‘Horizon Forbidden West:’ A Sequel Of Wild Evolution

PlayStation just released a new gameplay trailer of Horizon Forbidden West, showcasing Guerrilla Games’ impressive capacity to enhance technical and artistic benchmarks to another level.

There is a strong narrative thread holding the two games, with Horizon Forbidden West set 6 months after its original. In the previous game, Aloy has defeated Hades and artificial intelligence which aims to annihilate humanity, surviving the vicious attacks and ruses of the antagonist. This time, an unknown agent has set out ruthless storms and inevitable blight, treading over the very last piece of humanity. To unfold the new threats, players get to steer the familiar character Aloy into the Forbidden West – a frontier that glows with majestic wonder but shrouds the mystery of past secrets and upcoming challenges.

From State of Play, we can tell that Horizon Forbidden West takes place in a wild world without boundaries. Aloy is equipped with variable mechanics to reach the peak of the highest mountain down to the very bottom of the ocean. On top of the world, you overlook the delicate world, while under the surface you examine the hidden, but as exquisite environments. The breathtaking details solidify this game as a complete artistic showcase; you will wonder how Guerrilla Games is able to present such a natural state of flowing hair under the water.

It would be an atrocity to overlook the technical manifestation in Horizon Forbidden West. Although State of Play doesn’t reveal this information, Guerrilla Games confirms that there are workbenches at settlements where you can upgrade your weapons and outfits using resources acquired throughout the exploration. It gives players more space to develop their own gameplay and individual styles. This seemingly subtle setting of arsenal actually strongly connects to the world of view, as Mathijs de Jonge, the game director, says. “You have to fight sort of machines or get other resources throughout the world in order to upgrade. So the whole loop is more integrated, in that sense with the rest of the world,” he said.

The individuality also extends to the entire skill tree. The redesigned version gives the battle experience more depth and variability, allowing players to hone their own fighting style. The feature can be seen in the Valor Surge system, which is the cinematic slow-motion that occurs when Aloy slams a glowing canister into her spear. This setting reflects Guerrilla’s ambition to showcase more sides of action-RPG, offering up a selection of these Valor Surge moves to arrange depending on your battle style.

As exciting as the game is, Guerrilla is still teasing us by not having an official release date for Horizon Forbidden West. But without a doubt, the game should be listed as one of the most anticipated PS4 and Ps5 games.