Video game demakes are becoming more and more popular in recent years, and now Horizon Zero Dawn has been given this treatment. A new video showcases what the game would look like if it was not a technical marvel that released on the PS4, as the demake in question takes Horizon Zero Dawn back to the PS1 era.
Obviously, this leads to a massive visual change, as Horizon Zero Dawn was arguably one of the most visually impressive games ever made when it released in 2017. While it has since been outdone by its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games delivered a breathtaking world with a variety of environments to explore. From foliage to character models, everything was stunning, with the machines all looking amazing as well. All of this was possible due to the Decima engine and how far technology has come in the past few decades.
For those that enjoy seeing modern games with some retro visuals, such as the wildly popular Bloodborne demake, Reddit user ZeoNyph has showcased a Horizon Zero Dawn demake. Posted on the official Horizon subreddit, the video begins with the old school Sony Computer Entertainment logo and the iconic PS1 logo. From there, gamers see a menu screen with some dated wind and environments, with the player then hitting start to hop into the game. A nice touch sees a Frozen Wilds option listed.
After a brief loading screen, an intentionally blocky version of Aloy can be seen standing by some fire that moves in a charmingly old school way. After walking toward a textureless wall, she climbs onto a very obvious handhold and pulls herself up to the top of the cliff. A Watcher quickly approaches, with its light turning red and an ominous noise being heard. Instead of putting up a fight, though, Aloy is knocked down to the ground and killed after the Watcher pounces at her, with a "you died" screen being displayed.
Unsurprisingly, Redditors have been blown away by this clip of PS1 Aloy in action, with the post getting over 6,800 upvotes and tons of positive comments. All the models and textures were crafted by ZeoNyph in Blender, showing a serious level of dedication from the Reddit user. In the description of this clip on YouTube, the modder states that this PS1 demake was inspired by Tomb Raider and Resident Evil. Perhaps the best touch of all was that it was intentionally given a resolution of 320x240 for “authenticity.”
While Horizon Zero Dawn on PC and PS4 is gorgeous, it is a lot of fun to see what a far older version would feel like. While an open world might not be possible, the unique premise and machine enemies may have been enough to help the game succeed 20+ years ago.
Horizon Zero Dawn is available now on PC and PS4.