It has been five years since we were introduced to Aloy and the world of Horizon. Now, Sony has big plans for the franchise as it expands horizontally through multiple game and media types. Following the success of last year’s Horizon Forbidden West, the first deviation comes in the VR game Horizon Call of the Mountain. This take aims to grow the brand as it leaves behind Aloy, its central protagonist. Also, it hopes to move millions of PS VR2 units as Sony’s first at-bat with the headset.
Developer & Publisher // Firesprite, Guerrilla Games & Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform // PS VR2 & PS VR2 Sense Controller Required
MSRP & Release Date // $59.99 US & Feb 22nd 2023
Horizon Call of the Mountain can be played sitting or standing. The Sense controllers are required, you can not use the DualSense controller. I completed my entire playthrough standing, as that is how the character is portrayed on screen. This allows you to move more freely in VR along with what is happening within the game.
In both Horizon games, you play as Aloy, and one of the core gameplay loops includes traversing a large open world. Almost always this entails climbing and using gadgets to get around structures or mountains. Horizon Call of the Mountain has taken that mechanic and turned it into a seven-hour game.
Horizon Call of the Mountain takes place between the two Horizon games. The setting remains within parts of Horizon Zero Dawn. You play as Ryas, a “bad guy” who has been captured by the “good guys.” From there you will have to rectify the situation by clearing your name. You have to climb and traverse the area from a first-person perspective, along the way there will be battles against the machines.
Eventually, you encounter the antagonist Asera, who is planning an attack against the town of Meridian. You must traverse, climb, and craft your way to stop her, along the way stopping to fight machines. That is the entirety of the game. There are around 10 short levels, each will have about two machine encounters. The level design is hyper-linear, think of the climbing sequences in Uncharted 2. With that, it is important you know this $60 game, is not a VR take on Horizon, it is a AA VR game set within the Horizon universe. There is no free-roaming open world, there are no RPG mechanics.
The Gameplay
Just like in previous Horizon games, you can chip away at machines by breaking parts off of them. That combat mechanic is completely intact here and is even more fun in VR. Using the bow and the slingshot in VR to slowly break down these massive machines is almost a workout. Using your hands, you draw the bow and the slingshot as you would in real life. The team has done an amazing job capturing that feeling.
Between battles, you will climb, a lot. The climbing takes you through the highest areas within Horizon Zero Dawn and almost never gives you footing. If you have an objection to heights this is either the perfect game for you to get a thrill or something you should stay away from entirely.
The third element of the gameplay is crafting. The game will have you piece together five tools to help you traverse through the game. There are these moments in VR where you will physically use your hands to assemble and tie together components. This part is a lot of fun and has me wondering how this can be incorporated into future non-VR games.
Using the gadgets is fun as well, just like in other Horizon games. There is a new zip-line tool you create here, that I hope comes over to the next mainline Horizon game. The other items you craft include, a bladed boomerang, and of course a grappling hook. There is nothing like throwing the grappling hook using your physical arms and having it land where you are trying to.
Audio and Visuals
Horizon Call of the Mountain is on par visually with Horizon Zero Dawn running on a PS4 Pro. The team has done a fantastic job capturing the environment from that game. Plus when you look at smaller details up close, everything looks as you would expect. We do not have the tools yet to really dial in accurate numbers in terms of visual performance but the framerate is not even remotely an issue. The game is free from slowdowns, bugs, and glitches, as far as my experience is concerned. For sure there is HDR in the presentation. The PS VR2 OLED does a great job showcasing Call of the Mountain.
The audio design is solid. There are no events in the game that require spatial audio, nothing is ever going to come up from behind you. The effects are well thought out and add to an already extremely high level of immersion.
Overall
I would prefer there to be two or three other elements to Horizon Call of the Mountain. It needs combat with the other humans in open areas like Horizon has. The game would also benefit from having more open areas to explore along with deeper story elements. When it comes to the story, there is not a ton here, there are only four or five characters throughout the entire game. Although, if there is ever a third Horizon game, it would be exciting to see these characters show up.
Yet what Horizon Call of the Mountain is, should be considered one of the top 15 VR games of all time. There are some moments when you use your physical hands during crafting that are special. There are sequences during the climbing parts which are truly engaging. Plus the boss battles are straight out of the mainline Horizon games, played in VR it is remarkable.
Overall Horizon Call of the Mountain is a fun little launch title for Sony’s new PS VR2 headset. If you enjoy Horizon and own PS VR2 you must have this game. Although by no means is this a system seller, it is just a nice addition. I would prefer it to be four to five hours long but, what we have here is a ton of unique VR moments combined together.
