Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: November 07, 2017
MSRP: $19,99
ESRB: Teen / PEGI 16
Players: 1 (Offline Singleplayer Only)
Available Platforms: PS4
Genre: Action RPG
The Frozen Wilds is a DLC for Horizon Zero Dawn. A copy of the base game is required to play (it’s also part of the “Complete Edition”).
This expansion takes place in a beautiful new snowy region called “The Cut”.
It fuses seamlessly with the rest of the open world and is directly connected to the main game map.
A new side story with 9 quests and 7 errands can be found there. New enemies have been added and there are new collectibles to be found.
At $19,99 (currently $14,99 for PS Plus members), the DLC’s pricing is more than fair.
Getting 100% completion takes 15 hours so it’s longer than most singleplayer games. Considering the tremendous production quality that follows in HZD’s footsteps, you get something truly worthwhile.
It is hands down the best looking winter landscape ever made in video game history. Nothing else gets even close visually. Character models, their facial expressions and movements are realistic, detailed and in sync.
The DLC also introduces 3 new weapons. One that shoots electricity, one freezes enemies, and one is a flamethrower/cannon. They are fun to play with and mix up the gameplay a bit.
The new hunting grounds are a good place to try them. However, there are only 3 new trials.
The level cap has been raised from 50 to 60 and new skills were introduced. The DLC comes with two separate trophy lists, 21 trophies total. They are easy completion-based tasks, nothing difficult. I did not encounter any bugs.
| Gameplay *Overall Enjoyment Factor, Fascination with Game World, Level Design, Variety, Playability, User-Friendliness (Ease of Use / Readability / Controls / in-game Tutorials / Menus) |
| 8/10 A bit too much running from point A to B & puzzles, not enough fighting. |
| Story/Multiplayer *Quality of the Singleplayer Story, Cutscenes and/or Multiplayer Modes (whichever is available). If a game has no Story or no Multiplayer it won’t be rated (thus no negative effect on score). |
| 8/10 Story: 8/10 Multiplayer: Not Available |
| Technical Aspects *Graphics, Texture Quality, Character Details, Lighting, Weather Effects, Animations, Loading Times, Number of Loading Screens, does it run smoothly |
| 10/10 The most gorgeous winter wonderland ever. |
| Value *Amount of Content, Production Quality, Replay Value, is there enough content to justify a purchase |
| 10/10 One of the biggest story DLC this generation. 10-15 hours of new quality gameplay for $20 is a fair deal. |
| Trophies/Achievements *Rates how much fun the Platinum / 1000 Gamerscore is to achieve: Are trophies fun to do? Do trophies restrict freedom of gameplay? Missable trophies? Multiple playthroughs required? Luck-based trophies? Pointless farming/grinding? Glitched Trophies? Are stats/trophies tracked correctly? |
| 9/10 21 Trophies for a DLC is great. No bugs. Leaves unfulfilled potential for something challenging. |
| Extraordinary Score Increase or Deduction *Reserved for extraordinarily good or bad features that the other categories don’t cover (such as game-breaking bugs). This score is directly added/subtracted from the final score. |
| Nothing |
VERDICT:
The Frozen Wilds delivers a 15-hour story expansion at a very fair price, following the production quality of the main game. The new additions are fun and it’s the most beautiful Winter Wonderland ever created.
FINAL SCORE:
9/10
Reviewed on PS4 Pro. Completed all side quests and errands, found all collectibles, completed the DLC 100%, earned all trophies.
While you’re here, check out The Frozen Wilds Trophy Guide & Roadmap and Horizon Zero Dawn Wiki.
For more on how reviews are scored, check out the Review Policy.