Exclusive: Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered - PS5 DF Tech Review - Is The Upgrade Worthwhile?

We had doubts, we were sceptical. The original Horizon Zero Dawn with its 60fps upgrade for PS5 was already a highly attractive game with excellent performance. Was there any real need for a remaster? Sony, Guerrilla and Nixxes decided to challenge our opinions by giving us early access to the game with no restrictions. And yes, Horizon Zero Dawn with its 60fps upgrade for PS5 is still a highly attractive game with excellent performance - so to what extent is the game improved and is the endeavour worthwhile?

00:00 - Introduction
01:54 - First Boot - The Options Menu
02:41 - Performance Modes
04:26 - Environmental Detail Comparison
07:13 - Water Rendering
08:57 - Environmental VFX
10:40 - Lighting Changes
13:17 - Character Improvements
16:25 - Audio Demonstration
18:15 - Ending

[danielpiekut]

Fun fact: image quality in performance mode is strong enough that he recommends this mode above others

[diefontanelle]

How I hate it when the original is on the right side

[seanpolley]

The only issue i have is that the foliage looks way too neon green in the remaster. It looked much more natural in the original, taking on a different color depending on lighting.

[ThwipThwipBoom]

I don't understand the hate for the Horizon games. I always found them to be very fun to play with deep combat systems that reward strategic thinking. It's exactly my kind of gameplay.

[zsquaresoff]

Cant wait. Thankfully, it's a 10$ upgrade and not fully priced like Until Dawn.

[HorseheadNebula]

Rare editing mistake from John at 3:21, looks like a line in the recording accidentally got used twice.

[AP-hnwd]

Decima engine is a beast. Glad we see it in more than Horizon. Can’t wait to see the full game and Death Stranding 2 in full PS5 Pro glory.

[KEVBOYMUSIC]

Is it just me or do some of the plants look almost neon green?

[wirpv]

I'm not fan of fluo green vegetations like at 5:00, I définitely prefer the original DA version.

[triggerWay]

There is something about the Nixxes ports (and work in general), that makes them so clean, they just works! Truly a great studio and a good asset for Sony, which is to be appreciated in today’s standards

[HeinSmit]

Usually love saturated greenery but at 7:00 it feels a little too, odd, in the remaster. Still keen to see the enhancements on PC

[Rocheburger]

There’s a lot of little choices that I’m not sure on. Particularly in the desert areas… lots of the “lush green” has been emphasized, and the yellow/ochre was toned down. But… isn’t it supposed to look yellow? Isn’t that filter what gives an area its visual identity?

[melbo]

Seeing this video just reinforces how well the original holds up. There are many scenes that are very improved in the remaster, but overall the original looks like a game that could have come out in 2024.

[Trench-coat]

Don’t know if the digital foundry team will ever see this but just want to thank you for the amount of effort you put into these video for us enthusiasts. Thank you to the entire team.

[LamestLameOK]

Still not convinced this game of all games needed a remaster. It was fine just the way it was. Nobody was complaining about the visuals in Horizon aging poorly.

[Dood_Spooce]

Horizon Zero Dawn is my first platinum. Im probably the only one on earth whos incredibly excited for this remaster. My only real hope and expectation is that upon new game plus, they give us the option to replay the intro again if we want to.

Im greatly looking forward to this remaster personally

[jmcdermott]

It's pretty crazy that this game first came out with the PS4 Pro and now the remaster with the PS5 Pro.

[iseptimus]

The original makes more sense in a lot of the art direction. Especially the desert. Foliage wouldn't be as green as it is in the remaster.

[NightfallAgent]

10:46 “Bespoke” located.

Official DF seal of quality!!

Hell yeah.

[Alovon]

Very strong first remaster effort from Nixxes here. Wonder if they'll be tapped on to remaster more games in the future (especially as they are running out of PS4/PS5 gen games to port to PC with Spiderman 2 in January next year lol)