Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion

Whenever the weather improves and our obligations somehow get even busier, the same urge appears in our group: we need a big co-op campaign game on the table. After Nova Aetas, which has been left somewhat unfinished, and Isofarian Guard, which other BLTG inc members have nearly exhausted, I suggested Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion. It passed unanimously. And both as a physical production and as a newer edition, it feels cared for: the production is polished, and it is clear that many things have been fixed since the first release.

At its core, it is a boss battler with a linear story between encounters and fairly slight character and deck building. But where it matters, in the meat of combat, it hits properly hard. The confrontations have real tension, and the game manages to feel quite close to the source material rather than merely using the Horizon name as decoration on the box.

Most fights begin in stealth mode, and that is where we need to play smart: read the AI and patrol routes, make use of traps, and set up our strike before things turn into inevitable all-out brawling. The cooperation comes precisely from this shared effort to exploit the battlefield before the enemies notice us and the fight becomes a head-on confrontation.

My problem is everything that happens between those excellent moments. With a better plot, fewer boring conversations, and fewer filler chapters with little purpose, this could have been a great game. As it is, I find it merely an okay experience: we have already played nine sessions and are roughly 80% through the main story, yet I am not sure we will finish it. Perhaps the alternate campaigns in the expansions solve that problem; for now, though, the strong combat game is carrying a campaign that does not pull me firmly enough toward the finish line.