iamchum

Horizon is a technical marvel (for the most part) with one of the most boring narratives since, well, the first game. It's like getting a really attractive partner whose good in bed, but has no personality. I wanted to love this game but I can't with how dull all the characters are, especially Aloy whose constantly rolling her eyes at everyone like she just wants the conversation to end. The game COULD have made me go "Yeah that is worth 70 bucks" if it wasn't so goddamn boring.

If there was ever a reason to invest in Apple Arcade, this is the game that justifies it. Sure this could be seen as another Final Fantasy clone, but in a lot of ways it surpasses Final Fantasy, especially the modern era of FF. The music is phenomenal, the environments oozing with charm and vibrance, the combat, while maybe not the most revolutionary, adds a new spin to a tired formula, while staying true to it's old school roots. While the story does tend to hit a lot of the same notes many JRPGs and animes fall victim to, the cast is still a likable motley crue that you grow to love over the course of the game. There's a couple plot points that, due to the nature of tropes, can be a bit easy to see coming, almost where you could play JRPG Plot Bingo at **** even with it's predictability in certain areas, you still want to see it through to the end and want to see our heroes win. Tropes aren't always a terrible thing if they're done well, and these characters and plot beats are done reasonably well, much more than a platform like Apple Aracde deserves. If you have an iPhone/iPad/Mac/Apple TV, definitely don't let this game slip you by. If you're a fan of JRPGs, there is a lot to love about this game, and while it's exclusivity to Apple might be a bad taste in your mouth, if you do decide to make the plunge, I'd say it's a plunge worth taking. This game needs all the love it can get because it's clear love and passion were put into this game, and while it's easy to hate on Apple, remember, they directly helped fund this game because they saw potential too...this game might not exist without them, so while I won't always die on the hill of Apple's decisions and the way they treat customers like morons, I will give credit where credit is due, and say they had good intution when backing this game. Simply put, this game is a love letter to Final Fantasy fans everywhere. Pros: - Excellent music direction - Gorgeous art direction and graphics - Old school turn based gameplay that will bring about feelings of nostalgia - Oozes with charm Cons: - Exclusive to Apple (for the time being) - Hits a few too many tropes - Could really use some voice acting here and there