Mechanical mayhem

     I finally got around to getting Horizon Zero Dawn! I'm only at level 19, but I would like to talk a bit about how it's going so far.
     When I got it, the cashier said it would have won several game of the year awards, if it hadn't been for Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He however conceded that, when a Zelda game comes out, it makes it harder for other games to compete. But name-dropping a legendary series in comparison had me more intrigued.
     It is an amazing game! The setting is some post-apocalyptic future, where any surviving members of humanity have started civilization over again, and have re-entered the late neolithic or early bronze age. However, machines from the past have also evolved, so in addition to natural wildlife, there is mechanical wildlife roaming the world. Technologically advanced relics that still work seem to be treated like magic.
     The heroine of the story is a woman named Aloy, who is now my first video game crush. And yes, I know that makes me sound like a geek. But anyway, she's an ass-kicking tribal woman. She wields a spear, traps, and bows; and I do like sniping. The combat system within this open world is intuitive, once you get the hang of the controls.
     In addition to combat, there's a technique that is available called override. With a device that dropped after a boss battle, you can take control of some machines. After exploring some caves known as Cauldrons, you learn to take control of more types of machines.
     Roleplaying is a fun aspect of HZD. You talk to various people from your own and other tribes, who give out missions. Missions are divided into Main, Side, Errands, Cauldrons, and Tallnecks (overriding a huge mechanical dinosaur to discover more of the map).
     I think, when I get home, I'm going to search for more Cauldrons and Tallnecks. Right now, I'm writing this at work, and it just makes me want to get home more.