Horizon Zero Dawn dev responds to player backlash over divisive Aloy visual remaster
Guerrilla GamesFans of the Horizon Zero Dawn franchise aren’t too pleased with how Aloy looks in the trailer for the remastered game, prompting a Guerrilla Games director to respond to the backlash.
On September 24, Sony streamed a PlayStation State of Play featuring trailers for things like free Astro Bot DLC and the reveal of Ghost of Yotei, a follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima.
Players also got to see Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, which arrives on PS5 and PC on October 31. After over seven years since the original – and two years of remaster rumors – players can re-experience Aloy’s journey through upgraded graphics.
While some players responded positively to this news online, many criticized Aloy’s new character model for looking too smooth. One user explained how PS4 Aloy looked like she belonged in the world, while PS5 Aloy seemed “like a (very good) cosplayer on an expensive photoshoot.”
Another even said the developers made her look like the “incel edit with makeup,” referencing a meme when Horizon Forbidden West released featuring a highly edited Aloy meant to look more traditionally attractive.
In response to these criticisms, Jan-Bart van Beek, Studio Director and Art Director at Guerrilla Games, detailed the process behind remastering Aloy.
He explained how they “reworked the character lightning to match the look of HFW and improve skin tones” after bringing over Aloy’s updated model from the sequel. The developer also gave some reasons as to why Aloy looked smooth, attributing it to the PS4 image having motion blur turned off.
While many of the replies to this post were pleased with the explanation and could see the improvements, some players still preferred the original Aloy.
“But lets be real. We can prefer the look of aloy in the fist game over her in the second,” said one response. Another stated the same thing and mentioned how the newer version has less of a rugged feel.
This isn’t the only controversy following the September State of Play. Ghost of Yotei sparked outrage from a subset of players who were upset about the game’s female protagonist.