Burning Shores, the latest expansion for Horizon Forbidden West available for PS5, continues the theme of lush environments, though this time in Los Angeles. While we saw some broad conclusions to Horizon Forbidden West’s story, it left on a note where we knew there were more stories to be told.
While the story of Burning Shores explores the iconic Hollywood Sign, a theme park, and other notable locations in Los Angeles, it somehow ties in well with the base game’s vast open world and story.
Horizon Forbidden West: The Burning Shores Story
While Burning Shores’ DLC story isn’t as extraordinary as the base game’s, it’s the perfect length for players looking for more content. However, this isn’t just filler content for players to experience as Aloys embarks on a mission to learn more about Walter Londra. This man of old civilization is a well-known conservative entrepreneur from LA, now known as Burning Shores. He loves limelight and is married to a famous actress. However, it is Londra’s work that interests Eloy the most, namely the space exploration business.
While the main story will take around 7-8 hours to complete, it will be a roller coaster ride. Aloy teams up with a new character, Seika, to search for her missing sister. Their search leads them to investigate the Space Playboy and discover that he was in a hurry to leave the planet, but they do not know why.
Without giving too much away, players will see Aloy develop a new friendship with Seika and see her connect with her similar outcast. Ending with a challenging boss fight, Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores’ story can best be described as ‘short and sweet’.
Horizon Forbidden West: The Burning Edge Gameplay
The gameplay loop in Burning Shores is almost identical to that of Horizon Forbidden West. You’ll be climbing hills, fighting robot dinosaurs, and collecting new artifacts for PlayStation Trophies. However, Aloy also gets new armor and weapons that she can use to defeat new machines and bosses, such as the Stingspawn. One of them is the homing missile which makes fighting powerful enemies super enjoyable and a little too easy due to its overpowering nature.
Aloy also learns a new way to traverse the world of Horizon Forbidden West, where she can use her shield to climb to higher viewpoints using geysers. This new traversal method really helps save time when you’re looking for hard-to-reach collectibles or need to make a quick escape during battle. In Burning Shores, Aloy can learn three new skills in addition to the many skills already unlocked from the base game.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores graphics and performance
Since the Burning Shores DLC for Horizon Forbidden West is exclusive to PlayStation 5, it’s expected to look top notch. And on everyone’s expectations, the DLC front is in the works. As previously mentioned, the game takes place in Los Angeles, unlike the concrete jungle we know it today. Instead, the entire city is flooded, and overgrown vegetation has reclaimed popular landmarks such as the Hollywood Sign. In most cases, post-apocalyptic LA looks idyllic, even with a sea of ​​skyscrapers jutting out.
Like the recent release on PlayStation 5, the Burning Shores DLC offers players three modes; ie, resolution, performance (60 fps), and balanced. In most cases, using the Balanced preset will give players the best experience, as the game looks amazing while providing players with the maximum possible frames (40 fps in most cases). However, it’s worth pointing out that only displays with an HDMI 2.1 input support this mode and support a 120Hz refresh rate.
If players prefer to play in beautiful environments and are willing to sacrifice frames, they can always use the resolution mode. In this mode, the game is capped at 30fps but looks absolutely stunning in 2160p resolution.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores Verdict
While the Burning Shores expansion for Horizon Forbidden West isn’t as detailed as some recent DLC, it does provide a more complete experience for fans of the franchise. The DLC adds new skills, weapons and even new enemy types to make it worthwhile for players to invest 7-8 hours in the new story. With beautiful graphics, incredible performance, and a new map to explore, there’s more than enough content here for fans of the franchise. However, there’s still no logical reason why PlayStation 4 players couldn’t experience the Burning Shores DLC, especially since the base game, a larger and more complex title, is playable on previous-generation consoles.
Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5
Pros:
- gorgeous new environment
- New weapons, skills and collectibles
- new enemy type
- Other Worthwhile Gameplay Additions
- engaging story
Shortcoming:
- exclusive for playstation 5
- the story could have been longer
