn near perfection, whereas TOTK is total open world perfection. Fifthly and now we're onto omissions: You're just completely ignoring the insane graphical improvements, the vastly improved character animation, the improved voice acting and the objectively vastly superior mechanical overhaul of the game's traversal, UI, resource system and combat mechanics. Don't bother responding if you can't address these 5 points. Frankly given the state of your original comment I highly doubt you'll be able to say anything in refutation of them, much less actually meaningfully address them. If it's really bad, I won't even bother responding, I'll just make fun of you.

[@johncallaghan8696]

Great video Adam. Ive played this game so many times and never get tired of it. The story is amazing and the characters are lovable. Aloy is one of gamings very best. Its an open world game that keeps giving.

[@maxbardus3019]

One of the best analysis I've seen. I loved that you mentioned how well the mysteries about what happened to the old ones paced out. Btw Rogers joke is gold.

[@fabricioE457]

I'm extremely late but this is an amazing video, it makes me want to play the first game again but this time paying a lot more attention to the story

[@rogerrussell5155]

The music and soundscape are also so gorgeous

[@MrAR_Gaming]

Dude you have my Respect for making this one. After 1850+ hours in the game I felt like refreshing the story, and this one is great summary. I believe the Story, and especially the Combat is S+ Tier in Zero Dawn. 🏹

[@Thegooderstuffs]

This game legit gave me anxiety and existential dread, the grim hopelessness of Operation Enduring Victory was impeccable. Game is a damn masterpiece.

[@EpicFatMann]

I’d like the know where these dudes are getting there sick fades done. Every tribe throughout the games must have the same on call hair stylist

[@prongspawar]

Am I going to sleep to this? Yes

[@adam_the_chuck]

🤣🤣

[@isdrakon9802]

Ah video essays, great for information and sleeping

[@Rey-2517]

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your summary and your commentary made me laugh a cupple of times. You did a great job on this one and I'm checking out your other videos next.

[@lenac.4192]

The way this game made me grieve the loss of Rost twice, I have never cried so hard playing a game. It’s why this game is in my top 5 favorite games, this game made me truly feel through the story.

[@alexsimpson6836]

Dude. This was anamazingly well done, well narrated and insightful video. You've done a hell of a job covering horizon.

[@nogwartmushplat1015]

I'm always interested in the different perspectives on the Nora matriarchal system. I remember initially being confused about why it was dependent on the number of descendants. But then it hit me. It's because it's such a small community. By putting the grandmothers and great grandmothers in charge they have no choice but to be incredibly careful about declaring war. Not only do they have to send their own family members off to fight, but if those family members get killed they're automatically removed from power. Notice that matriarchal status depends on the number of LIVING progeny. Send them off to conquer a neighbouring tribe and get them killed and you're out. It means the political leadership of the Nora can never take the risk of unnecessary wars. That's actually a pretty clever safeguard, and it's one I can't think of any other way to maintain across generations. I think the Nora have a number of really terrible ideas built into their societal norms, but to my mind the matriarch system itself might deserve a pass.

[@vovodoug]

It's incredible to find this type of video about just the best game I've ever played

[@knightmareKnight1]

Great video very well thought 💭 explanation. Keep them coming 👍

[@pasaniusventris4113]

One of your points about the voice messages and holograms pertaining specifically to where the players is standing reminded me of when I was walking through and, on one side, we got to read or hear a message from someone that basically said all was well and they were hoping they could see the recipient soon. Then, on the other side, you get the same message, only uncensored, and you see the situation is so much more dire, and they're just grasping for human connection.

[@paveldrotar4493]

~1h:34: The "This humble vent marks a point of no return" -- this is a *courtesy* to players, warning them that the game world will change and that characters or locations may become permanently inaccessible if you proceed. And sure enough, if you have anything to say to Marea (as an example), now's the time 😞 This was a rather harsh lesson from e.g. Mass Effect series, where on multiple occasions, you might have clicked on what seemed like a 'small' mission, only to be taken on a roller-coaster ride that ended with characters dying and quests becoming permanently disabled.

[@TG-nd9rj]

I'm someone who likes to look into games and watch playthroughs before I buy a game, to make sure I'm going to like it. I was hooked on HZD almost immediately and eagerly awaited its release on PC. I even built my own PC before the port release (I needed a major PC upgrade anyway and it just sort of worked out). I've nearly 100%d it, and have been desperately awaiting the Forbidden West PC port. I knew I was going to love the sequel so I avoided watching content this time. It finally released 2 weeks ago (as of this comment) and I've already got nearly 70 hours in HFW, and I'm only about 63% of the way through it. I do hope they continue the story with a third game, even though I haven't finished HFW yet. We've seen much of what becomes of the United States in this future world, but I'm eager to find out how the rest of the world is faring. Easily one of my favorite game series ever.

[@paveldrotar4493]

All in all, a great video summarizing the story of Zero Dawn! Thank you for making this!

[@emmanuelstalder6968]

Great video, thank you for this analysis!

[@Preohhh]

Truly a banger video! Great summary of the game and its story, and fresh analysis as well. Critique where its deserved, but always in a constructive manner. Well edited both in terms of video and audio, you really know your shit! Heading off to the Forbidden West video next.

[@foberdud7576]

Goddamn these videos make housework a breeze. Excellent stuff man, I learned a good deal about the story from your observations and breakdowns. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

[@Ebmorgan]

This is such a great video, thank you for your hard work on it. Another thing that got me later was that Rost watched his biological daughter die by getting her throat slit just out of reach and then he saw Helis about to do the same to Aloy right after the Proving

[@DuyVo-zi4pu]

Very indepth story anaylsis and a nice refresher. Thanks for the video!

[@Ricardo29j]

I want so much a remake they already show us on forbidden west that is possible would so cool to play while we wait for horizon ne***

[@Harbinger57]

This is a masterwork.

[@rivvy2138]

Why don't videos like this show up in my feed lol this is great

[@JanizMakudomaru]

I was in gamestop when this game was out and the cover sold me, I asked my friends what they thought about it; I got the talks of femimism pushing was in it and it made me grimace, but I liked the opening and the gameplay was surprisingly fun for a bow and arrow shooter. I kept going to then learn about the backstory of the world and I was hooked from there. I've gotten all the achievements and replayed to unlock all the skills in the Nora Grounds before moving on and am now playing HFW. They did good here.

[@MordredAngstrom]

My brother and I got the ps4 grand turismo/horizon zero dawn (complete) pack. I didn't even know about HZD but it's story and gameplay was one of the best surprises I've ever experienced. l have replayed it multiple times and I am now on my 2nd new game + on Horizon forbidden west. I fucking love the feel of releasing an arrow in this game and the weapon wheel is just awesome.

[@matthewarant377]

This game has one of the best stories I have ever played. Not many things compare to the magic of the first time you finally figure out what project zero dawn is and how all the pieces come together. I don't know what is so poignant and tantalizing about it but something is.

[@andreichirita6778]

Wow, I think that's a record for a Horizon Zero Dawn analysis. It would have been great if you had done it before I played Forbidden West (I watched a 1:30 recap video), now it's pretty difficult to watch it all. Will try to watch some of it, though. It's amazing to see your dedication.

[@randyjax09]

Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the few games that ever brought me to tears. Collecting every datapoint in the game really struck a chord with me and left me grappling with the weight of the story as it was playing out. As much as I enjoyed HFW, it just didn’t hit the same nerve because everything was so matter-of-fact and frankly lacking in heart.

[@jupiterthree5228]

Masterpiece video, excellent work! 53:22 my favorite character 😍

[@norma8686]

Was really interesting to listen, you did a great job describing the game. Just one quick correction, you don't have to fight the stormbird at Gaia prime, you can run away

[@tibelchior]

I was going to write about this too. This is possible, I avoided this fight on my 2nd playthrough, it annoyed me so much the 1st time that made look for another solution for this and it worked.

[@greatandpowerfulldile155]

Great vid

[@Arkayjiya]

I'm in the middle of watching this (will skip any forbidden west spoiler though, I'm waiting for a couple of years down the light when it comes to pc!) and I'm happy I found it. I absolutely loved Zero Dawn in big part thanks to its story and themes (but the robot-dino/animals combat isn't hurting either xD), one of the most compelling sci-fi/post-apoc tale I've experienced in some time.

[@version1rock]

The turning point of Zero Dawn was when you finally get into the entrance. Heart of Nora main quest and you find out who Aloy is with the main theme BGM hitting and then you realized holy cow....this is just the chip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg and the big things there is left to unravel is beyond what you can comprehend. Damn that feeling first time when you see that its like the ultimate holy fk of all sci fi stories. after enjoying the story telling but hating the gameplay of Witcher 3 (damn good game too) i hop on to Zero Dawn in 2024 again and i am still WTF all over again. I do not know if they just got lucky piecing a story like that together but damn the narration is just mind blowing.

[@LuckyTheCat256]

I remember that two years ago, I knew nothing about the game until I came across the official LEGO set of the tallneck, and all I could say was, “What is that??” Fast forward a year and a friend who had already played it gave me the first game. After playing it, I knew that I HAD to get the second game and I HAD to get the LEGO set. Soooooo now I have both 😅

[@emilyh.9137]

I would give anything to play Zero Dawn again for the first time. A game has never sucked me in like HZD and it still sits with me everyday. I have mixed feelings about where they took the story with Forbidden West, but I still adore it and can't wait for the next sequel. I truly hope we get to return East and see the Nora lands again, interact with everyone after such a massive journey, how they would react to Aloy and maybe her new friends. Amazing video!

[@rotony1]

Alloy opening the door in mother embrace must be the best scene in the game for sure.

[@richardanderson8107]

I adore the first game for its fluidity, art direction, music, atmosphere and open-ended combat, but above all for its story and how it wove together the mystery of Aloy's birth with that of the world-the main story was full of moving, melancholy stories about the old world that gave me a sense of loss and awe as I traversed the map, picking my way through the bones of a desperate struggle to buy time for a plan that was fated to fail, all of this was complimented by the gorgeous score. I had some gripes with the presentation at points, but those paled in light of the overall experience, the memories I made and how moved I was. I can say that the sequel hit some similar notes, and triumphantly struck some new ones, as well, but it didn't possess me as fully as the first. Still a worthwhile experience but I was left wanting in comparison with the first. Still, together the Horizon titles are two excellent games that execute their open worlds with enough style and poise to set them apart from any other game of this type I've played. I appreciate your analysis, it makes me want to dive back into Zero Dawn for a third playthrough :)

[@SWOTHDRA]

Just say it, part 2 sucks, because it does

[@p00tat0e3]

this video should have millions, its a masterpiece

[@alimatoshalashaska6686]

OMG this music takes me back into the game

[@J.Wick.]

Bought ZD shortly after release. I've started the game atleast twice. Got 3-4hrs in and something would come up. Recently I've been playing it on Steam Deck and it's been amazing. About 16hrs in so far and hooked.

[@michelsantiago8252]

Has anyone noticed that the colors on the faces of the Noras run in the family?

[@version1rock]

replaying this game again in 2024 new game + (and still playing it now ) i was abit disappointed i couldnt play Aloy as a kid. I forgot all the buttons and loved the tutorial but more importantly it made me connect to Aloy since as a kid. Damn i need to buy her figure now.

[@basketballbeast755]

Man you need way more subs. This was so well done bro. Love that you’re doing games I love

[@jordanread5829]

The overall chronological order of Zero Dawns story, not just the main storylines but also important side quests (Hunters Lodge, Sunfall's and Petra's one) and the DLC's story (which happens during Zero Dawn and not after) is hard to pin down exactly when they take place respective to each other. Iirc, even if you don't do Petra's side quests, she still shows up at the finale with her newly forged weapon. As you use that weapon during the second stage of the final mission in order to destroy a ton of corrupted and Faro machines. So it makes it weird when you do her side chain after the fact. As the game will treat it as the final mission was Aloys first time meeting her when you do it. Considering that the side quest for Petra is helping her complete your masterpiece. So why does she need Aloys help if it was already complete... To add to this, there is no breadcrumb or other quests that take place around Free Heap. So you could easily miss it. Also if you do the hunter lodges side chain before the finale, Sona gets replaced with Talanah in the battle against HADES personal deathbringer. Which ends up being the canonical ending as shown in the comics. Where Talanah is seen behind Varl and Erend in a recreation shot of the final cinematic. As you said, the Sona one can be done along your way to Meridian. At the latest it has to be done before you disable the Eclipses' focus network, as the game will force you to do Sona's chain before you can progress. Likewise Erends one has to be done before the finale. But after that it is hard to say when the rest take place relative to each other and the true main storyline. Since they all have to be done by the time of the final two missions. Since Aloy heads off on her journey to restore GAIA shortly afterwards. It would be interesting to see what the chronological order of Zero Dawn would be. Thankfully Forbidden Wests DLC takes place after the events of the base game. Unlike Frozen Wilds. Also not all the Shadow Carja were loyalists to the 13th sun king. Some were against the red raids but did not view Avad as the rightful Sun King since he committed Regicide (and Patricide)... allegedly. Aloy meets some of these in Forbidden West, whom have gone to the Daunt after finding out the truth about the Shadow Carja and the Eclipse cult. EDIT: I love how the only suborninate functions you learn in detail in the Zero Dawn facility at Sunfall are the main three for the story. HADES, the restart button in case GAIA failed to restore the biosphere, whom is now trying to undo a successful attempt. Meaning that something has gone wrong with its programming. The fact that it operates as a separate AI raises a red flag as well. Then we have HEPHAESTUS (and my personal favourite antagonist of the series). If you have done the Frozen Wilds DLC prior to this, you would have learned a lot about HEPHAESTUS already. That it caused the derangement, it is the one creating hunter killers and it is attempting to hack into the various cauldrons with some success, as CYAN will comment on HEPH's success and failures. It also raises the question as to why HEPH bothered with tricking CYAN into accepting malware and turning the Firebreak facility into a makeshift cauldron. Perhaps there is something in the regular cauldrons that is restricting HEPH's hunter killer efforts? But much like HADES, what made HEPH turn out this way. What made it an AI, why is it trying to kill humans and why isn't GAIA trying to stop it. And finally we have APOLLO. If APOLLO was intended to teach the new humans about the old world, why are the current humans the way they are? Full of ignorance about the old world. Something must have happened to APOLLO, but is it the same that happened to HADES and HEPH?

[@RavageDionne]

Crazy that this video is so obscure. Have a comment and like for engagement, and enjoy another subscriber.

[@HenningRogge]

The moment when I learned that humans (and all life) WAS wiped out was really the climax of the story... I would never have guessed that they go this far. This makes the story of Zero Dawn so much more compelling...

[@mortenkveim2242]

Having her talk with herself... makes for a great idea ... at letting us players know her inner feelings at that point... instead of just guessing

[@forgottenfamily]

One miss in Mother's Heart is the storyteller who gives you a possible perspective of how the Old Ones fell. While it is clearly heavily shrouded in the zealotism of the Nora, it also becomes your first possible explanation of what happened - and isn't 100% wrong. The point of no return at Sunfall is because the Nora lands get severely altered with several side quests/etc locked off

[@icecreamorc]

Can I just say, this is my first time seeing the heartfelt good bye to Rost, I always picked the angry option because it felt so appropriate within the Aloy's head space during this part of the game. Plus it leaves her last interaction with her father figure tragically regrettable and I feel it helps set a foundation of her putting people at a distance to avoid losing them only to learn to let them in and treasure them later.

[@zaktaylor910]

Personally I think the human combat is so simple that it’s amazing, you can get really good at weaving though enemies that it’s more of a dance to not get hit while taking out entire camps

[@aaroniscool7521]

For a game with a solid 19 to 21 main story quests(Minus the frozen wilds) game sure does feel way longer travelling from place to place and I think it's one of the game strongest aspects

[@lornepribbeno3760]

I would love to see a game of Rost's journeys as Death Seeker. Or if it was a flash back that Aloy learns of as she goes through the next game. See him investigate where the bandits went. Hunt them down. It would be before the Derangement though so it may not be a full playable game. Though it would be part of Sun King Joran's reign so it might be a fascinating look at a political system on the verge of tyranny.

[@DarkPuck]

I’ve been collecting datapoints over the course of both games to back up my theory that Farobots were prone to glitches and/or FAS had bad quality control testing…

[@Blafard666]

Nice job, thank you, that said you didn't have to spoil things from Forbidden West, most people watch this to remember the story before playing the second game ...

[@isdrakon9802]

Given the position of the nora i can't blame them for their heel turn with aloy. Looking at it from their perspective we have a girl without parents in a very family center society and coming from the place a metal devil was killed by the goddess, not a great start. After becoming the sacred seeker and leaving, the war party that was ambushed and layed low returns with stories of vengeance had and the flaming haired Valkyrie that made it possible. Then she returns and saves them from extinction before going to see their Goddess in a heavenly blue light before returning. At minimum aloy is a demigoddess to them if not All Mother made flesh.

[@paveldrotar4493]

I will probably post a bunch of comments as I go through this video, just to add some possibly interesting info. ~40 minute mark, you talk about the Matriarchs and how they have the concept "More progeny = More power". It will probably surprise you, but this is how it really worked in human history, and in some cultures (such as Indus river valley --> travelling gypsies), this is still quite common (with "the mother of a father of a father of a son", i.e., a matriarch of three generations of sons, being basically undisputable head of an entire clan).

[@x-iso]

before the reveal about the 'glitch' we get some datapoints where I think it's mentioned that Ted requested to make a 'backdoor' for the robots control system, and so I suspect AI system got just smart enough to exploit it. it's a typical scenario where AI would take some task and learn to do it no matter what, including that it needs to protect itself from external control in order to persist with given task. long story short, even though we have specialists that know about risks like that, it's still something that could happen by accident or stupidity. but what doesn't make any sense is how Ted Faro wasn't held accountable for the swarm getting out of control and even worse, was still in a position where he managed to implement another 'backdoor' of sorts for the top level clearence on Zero Dawn project, above everyone else, which led to some other unfortunate events. no matter how you look at situation it was obvious that he was responsible for triggering extinction, so he should've been dealt with immediately, like throwing him into the swarm or something. so that to me is the weakest point in the whole plot. it's like the whole worldbuilding of the game hangs on immesurable stupidity of Ted Faro and equal lack of accountability.

[@siloPIRATE]

I should do a new game plus play through off Zero Dawn and Forbidden West back to back at some point. Playing them years apart (starting at their respective launches) means I forgot stuff that was set up in Zero Dawn

[@arasos6866]

Im watching this now as im playing Forbidden west and those Rost scenes are making me tear up goddamnit

[@roryfriththetraveller4982]

even as a self-professed BotW/TotK obsessive who hates to pit my faves against each other, i'm SO glad these games are getting the attention they deserve now even if it took waaaay too long (release schedule curse is real) because they are truly something special. it's such a beautiful world and it really must've done something right - i dont have much patience for much sci-fi, you can really sense the love the writers have for it. i never had a doubt they would take it somewhere amazing the whole time.

[@mattsmith8160]

@1:41:00 "Aloy wonders if all mother mountain was a cradle facility." Not only was it but if You look up a map the regions of the US that this game is set in and realize what all mother mountain is it should become immediately obvious how the Nora tribe got their name.

[@annawright1514]

I kinda wish rost never died

[@jasonashley9853]

It sucks that he did but it drove the story forward in an impactful way. Besides. Aloy constantly seeking Rost out would have been messy. And it would only be her speaking to him. It would be pretty hollow.

[@Cerebrosmalos]

Love the Rogers dig 😂

[@sweettangoTIMMY]

Dammit you're gonna want me to re-install this game for the 3rd time on my PC.. I just have to finish the Cyberpunk DLC... and Baldur's Gate 3... and Sea of Stars... oh and maybe get through my endless AC Odyssey file.. so like all steam libraries around the world, eventually?

[@Jackson-ub1uv]

I feel so bad for Samina; not only was she killed, but she died knowing that all of the time, care, and effort she put into preserving the knowledge of mankind was destroyed at the press of a button, and that it was done _right in front of her._ The way she breaks down into tears once Faro told them what he did and the way the other Alphas went to try and console her _really_ shines a light on how cruel Faro was, as well as driving home the fact that the _last_ hope of humanity had just been permanently and irrevocably destroyed.

[@gkiokan]

Well done. But what about the DLC?

[@danhasong7199]

A lot of effort and love clearly went into this video. But it really is a recap, not an analysis.

[@andreastrange3429]

Pretty sure it's a no return zone because after that the Nora get attacked and you can no longer do the side quests in the Nora lands. That being said I haven't played the game in a while.

[@LowKeyJaded]

People talk a lot of shit about the horizon games but I genuinely do love these games.

[@HenningGu]

I cannot accurately convey the feeling I had when the whole world was explained. I only watched a let's play, as I didn't have any kind of game console back then, let alone a PS4, but the impact was still bar none.

[@catmeow11111]

Can I just give the voice actor of Ted Faro credit? I totally bought his acting as a desperate, panicking person that realised how badly he fucked up. The way he emotes the character *Chef's kiss*

[@ChromaticCluck]

You know a glitch can just happen just from cosmic radiation randomly hitting a bit in a machine and flipping it. Ofc those machines would be shielded against that but a lot of the time electronics can just fuck up unexplainably and honestly I dont think its necessary to explain, unless you want to make a story around it. But that would just be a copy of what happened with GAIA unless they try really hard.

[@MantraHerbInchSin]

Aloy sure looked great in Zero Dawn

[@SiggyPony]

"Spoiler you don't".... 😆😆😆😆😆😆 omg you got me there hahahaha