PS4 Exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn – RPG Mechanics, Skill System And XP Detailed

Guerrilla Games has said it won’t be including a ton of tutorials into its new creation, Horizon: Zero Dawn. The developer said that instead it wants players to have to figure out how to beat some of the biggest robo-animals all on its own. While this might be annoying for novices it also means that players will get to feel as though they are in the game a bit more.

Art director Jan-Bart van Beek gave an interview to Videogamer.com where he talked about the plans for the game and how it will work for players. Among other tidbits, Beek said there is “a lot of interplay between the different weapons and ammo types, and there is a sort of creative aspect there where you need to find the right way to use weapons for particular robos. And that counts for a lot of the game.”

He also explained the RPG mechanics in the game. “There is a skill tree. There are two basic character development systems. First of all you’re getting XP and you can use that XP to gain new perks. So that’s the big one. One of the perks that you saw being used [in the demo] is the Precision Shot where you slow down time and that allows you to [aim] the arrows a little more precisely. Without that it’s actually really hard to hit certain weak spots. [The character in the demo] is already an advanced character about level 12, I think.”

“But there’s also basically a secondary way of upgrading your character, and that is through the harvesting and crafting system. By going into nature and defeating bigger and stronger robos you’ll get better armour-plating, better weaponry and slowly but surely you’ll develop your character in a more naturalistic way.”

Guerilla also wants players to unravel the mystery behind the story by themselves. Beek added that there won’t be a ton of developer diary videos talking about what the robos are or where they came from. The story, and how the robos are connected to each other and the remaining people in this world will have to be uncovered by the players. Uncovering that story will also be central in figuring out how to beat some of the machines that are going to be coming after you. Horizon: Zero Dawn will launch exclusively on the PS4 but a release date has not yet been announced.