In terms of both anticipation and sheer scale,Horizon Forbidden Westis set to be one of PlayStation’s largest releases this year. The usual question with games of this caliber is how long it will take to beat them, and one publication has seemingly uncovered the answer, revealing about how long of a titleHorizon Forbidden Westtruly is.
There are many factors that play into a game’s length, like the balance of main and optional content, the ratio of gameplay to cutscenes, and how many collectibles there are, as some examples. For these reasons, it can be hard to exactly pinpoint just how many hours it takes to beat a game, as players have different preferences. Alarge game likeThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntmay not take as long for some people because they prioritize the story, while other players may go after every side mission and secret to be found. Game length can ultimately be a big factor in choosing which game to buy as generally gamers are looking to get the most out of their investment.
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According to German gaming news outlet GamePro,Horizon Forbidden Westis comparable toHorizon Zero Dawn’s length. This information comes directly fromHorizon Forbidden WestDirector Mathijs de Jonge, who told GamePro’s Linda Sprenger that the game (after being run through Google Translate) is “about as long as its predecessor.” GamePro goes on to provide game time metrics from the website Howlongtobeat.com, where after submissions from hundreds of players have averagedHorizon Zero Dawn’s length to be about 60.5 hours for 100% completion.Horizon Zero Dawn’s main story comes out to about 22.5 hours, with the remaining 44 hours coming from extra content.
Sprenger adds that while the length is comparable toHorizon Zero Dawn, “the overall scope ofForbidden Westshould be slightly larger” thanks to the ambitious story and setting, as well the side content. For instance, players will be able to fight for the best time inHorizon Forbidden West’s new arena mode, as waves of increasingly danger robots try to take Aloy down.
Although there was arena-styled events inHorizon Zero Dawn, what separatesForbidden West’s is the inclusion of an online leaderboard, allowing players to see which of their friends is the best machine slayer. This alone should giveForbidden West’s arena more lasting power than simply racing against a clock.
Considering themassive month of game releases February is set to be,Horizon Forbidden West’s estimated length is comforting. For those trying to play as many of the month’s releases as they come out, the commitment being asked byForbidden Westis reasonable, when many other open-world games have unfortunately overstayed their welcome. At the same time, those planning on just gettingForbidden Westwill likely have a great amount of game to play between the main story and side content.
Horizon Forbidden Westreleases February 18 on PS4 and PS5.
