Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to the critically acclaimed action RPG, Horizon Zero Dawn, was released in February 2022 to favorable reviews. Now, fans of the series are gearing up to jump back into Aloy's shoes and experience her continued adventure in the upcoming Burning Shores DLC. Set to release on April 19, Burning Shores will take Aloy to the ruins of Los Angeles in pursuit of a massive machine threat that will challenge her mastery of all her skills and abilities.
Unlike the base game of Horizon Forbidden West, which was developed for both the PS4 and PS5, Burning Shores will be released exclusively for the PS5. While the news has divided fans and brought disappointment to owners of the PS4 version of the game, the developers at Guerilla Games insist that the DLC's exclusivity has helped them craft a better experience for players. Here is what that exclusivity means for the game, and why the developers chose to go that route.
Burning Shores Will Harness the Full Power of the PS5
The release of PS5-exclusive DLC is justifiably disappointing for PS4 owners. Those who purchased Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 undoubtedly expected to continue their journey with Aloy in future DLC, especially considering that Horizon Zero Dawn was given the same treatment just nine months after its release. While this is certainly a tough pill to swallow, Forbidden West's director, Mathijs de Jonge, offered some helpful insight into its difficult decision to limit Burning Shores to a PS5 release in a recent PlayStation Blog post:
"The cityscape ruins of LA and its surroundings are highly detailed and require a lot of processing power as well as fast streaming technology to run properly; especially when the player is flying over the lands and can see a lot at once," de Jonge stated. Where the development of Horizon Forbidden West was limited by what would and wouldn't work for the PS4, the exclusivity of the game's Burning Shores DLC to the PS5 allowed the developers to "charge forward...in creating this stunning post-post-apocalyptic version of Los Angeles."
As de Jonge intimated, the majority of the PS5's capability comes from its incredible processing power, which allowed Guerilla to "squeeze a lot of activity" into smaller areas that likely would have caused a severe drop in frame rate on the PS4. "Using the PS5’s processing power, we can run certain simulations at higher speed, creating more lifelike results and a better gameplay experience," said de Jonge. There is even a "special lighting setup" that would normally only run during cinematics, but the Burning Shores' PS5-focused development allows it to remain on at all times.
It is abundantly clear that the development of Forbidden West was limited by the PS4's capabilities, as the game's higher-quality Resolution mode locks the display to 30 fps, which is considerably lower than what most gamers have come to expect from a triple-A game. Many players prefer the Performance mode, as it allows for 60 fps at the cost of improved visuals. That being said, even the game's resolution mode looks great on a PS5.
With a console as powerful as the PS5, it seems like a waste not to give it a proper opportunity to show off, especially with a game as visually remarkable as Horizon Forbidden West. The Burning Shores DLC aims to put that power on display as it utilizes the full potential of Sony's console via the game's exclusive development. Although the developers at Guerilla Games have expressed that the decision to focus their efforts on creating Burning Shores exclusively for the PS5 console was far from an easy one, it may have been the best choice, as the upcoming DLC will likely turn out to be one of the most breathtaking gaming experiences in recent memory.