It’ll be a while before I can comment in detail about Horizon Zero Dawn (except I can say that so far, I love it!), but this week I got my hands on the Collector’s Edition of the game which has a few physical goodies I was excited about.
Steelbook
I’m a sucker for a pretty case for a video game, and the Steelbook case included in the Collector’s Edition features some gorgeous artwork, focusing on Aloy in action. Here’s a look at the outside of the case!
Aloy Statue
The whole reason I pre-ordered this edition of the game was the inclusion of the amazing statue of the main character, Aloy. Created by Gentle Giant, the figure has tons of detail that I love.
Aloy stands over a downed watcher, and you can place arrows in slots near the machine’s head to make it clear Aloy shot this mechanical creature down.
While Aloy’s face doesn’t have the same detail as her outfit or the watcher, you can see her freckles. I love her hair and the way it blends from red to blonde, but you can definitely see the paint strokes and some brown coming through where there shouldn’t be any. But her clothing and the watcher itself are so detailed, they make up for the rest. Just looking at the fur on her arms and shoulders can trick you into thinking that if you touch it, it’ll be soft. The colors are also bright and true to the vividness of the Horizon‘s in-game world.
I’d deem this statue one of my all-time favorites, though it’s actually one of the first non-action figures I have!
Art Book
The art book is a fascinating history lesson diving into how Horizon Zero Dawn was designed. I’ll admit I was expecting a big, 100+ page art book like I have for video games like Mass Effect, but this one is short and wide (shorter than my hand), with about 50 pages of art. It’s more of a bite-sized addition to the Collector’s Edition of the game than a rich art book, which you’d probably need to go out and purchase.
It’s fun to see Aloy’s concept art, as well as the outfits worn by various tribes (the most interesting and unexpected thing in the book, for me!). There is also a ton of art dedicated to the lush landscapes and ruins that make up this world. The only thing missing was much art focused on the mechanical creatures, which is a shame as they are such an important part of the world’s aesthetic and history. Still, I enjoyed seeing the rough concept art that was the foundation for so much of this game!
— Ashley
Robo♥beat 
I’ve been very tempted by this game recently. It seems to be generating nothing but positive feedback.
Yeah, I’m still in the early hours, but it’s been living up to the hype so far for me!
Good to know.
I’ve been going back and forth on whether I want the collector’s edition of this for quite some time now. Unfortunate about the art book — I too would’ve liked something a bit beefier. This may be enough info to help me make my decision!
I’m glad my post helped a bit! Yeah, I see a Horizon Zero Dawn art book online that looks like a nice one and more what I was expecting here. I might buy it. Are you getting the Collector’s Edition then or skipping it?
I’m gonna skip. The couple collector’s edition statues I’ve gotten in the past still sit in their boxes packed away in my closet because I’m low on good display real estate, so if the artbook isn’t a must-have I’m ok with forgoing the collection and putting the money towards something else (for example, I’ve never played a Persona game but P5 looks pretty cool and the collector’s edition of that comes with a boatload of stuff).
That makes sense. I love the statue so I would’ve paid $60 for that alone, but otherwise it’s not really worth it. Also I don’t buy Collector’s Editions unless there are cool physical items included. It kinda bugs me that so many just toss in a few extra in-game outfits or something! I haven’t looked into the Persona 5 Collector’s Edition yet, sounds intriguing…