New screenshots shared by developer Guerrilla Games on Twitter are here to remind you how amazing Horizon Forbidden West will look when it launches for the PlayStation 5. Except these screenshots aren't from the PS5 version, they're from the PlayStation 4 version.
The contents of the screenshots don't confirm anything we didn't already know about the long-awaited sequel, simply highlighting protagonist Aloy and the native machines in a swamp and desert area. But they do show that PS4 owners won't need to worry about getting a visually inferior game.
The visuals for the PS5 version are impressive enough, but what's even more impressive is that Guerrilla Games appears to have successfully recreated them on less powerful hardware.
We've showed you a lot of footage of #HorizonForbiddenWest on PS5 so far, but the game also looks – and plays – stunning on the PlayStation 4! pic.twitter.com/BuVga90W5LDecember 15, 2021
But what about gameplay?
It's important to remember that we have yet to see any footage of Horizon Forbidden West running on the PS4. The pretty graphics won't matter if the game doesn't run as smoothly as its PS5 counterpart. There has also been some disappointment from a few fans who wish the game was a PS5 exclusive since Guerrilla Games would have been able to take full advantage of the PS5's capabilities without worrying about being held back by the PS4's hardware.
In fact, Horizon Forbidden West was initially announced as a PS5 exclusive, with Sony only confirming a PS4 version a few months later. Although, according to VGC's sources, the sequel was in development for PS4 first, so a PS5 release wasn't part of the original plan.
While it's good news that PS4 owners will be able to check out the game, especially since the PS5 remains difficult to get hold of, Sony has obviously been pushing the PS5 version as part of its efforts to get people to jump ship to the newer console.
We are still in something of a transition period, which is why a number of big PS5 games have PS4 counterparts, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the upcoming God of War: Ragnarok. Eventually, we will reach a point where Sony will stop releasing first-party titles for the PS4 and expect everyone to have a PS5 in their homes.
There's plenty of PS5 gameplay footage of Horizon Forbidden Dawn for fans to fawn over until it releases on February 18, 2022. But hopefully, Guerrilla Games will have some more to show of the PS4 version soon.
