It’s surprising to see some video games release and hold up on last-generation hardware. Developers have honed in on making these games work both in terms of performance and visuals despite hardware limitations. But we might be seeing the last few big games really hold their own on past hardware platforms. One developer recently spoke about the obstacles they had to overcome to get specific visuals to react as intended. Here is one problematic area developers faced when it came to Horizon Forbidden West.
Horizon Forbidden West is a stunning game and one that was released earlier in the year. Likewise, this is a game developed by Guerrilla Games for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 platforms. If you found the water mesmerizing, then it’s thanks to developers like Jan-Bart Van Beek, the art director behind Horizon Forbidden West. Recently, the developer took to Twitter and responded to a player that commented on the incredible reaction the waves from the ocean behaved in the game.
According to the developer, this was one of the most complex systems the development team worked on. After spending time to ensure the system behaved as intended, implementing it to consoles was a challenge. Apparently, the system to react just as they intended, which is waves colliding with each other, was a struggle for the PlayStation 5. To make matters worse, the same system had to be applied to the previous generation’s hardware, the PlayStation 4.
This was especially hard to pull off, according to Jan-Bart Van Beek. Regardless, developers implemented the system, and players can dive into the game right now to see the system in action. But this could be a sign that some of these impressive and complex systems developers are putting together could strain last-generation hardware too much. As mentioned, Horizon Forbidden West was released back in February of this year. You can pick the game up on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Horizon Zero Dawn is on the PC platform, we have yet to see developers reveal a PC port for this game.
If you want a bit more insight into Horizon Forbidden West, then we do have a Before You Buy video coverage available below. Here we’ll give you some gameplay footage and our overall impressions of the title. While developers are reflecting on their time with this installment, another Horizon game is in the works. Those of you picking up the PlayStation VR2 headset can embark on another epic journey with Horizon Call of the Mountain when it launches next year.
