Sony Interactive Entertainment, Guerrilla Games, and Nixxes Software’s Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is on the verge of release, and if you’re wondering how it compares to the original, read ahead.
Improvements featured in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered include a reworked global illumination system, improved ambient occlusion, improved textures, denser foliage, a greater number of NPCs, and more.
Horizon Zero Dawn Original vs Remastered Screenshot Comparison
A screenshot comparison highlighting the differences between the original Horizon Zero Dawn and the forthcoming Remastered version can be seen below.
In the above comparison, the original Horizon Zero Dawn renders everything with an orange tint, and the poor global illumination results in washed-out textures with muted colors. The ground texture lacks depth, with shadows and highlights looking like they were painted on. The scene feels flat, with few visible NPCs or dynamic elements. On the other hand, in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, the lighting has been significantly improved. The orange tint is gone, revealing the true colors of the scene. Enhanced ambient occlusion and increased light bounces bring out more detail, providing a clearer and more immersive environment. The number of NPCs has also increased, and they appear more dynamic, performing tasks rather than being static.
In the above comparison, the scene looks flat in the original, with wooden beams that fail to cast shadows, minimal ambient occlusion, and ground textures that don’t respond well to light. In the remastered version, the beams cast shadows, the lighting interacts properly with the ground, and volumetric fog has been added, enhancing the atmosphere.
When comparing the terrain near the river in the above pair of screenshots, the original version shows a smooth, overly simplified look, with little detail on the rocks and water that barely reflects anything. On the other hand, the remastered version adds depth to the terrain, and the lighting improvements make all the details stand out. The rocks are now covered in detailed moss, and the fog near the waterfalls is gone.
A flat, texture-based look dominates the buildings in the original Horizon Zero Dawn, with overly bright lighting and no separation between the building’s planes. In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, bricks are fully modeled, and enhanced lighting and materials clearly define different parts of the structure, creating a more realistic appearance.
The reflections in water were poor in the original, making it hardly resemble water, and the trees in the background lacked believability. In the remastered version, water reflections are accurate, foliage quality has improved, and the trees look more realistic, especially those in the distance. There are also new clouds that cast shadows over the mountains.
Character models in the original version look waxy, with hair appearing wet and muddy. The materials and lighting on clothing look flat and lifeless. In the remastered version, skin detail is greatly enhanced, character clothing has more texture, and metal objects look more realistic. Subsurface scattering has been added to the skin shader, and the hair, particularly the beard, looks vastly improved. The conversation animations are now on-par with those seen in Horizon Forbidden West, making them more lifelike.
In the above comparison, the foliage is much more detailed in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and exhibits more natural color due to the improved lighting model. There’s also much more detail on the ground and elsewhere in the environments.
