Horizon Forbidden West Update Lets Players Pick Up Items Instantly
A new update for Horizon Forbidden West has made it possible for players to pick up items without stopping. While Horizon Forbidden West is narrative-driven in some ways, much of the game revolves around exploring its massive open world and making Aloy, the game's protagonist, stronger. This will typically involve the use of the game's scavenging system, which previously required players to come to a complete stop to gather supplies.
Materials can often play a major role in Horizon Forbidden West. Aloy can collect materials from various fallen enemies, plants, and chests, with different locations and enemy types housing different types of supplies. These materials can be used to upgrade and craft a wide array of weapons, gear pieces, and other in-game items that aid the player in gameplay. Upgrades and crafts, especially high-level ones, can often require a lot of materials, so gathering supplies is usually a time-consuming process. This is an issue not helped by the fact that Aloy stops to kneel each time an item is gathered. Ultimately, getting the best gear in Horizon Forbidden West can be grueling and boring in the opinion of some players.
While upgrading and crafting top-shelf gear may still require a great time commitment, it might be a bit more appealing to players following a recent update. As noticed by a Reddit user (via GamesRadar), players can now turn off pickup animations in the settings of Horizon Forbidden West. This means that Aloy can simply snatch up items as she goes, rather than bringing gameplay to a complete halt each time a player wants to gather supplies.
This may seem like a small adjustment to some, but it can actually have a major impact on overall speed and convenience. Open-world games like Ghost of Tsushima and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which many fans see as overshadowing Horizon Zero Dawn) took this approach to obtaining items, with Jin Sakai and Link scooping up pickups without losing their stride. The Last of Us Part II offered players an option for easily collecting items as well. All of this is to say that a streamlined approach to something as commonplace as gathering materials is far from unheard of in gaming, and Horizon Forbidden West certainly benefits from including this feature.
Open-world games are jam-packed with content, but that can sometimes lead to them feeling bloated. By most accounts, Horizon Forbidden West avoids the pitfalls present in so many other open-world titles, but that doesn't mean that some players won't tire of its gameplay loop. Hopefully, this update and future patches can continue to improve Horizon Forbidden West without diluting its identity.
Source: talkinboutbuttsnax/Reddit (via GamesRadar)