The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is one of grass swaying in waves to a gentle breeze. It's one of powerful rain and snow storms, and of proud, beaming sunrises and haunting, ethereal moonlight.

Buy Horizon: Zero Dawn Horizon: Zero Dawn is set in the distant future. Humanity has fallen and been reduced to hunter-gatherer tribes picking through the wreckage of modern civilization. The world has been reclaimed by animal-like machines who hunt and kill humans.

During the first 5 or so hours of Horizon Zero Dawn , I was drawn in but not necessarily captivated. The game felt solid as an iron forged spear, but the magic wasn't there that would cement this title into the upper echelon of games I hold dear. However, time has a habit of proving people wrong.

Incredible storyline and narrative | Huge open world | Jaw-dropping visuals and art design | Strong protagonist and supporting cast | Great voice work | Combat is frantic; varied and engaging | Environmental storytelling is fantastic

UI can be overbearing | Open-world has a lot of "traditional" activities that are sometimes a bore | Soundtrack is a bit lacking in certain places

Trembling, I hid away in the tall grass as a Thunderjaw stomped past me. The sound of cracking trees thundered through the air as it sought its nest. It was like I was a child again, watching Jurassic Park for the first time, and the T-Rex was breathing steam onto the glass window on the roof of the...

Horizon Zero Dawn takes place on Earth millions of years in the future where, as you guessed it, some or other cataclysmic event has wiped out most of humanity. Out of the ashes, new civilisations and tribes sprung up, each with their own unique culture.

There is something hugely satisfying in booting up an all-new intellectual property in gaming , not least one that has been subject to a fierce hype machine for the last couple of years. Even more satisfying to find out it's good. Scrub that. It's great; truly, splendidly great.

Truly magnificent graphical splendour; 4K HDR on PS4 Pro / HDR on PS4; superb combat system; great new land and story to explore; clever premise with fantasy and sci-fi themes

Takes a long while before the main story and gameplay gets underway

Horizon: Zero Dawn is a stellar open world game. Guerrilla has crafted a magnificent and utterly gorgeous adventure game with surprising depth that rewards player skill and will more than likely prove to be PS4's next major action franchise.

Horizon Zero Dawn is hands-down the best open world game available for the PS4, offering textures of an extremely high quality while maintaining a stable frame rate and providing one of the most impressive gaming experiences available on a console. The storyline is intriguing and will leave you wanting more, and coupled with phenomenal voice acting, provides something of an incredibly high standard. The combat mechanics are smooth and intuitive, allowing players to be creative when tackling the variety of Machines roaming the open world. Essentially, it’s a game that you’ll keep going back to, over and over again, if not for the intriguing story then for the gorgeous, varied open world.

Horizon Zero Dawn is another top-tier exclusive for the PS4. As long as you have some patience in combat, and 30-40 hours to drop to fully explore the world and take in the plot, you'll leave the game with an immensely satisfying experience.

Joe brings us his impressions on Horizon Zero Dawn, out now for PlayStation 4.