‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ Doesn’t Need A Remake, But This Game Does

Sony is once again kicking the remake/remaster hornet’s nest with rumours buzzing - pretty likely rumours at that - about a new version of 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn being in production right now for PlayStation 5. Such a release would follow the recent remake of The Last of Us Part I in being a previous-gen game that’s already perfectly playable on current-gen (new-gen, are we over that now?) hardware, but given a considerable spit and polish anyway, because… Well, in the case of The Last of Us it’s so as to bring the original game, which released in 2013 for PlayStation 3 ahead of a PS4 remaster the following year, up to the aesthetic standards of 2020’s sequel, and to get the game on PC, which Part I is destined for soon. With HZD already quite the looker and available on PC though, it’s fair that some players are asking, some more vociferously than others: why?

Check out the E3 2007 trailer for Lair below

I think what’s important is to take a step back and appreciate exactly what developers Guerrilla Games could be cooking up when it comes to a current-gen rerelease of the first Horizon - its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, came out earlier in 2022 for both PS4 and PS5. With the five-year-old game holding up in a lot of areas - visually, certainly, and gameplay wise it’s not like its tried-and-tested action-adventure formula has dated (how could it, when it was arguably already tired at the point of release) - even against games primarily aimed at the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms, there’s surely no need at all for the kind of ground-up remake The Last of Us received. It’s more likely that what will come out is a remaster, building upon original assets to give the game a spark of something that the PS4 couldn’t provide, a little extra zing to make the fresh investment worthwhile. Maybe it’ll make Young Aloy’s teeth a little less intimidating. Perhaps it’ll add accessibility features, or even a few new quests grafted onto the outline of what’s already an open world well travelled. But a remake? I don’t see it.

The news sparked a rash of social media activity - both lamenting Sony’s apparent decision to again play safe on a new project rather than invest in fresh IP (Japan Studio, how we miss you), and issuing comments concerning what game should get the remake treatment from the company’s back catalogue. And there’s a handful of quality contenders. Bring back Resistance in some fashion, certain posters cried - and yes, it’s a good shout. How is it that Metal Gear Solid IV is still trapped on the PS3 and the PS3 only? A valid question. So too is any enquiry as to the whereabouts of Jak and Daxter because it sure has been a while. (Presumably Naughty Dog lost the key to whatever dank cupboard they tossed the pair into, a long time ago.)

Sony Computer Entertainment

But in this era of high marketability for all things dark fantasy and full of dragons, driven by the streaming success of that Game of Thrones spin-off you all like so much and the FromSoft game that wasn’t Dark Souls from earlier this year, and Sony’s present penchant for little else but third-person action-adventure-style experiences (loading screens, optional), there’s only one game from PlayStation history that ticks all the boxes for a full-blown current-gen remake, a fixing of a botched job from back when, and that’s Lair. Haven’t heard of it? Don’t worry reader, I’ve got you.

Released in August 2007 as a PlayStation 3 exclusive (which is where it’s remained since), Lair has the player riding atop a dragon to take out waves of enemies and destroy key fortifications and other mission-vital units in a world ravaged by ever-exploding volcanoes. Even now, the game’s setting is striking, all fiery flourishes from down below as you soar above a fracturing surface. Not all combat is airborne as your dragon can land and smash ground-based opposition like insects, and the player receives a rank at the end of every stage based on how efficiently they dispatched foes and completed a checklist of objectives. The story is lean, no doubt there, all good guys versus bad guys at the beginning with a gentle curve towards the inevitable grey area and the realisation that things aren’t quite so binary - not much to write home about but, in case you missed it, you ride around on top of a dragon. That’s pretty much the USP here, and it’s a strong one.

Sony Computer Entertainment

Lair’s problem, though, was its controls. Its developers at Factor 5 - a studio with a heap of flight-and-fight experience having previously made Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and its two sequels as well as other arcade-style spaceship shooters based on the iconic sci-fi IP - were forced into using the motion control functionality of the PS3’s Sixaxis pad, only patching in an analogue-sticks option after Sony had issued a post-release review guide attempting to explain to critics how to navigate the shockingly implemented scheme. (Which went down disastrously with the press it was sent to.) There’s an in-depth Polygon piece on what went wrong with Lair that I encourage you to read, as it’s obvious that the game could have - and probably should have - been far greater than the end product we got to play 15 years ago. There were problems with the game’s development that are far more personal, more centred on individuals within the team, than the Sony-mandated motion-controls demand, but if there’s one thing players remember, it’s that nasty Sixaxis interface.

But time’s a healer, and looking at the haptic capabilities of the PS5’s DualSense controller and the basic structure of Lair which could be built out into something nearer a 12- to 15-hour adventure rather than the slight four hours that players groaned through in 2007, it really feels like this is a game ready to be revisited and revived. Massive dragons and airborne combat: already two great ticks, there. Throw in some revised on-foot fighting, RPG-light elements to upgrade rider and mount alike, and side-quest distractions and maybe there’s the making of a new game that pays respects to Sony’s past without effectively offering the same thing you played a few years ago all over again, but this time with ray tracing, whoop. When it comes to remakes that PlayStation owners seem to want, Lair isn’t too close to the top of many lists - but I think when it comes to the raw promise it still holds, and its audience appeal in the here and now as a new-to-many IP with little nostalgia baggage, its potential is greater than any other contenders which will always be judged against past playthroughs. Lair is both a known quantity and massively unfamiliar to Sony’s contemporary users, the perfect Trojan Horse of a remake to deliver the unexpected to eager audiences.