Horizon 3, Death Stranding 2’s Shared Trait is PlayStation’s Real Secret Weapon

Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series is notable for a number of reasons. After the developer established itself with the gritty sci-fi FPS franchise, Killzone, it then surprised many fans by revealing an entirely new IP. With its unique take on a post-apocalyptic Earth and compelling characters and story, Horizon Zero Dawn was a big hit for the studio and for Sony as a console exclusive in 2017. The sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, saw this partnership blossom, and Horizon is now among some of the most well-known and successful PlayStation-associated properties.

Similarly, legendary director Hideo Kojima and his studio have a close relationship with Sony. Kojima Productions’ debut title, Death Stranding, released as another PlayStation exclusive in 2019. One major element of both series is that they run on the Decima engine. While this naturally makes sense for Horizon, as the engine is proprietary to Guerrilla Games, the first Death Stranding and the recent follow-up, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, also use Decima. And the level of graphical fidelity able to be achieved with Decima makes these two of Sony’s standout franchises, with this likely to remain so and only become more impressive in the future.

Though each title launched as PS exclusives, Zero Dawn, Forbidden West and Death Stranding eventually made their way onto PC (and Xbox in DS‘s case). It’s probable that On the Beach will release later on PC as well.

‘Felt Like We Might Never Finish This Game’ – Kojima Thanks Death Stranding 2 Fans For Positive Launch Response

Following the game’s lengthy production period and launch, Hideo Kojima thanks Death Stranding 2: On the Beach players for their positive feedback.

Horizon 3 and Death Stranding 2’s Use of the Decima Engine is a Big Part of Their Secret Sauce for Success on PlayStation

Death Stranding 2 Has Garned Attention For its Jaw-Dropping Decima-Powered Graphics

Having just launched on June 26, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach‘s breathtaking visuals and realistic character fidelity have been widely praised. This was also true of the first title, but as it’s been over 5 years since then, the technology has only gotten better and more robust in that time. The vast landscapes of DS2‘s Mexico and Australia are absolutely gorgeously stunning, and Norman Reedus’ and the rest of the stellar cast’s likenesses are near-lifelike.

Combined with Kojima’s trademark vision, meticulous design, and penchant for pushing the limits of what can be accomplished, Death Stranding 2 squeezes every ounce of processing power from Decima across the board to deliver an incredibly immersive and seamless experience. On the Beach sets an extremely high bar for these aspects, proving just how good games utilizing Decima can look and play when they are using its capabilities to their fullest extent.

Supermassive Games’ cinematic narrative horror title, Until Dawn, also runs on Decima.

Horizon 3 is Set to Take the Decima Engine to New Heights

Both Horizon titles remain some of the most visually striking games, with the character models and vast vistas given a highly polished sheen. Guerrilla was previously brought on to help support and provide its expertise on Decima for Kojima Productions on the Death Stranding titles, and Horizon 3 is sure to make use of the Decima engine again. This will almost certainly come with further improvements and refinements to it, along with whatever other changes the developer is planning for the third main installment.

This may be an especially significant factor if Horizon 3 launches on the current PlayStation 5 and potentially the next-generation PS6, which is assumed to be coming in the next few years. The remarkable level of detail and sheer beauty of game worlds that Decima can provide will thus continue to be a big draw and selling point for both IPs, particularly the eagerly anticipated Horizon 3, as many players are expecting it to outdo its predecessors in this regard. Guerrilla is thus poised to wow players once again and show off how it has improved and iterated on Decima for the next entry.