Horizon Forbidden West was one of the most visually impressive titles on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Two years later, the same sentiment repeats on the PC. Despite no fancy raytracing features, Guerrila’s Decima Engine still produces a stunning game world and character rendering. I gushed enough about the visuals when I wrote my PS4 Pro and Burning Shores expansion reviews. Therefore, I will not elaborate further on this topic here. Instead, I will focus on the performance aspects. If you are interested in seeing a lot of screenshots, please read my reviews. The PC version is essentially the PS5 version, with a slightly higher level of detail in the distance and some PC-specific improvements, as Digital Foundry had discovered. 

The most significant benefit of this PC version is the “unlimited” performance that is unshackled from console hardware and the free choice of input peripherals. I played with a keyboard and a mouse because of RSI issues in my thumbs that operating a controller’s thumbsticks worsened. A mouse was also more accurate when aiming with the bow, but I would still have preferred a controller during traversal and combat. The proximity of all buttons to the fingers would have made coordinating the various skills and movement patterns much more effortless. Apart from that, PC’s stalwart input methods worked very well and did not hold me back much. I made up for what I lost in convenience with comfort and precision.

Unlike other modern releases that ate hardware for more or less good reasons, Horizon Forbidden West performed admirably. The YouTube channel eTeknix did enormous work testing 40 GPUs in three different resolutions. Nixxes did an excellent job making the game scalable, and Guerrilla’s initial work optimizing for the weaker consoles also paid off immensely. Even my former 3060 would have been enough to enjoy the Forbidden West with some help from DLSS upscaling.

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In my game reviews, I usually include a section I call “The Nerdy Bits” to examine a game’s technology. I have decided to separate this content from the game review to keep the size manageable. My Marvel’s Midnight Suns review showed me how an expansive technology section can inflate the blog post and maybe even distract from discussing the gameplay, the content, and the story, or potentially deter and intimidate readers because of the total length.

(This blog post is dangerously close to 3000 words 😉.)

I firmly believe that technology is a crucial aspect of a video game. Still, sometimes, I can get carried away and focus too much on it. Other people may not be as interested in that or as curious as I am, and they prefer an overview of the gameplay and a brief summary of the visual fidelity.

For me, a lousy running game can break the immersion. Take Elden Ring on the PlayStation 5, for example. My sister bought the game and thinks it runs fine, like many others who believe it to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I took a 10-second look, turned the camera around one time, and concluded it ran like crap, and I did not want to play this way. Playing for ten to fifteen more minutes solidified this initial perception. This technology discussion is for gamers like me who are also interested in the technical aspects of a video game and base their purchasing decisions on that.

With this explanation out of the way, let me discuss what I think of Starfield’s technology. I will touch on the art style, the visual fidelity and technology, audio, and performance on Windows and Linux.

Please note that this is not a Digital Foundry-level inspection. For that, click here and here.

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