Horizon Forbidden West's clouds are almost too good to be real

Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores — (Image credit: Guerrilla Games)

Horizon Forbidden West's redesigned clouds are drawing heaps of praise in the Burning Shores DLC.

Earlier this week, back before the Burning Shores DLC went live for PS5 players, we reported that Horizon Forbidden West players were already wowed by the clouds before they'd even reached the new DLC area of Los Angeles. Now that players are settling into their new surroundings though, they're overjoyed at how Guerrilla has constructed the new clouds.

Easily one of the most magical, non-scripted moments I experienced in any video game… from r/horizon

The gameplay clip above is a great example of just how dynamic and alive Forbidden Wests's clouds now feel in Burning Shores. Yes, it sure feels weird to heap such praise on clouds, but considering Guerrilla talked up the clouds as "explorable landscapes" before Burning Shores launched, it's no surprise they actually look this good.

Article continues below

The clip below is arguably even more stunning. Aloy emerges from a minor storm, blasting out the other side of the dark curtain to come face to face with a jaw-dropping shot of the sun piercing through the nearby clouds. It's a fantastic showcase of how good Horizon Forbidden West continues to look over a year removed from its initial launch.

How is this even possible??? from r/horizon

After all, Guerrilla did say Burning Shores would look even better since it ditched a PS4 launch in favor of being a pure new-gen exclusive DLC. It's sad news for Aloy fans on PS4, but you can't argue the work Guerrilla's put into the new DLC hasn't paid off in huge ways already with Burning Shores' launch.

Head over to our full Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores map guide if you're after a complete overview of Los Angeles and its surrounding landscapes.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.