When Guerrilla Games came out with Horizon: Zero Dawn, it was a decidedly different prospect from their previous work with the Killzone series. But it captured the imagination of gamers and became one of the best selling games on the PS4. Now, fans of the game can look forward to a new adventure with Aloy in Horizon: Forbidden West.
Unveiled during Sony’s PlayStation 5 Preview, the game seems to be set at least partially in northern California and potentially centered around the half-sunken ruins of San Francisco (if the presence of the ruined Golden Gate Bridge is any indicator). Aloy (presumably reprised by Ashley Burch) has crossed the Rockies, working to uncover the source of strange disturbances to the ecosystem which potentially threaten human habitation for the entire world. A strange reddish fern-like plant seems to be tied up with whatever is happening to throw off the balance. We were treated to a shot of Sylens (Lance Reddick) supervising what appears to be the capture of robots, possibly by a resurgent Eclipse cult once again under his control.
It’s the robotic giants which were part of the first game’s iconic imagery. And Horizon: Forbidden West is definitely not skimping out on it now. While smaller robo-beasts are still around, including a very nifty looking pterodactyl with solar cell wings, the “megafauna” are the real draws. The Tallnecks are apparently going to be returning. A large mega-tortoise is seen in a swamp. During an underwater shot, we saw a robot reminiscent of a Tylosaurus, an aquatic dinosaur which may have been a forebear of modern crocodiles and alligators. And, in an echo of Lord of The Rings, a robotic analog of a woolly mammoth was shown preparing for a charge.
We won’t know the full scale of the game’s geography or the nature of the new threat for a while yet, but given its predecessor’s success, Horizon: Forbidden West may be one of the “must have” launch titles for the PlayStation 5.
