TLDR at the start here

Amazing game with incredible visuals, improved-ish combat system, great story and phenomenal character roster with great mocap and voice acting. Solid 10/10

Now for more a more detailed (spoiler free) review

The combat system in this game is both a massive jump forwards when compared to Zero Dawn and equally more frustrating and overly complex. It took much longer for me to properly grasp how you can best use Aloy's abilities to move and fight more effectively.

On the topic of combat there are some new weapon types, these include Shredders which I found marginally useful, Boltcasters (think automatic crossbow) which are fun but heavy weapons that I got some good time into using, Sharpshot, Warrior and Hunter bows all make a return but sadly the Tearblaster doesn't (big sad) I like that the game tries to make all weapon types viable depending on your particular build that you run, changing weapons on the fly is certainly a good tactic and one I used multiple times.

Bow/ranged combat is even more fun and fast paced then in Zero Dawn, Aloy draws the bow faster in every category of weapon which complements the sometimes faster enemy types and the combat that occurs, arrow types have been expanded with new elements such as Plasma (very fun) and Purgewater (finding a bow with this ammo took way too long, especially considering how early you encounter a machine that is weak to ONLY this element) along with corruption being replaced (ish) with acid and berserk. Only real complaint is effects cannot be stacked, IE if you have a frozen/embrittled enemy you will remove that effect if you try and shock them, not game breaking but something to be mindful of.

There are some negatives with the combat though (as previously alluded to), the biggest one for me was the removal of the "long dodge roll" which was a really good move in Zero Dawn that allowed you to dodge AoE or large slashing attacks more consistently, I wouldn't mind the removal of this so much if the game didn't have a greater emphasis on melee attacks and combos, personally I didn't use them outside of when the game forced me to and the rare time an enemy snuck up behind me.

Speaking of melee combat, that's what this game tries hard to make you use, but time and time again I ended up frustrated by missing combos and getting punished for closing the distance, now this is partially due to using M+K instead of controller as the game was designed for, and partially due to a skill issue on my part, but overall I found the melee system to be largely moot, the game never really forces you (outside of melee fighting rings) to fight a few enemies in a very confined space, so the purpose of it is slightly questionable, but it's nice when it works.

The skill tree is massively overhauled with more skills to learn in more branches, most have a good use and the valor surges are fun to use, on future playthroughs I'm going to take a deeper look at which I should use.

Moving on to enemies and the world in general.

The amount of machines has been hugely increased, with Corrupted/Daemonic machine variants replaced by Apex versions, personally I prefer this system as unlike Corrupted/Daemonic the weaknesses generally don't change and aren't set to "only fire can really harm it" which adds more diversity to the options you have when engaging them.

The new machines are both great and small, with a large portion of the machines from Zero Dawn making a return, my slight gripe is the first machines you meet in game (Burrowers) cannot be oneshot to the eye like Watchers were in Zero Dawn, this may be a deliberate choice to get the player used to using melee weapons (like previously talked about with the slightly reworked combat system) but I found it slightly discouraging, not the biggest issue though. The new large machine types are a barrel of fun to fight, I loved figuring out the ways you could most effectively take them down and how to maximise damage while avoiding as much in return, and the design of them is top notch as well just like Zero Dawn.

Human enemies receive a bit of an update, with helmeted enemies and "chieftain" type soldiers with shields, adds a neat dynamic and forces you to think before you blow your cover (if you do at all), the main antagonists are basically more tanky, if you choose to fight them fairly which I didn't, walked up to the first one in the finale and instakilled him with a blast valour streak.

The world, map and places are incredible, Guerrilla Games really hit the nail on the head with this one, each new area is visually stunning with a distinct style and aesthetic, I loved exploring the different Tenakth tribes and how they're all so unique but related in subtle ways. I'm genuinely impressed with how well they do this. Then you have the later groups that appear towards the end (I won't name them here for reasons) which continue the distinct and inspired visual style which is so recognisable and incredible to look at.

The story is well done, although like Zero Dawn I do feel like it takes a bit of time to truly kick into gear, and it's not until about 20 or more hours in that I felt like I was really starting to progress through the set pieces of the storyline, that being said that is most likely my fault for sidequesting so much. After then I was really captivated by the story, learning and observing all the different emotions, interests and goals combining and clashing with the various factions at play.

Speaking of, Characters time, Aloy returns in full form, watching her grow throughout the game was amazing, going from someone who works solo to embracing the team around her and truly having friends, the new and old side characters that are brought back are intriguing and just as well written, with some moments between them being highlights of the game for me.

And lastly I'll briefly touch on the finale for the main story (excluding Burning Shores, just the main game), very well done, with a somewhat predictable move from one of the characters, but after what had happened just before you start the finale quest watching a scene during the finale got me hyped, it was almost cathartic watching the scene play out.

Anyways, yappathon over and here is my final verdict:

10/10 overall package, can't wait for a sequel (also looking forward to the Zero Dawn Remaster)