Horizon: Zero Dawn PS5 Remaster will change Aloy's appearance

At the PlayStation State of Play event, it was announced that Horizon: Zero Dawn will receive a remastered version for PlayStation 5 and PC, launching on October 31. Like other remastered versions, this one will feature upgraded graphics and introduce new modern functionalities, making this version of Horizon: Zero Dawn comparable to its sequel, Horizon: Forbidden West.

As expected, the announcement sparked mixed reactions from the community. Rumors about a remaster for Horizon: Zero Dawn first surfaced in 2022, and many fans have criticized this move, calling the remaster unnecessary and a "cash grab," since the original Horizon: Zero Dawn on PS4 still looks fantastic without needing a remake.

Whether or not this remaster is necessary is up to individual opinion, but it will include many significant improvements, such as new features, greatly updated graphics to match those of Horizon: Forbidden West, and over 10 hours of new motion capture footage for dialogues.

Aloy will get a new look

Shortly after the trailer for Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered was released, people quickly posted comparison images on X, noticing that Aloy's model on the PS4 looks very different from the remastered version. This caught the attention of Jan-Bart Van Beek, Studio and Art Director at Guerrilla Games, and the original creator of the Horizon: Zero Dawn concept.
 

In his post, Van Beek explained that the new Aloy model was brought over from Horizon: Forbidden West, stating that he and his team reworked the lighting on the character to match Horizon: Forbidden West and improved the character's skin tone. He also noted that the PS4 version in the image had motion blur turned off, which is why it looked blurry. In the same post, van Beek replied to a comment, saying Aloy's new face model was rescanned with upgraded 4D technology for Horizon: Forbidden West.

These changes have once again sparked debates within the community about which version of Aloy is better, and it seems that these arguments won’t be settled anytime soon. In any case, the original Horizon: Zero Dawn on PS4 is still playable on PS5 via backward compatibility, so you can choose whichever version you prefer. Whatever your choice may be, our price comparison tool remains an ideal option to help you get great games at the best prices, especially when it comes to Horizon: Zero Dawn.