'Horizon: Zero Dawn' Release Date, Features and Gameplay

Jun 23, 2016 11:35 AM EDT

New information about Horizon Zero Dawn release date is published this week. Game Director Mathijs de Jonge said they are now polishing the essential parts of the game to make it more exciting for gamers. He also added its open world is very huge, and it is very time consuming to make it realistic as much as possible. Now, here's the latest round up of update about Horizon Zero Dawn release date, gameplay and rumors on the web.

As of now, Horizon: Zero Dawn is in pre-alpha state, which means game developers have enough time to improve its quality. The open-world title was announced at E3 2015, and it is supposed to be released this year. However, in an interview with GameSpot , de Jonge said they have to improve the quests and mechanical monsters in the game to make it more appealing to gamers.

Following the delay, VentureBeat reported Zero Dawn is now scheduled to hit gaming stores on February 28, 2017 for PlayStation 4.

Horizon lead writer John Gonzalez said the game features female protagonist named Aloy. Over the course of the game, she uncovers the secrets of her village which is surrounded by mechanized fauna. By the time players finished her story, Gonzales said they will have "a deep understanding of how this world came to be and why things are as they are."

Last summer, PlayStation Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida thought it might be risky to put a female protagonist on the game. In fact, Sony hired a marketing team to conduct focus testing for the female character.

Despite the concerns, game developers decided to put a female lead character. It is also reported developers does not want Aloy's entire story to focus around her gender. What's more important is that she can fill player's curiosity and determination.

Gonzales said Aloy is a really skilled and resilient hunter. She is also enthusiastic to explore her world and figure out its mysteries.

Alongside with compelling female protagonist, Horizon: Zero Dawn has a good mix of new elements, such as BBC nature documentary kind of environment, sci-fi elements and giant monsters. Furthermore, there are lots of quests and different regions in the game.

It is expected Sony and developer Guerilla games will announce more details about Horizon: Zero Dawn in the next months to come. In the meantime, watch the game's trailer below.