The Frozen Wilds does not run away from what we fell in love with Horizon: Zero Dawn, offering a little more about the world that opposes the human condition to technology, a theme that can not be more current, in which we witness the steps of related evolutions with an Artificial Intelligence, in which our daily life is marked by the use of small pocket computers to which we call smartphones and in which humanity begins to consider alternatives to survive, since our world, and not wanting to seem too fatalist, runs the risk of having the days counted due to actions.
Without putting aside the key mechanics of the game, the expansion features some new features, namely a new zone, The Cut, characterized by snow-capped mountains and a much more hostile environment than the main game gave us, where only the strongest are able to survive. Perfect, then, for Aloy, the fearless heroine of the Guerrilla Games game, who seems to have lost her fear once and assumed her role as one of the most iconic characters this industry has presented to us in the more recent past - Are we witnessing the birth of a franchise? The Cut offers unique landscapes, and the way the snow falls and Aloy walks on it are absolutely delicious - and a technical marvel.
In this zone, we quickly realize that it is not only the snow and the cold that make us feel almost impotent, since The Frozen Wilds introduces the most aggressive machines of the whole game due to a kind of virus that is known as Daemon, central point of all the plot and that torments the Banuk, a tribe that plays a secondary role in the main adventure, but that returns now to be the center of the attention. The consequence of the existence of these more powerful machines naturally translates into an even greater challenge than what was put to us in Zero Dawn, and also the demand for new strategies to defeat them.
The presentation of the narrative is done immaculately ...
If you think the game was not easy, be prepared to renew that feeling, it's no wonder that the recommended level to dive into The Cut is 30 - unlike other games, if we're not at level 30, The Frozen Wilds will not puts us on this level automatically to facilitate entry into the new contingencies. I see this as a way for Guerrilla to show that it has no intention of producing a franchise focused on the challenge, but it is also a potential embarrassment for those who want to continue to follow Aloy but is not yet at the required level, breaking the base of players.
In narrative terms, and without wanting to enter spoiler territory, the story is based on themes that mark the actuality, and that quickly holds us, since we only have to concentrate on a particular arch. The presentation of the same is made immaculate, Guerrilla has improved to the models and animations of the characters, proof that The Frozen Wilds is not only more content, but an investment of the producer in cementing definitively the position of the game like one of the best of the year. They spared no effort, and, as a player, I am grateful to them. Aloy joins the Banuk to explore new, highly secret scientific facilities, having to do what they've always done, pass tests, demonstrate their value in combat and, on the way, switch one or the other favor to win the trust of one of the most isolated and inland-facing tribes that Horizon has to offer.
Emotion is a key point of this new Aloy adventure ...
However, what most struck me during this experience were the characters, most notably Ourea, Aratak and CYAN. The first two live in a kind of family drama, they are two disfellowshipped brothers, but they overflow emotions for each other, something that literally can be perceived by their faces. Emotion is a key point of this new Aloy adventure, in search of the motives that drive machines to behave so furiously, but also in the dialogues it establishes with its new arms partners. It is a story that makes us look at the importance of family, union, and sacrifice, especially when there is a common goal, and it is urgent to put pride aside. About the third character, I prefer to speak very little, you will have time to know it throughout your journey, but I confess that, because of it, the final act of expansion made me contemplate how we human beings so often give things as guaranteed and we can be so insensitive that which is different from us.
However, this DLC is based on a single narrative arc, which makes the game seem somewhat short, especially since there are not too many secondary missions to entertain us, or even a wide variety of new weapons. The new biome is about one-third the size of the main game, but it's something naked and ends up looking unappreciated, getting a bitter taste of the huge distances we have to walk on when we no longer have the items needed to make fast-travel . Fans of the game have a good opportunity to return to this original world, and those who have not played have yet another narrative arc to explore, and it is likely that the latter will be able to enjoy The Frozen Wilds even more.
VERDICT
The Frozen Wilds is an expansion worthy of the wonder that is Horizon: Zero Dawn, featuring a new biome, some characters whose emotional complexity is memorable and a compelling and current story that suffers from a lack of depth. However, this DLC has the power to remind us why the Guerrilla Games' open world game is one of the biggest launches of 2017, helping to make it a serious game contender of the year.
VERY GOOD : 8.5 / 10
The Frozen Wilds makes us want to return to the world of Horizon: Zero Dawn.
+ Characterization of the new zone
+ Emotional depth of the characters
+ Interesting Narrative
+ Constant challenge
-History somewhat short
-Secondary missions
