In an interview for the upcoming October cover story of Game Informer magazine, Horizon Zero Dawn director Mathijs de Jonge spent some time detailing the types of gameplay the new Action RPG will offer players when it releases February 28th, 2017 on PS4.

The game is being designed with an element of danger in mind. This is a world where humanity is no longer top of the food chain. Playing as the main character Aloy, if you stay on the road, it’s relatively safe but when you wander off into the wild, you run into more challenging foes.

When you do encounter these mechanized enemies, you will use tactical options and technology to defeat them. When first encounter an enemy, you scan it for weaknesses, such as fire or ice. You can shoot off armor to expose weak points or shoot off weapons to pick up and use against machines. The game features a hacking mechanic to turn a machine to your side as well as a diverse arsenal of weapons to use and traps to prepare. Combat is designed around 3 phases of Prepare, Engage, Escape and the environment is designed to support those elements.

As you progress through the game, you will encounter harder machines and the game provides options for upgrades and customizing. You can acquire new outfits from tribes, with outfits from more hidden tribes featuring improved stats. The outfits have mod slots where you can insert upgrades you’ve looted from defeated machines. Weapons have a similar system with multiple mod slots and ammo types that increase in versatility as you progress. When you earn enough XP you level up and gain points for unique skills to expand combat moves. A specific skill referenced was a concentration mode where Aloy can slow down time.

The game will feature a significant variety of locations such as snow covered mountains, deserts, and jungle settings. Machines, tribal factions and music are all themed around the environments, creating a sense of culture that is tied to climate of the land. A fog of war obscures the world, and as you uncover parts of the map you will find settlements, points of interest, collectibles and activities outside of quests.

The game was shown off in 4K during the Playstation Meeting that saw the unveiling of the new PS4 Pro. Check out the gameplay footage from the event:

Coming from the Killzone franchise, Horizon: Zero Dawn marks a significant departure for developer Guerrilla Games as it makes its first foray into the RPG genre. Thoughts on how the game is looking? Let us know in the comments.

Visit the Horizon Zero Dawn Wiki

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