Summary
- Horizon Forbidden West deepened the series' sci-fi elements with new antagonist Far Zenith, risking the franchise's identity.
- As such, its sequel may face challenges balancing ancient civilization and sci-fi like its predecessor.
- Aloy's story shifting to overcoming futuristic problems raises concerns for the series' future, so Guerrilla will have to be careful with the next title's use of sci-fi.
Horizon Forbidden West saw Aloy continue to explore a post-apocalyptic, yet highly futuristic, United States of America. Much like the first title, she sought to make connections between tribes of surviving humans and rid the world of HADES, a rogue AI introduced in Horizon Zero Dawn. However, it wasn’t long until the title’s true villains, Far Zenith, appeared, veering the narrative and Horizon’s connected universe into deep sci-fi territory. Given the ending of Forbidden West, and its DLC chapter , Burning Shores, it appears that the series’ deep dive into sci-fi has only just begun. If so, Horizon Forbidden West's sequel could skate on thin ice with one major aspect of the franchise.
Horizon Forbidden West is the sequel to 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn and takes place 6 months after the original's pivotal events. In Forbidden West, Aloy seeks to find a working backup of GAIA, a group of programs that can reverse the degradation of Earth's biosphere. The title sees her set out for the Forbidden West, at the behest of the mysterious Sylens, where she encounters new tribes of humanity, fearsome new machines, and crucial new allies. The title's main antagonists are futuristic humans called Far Zenith, an organization of billionaires who fled Earth during its previous global extinction event. Along with a fellow Elisabet Sobek clone, Beta, Aloy learns that the Zeniths have accidentally initiated a second extinction, due to the creation of a new AI called Nemesis, which is currently headed for Earth.
How Horizon Forbidden West Pays Homage to Its Real-World Inspirations
Horizon Forbidden West, while a fictional story set in the far future, is heavily inspired by several real-world locations in the United States.
Horizon Forbidden West Doubled Down on The Franchise's Sci-Fi Aspects
Horizon Zero Dawn featured a compelling central concept. Players take on the role of a post-apocalyptic human, traversing a world that exists at the intersection of futuristic sci-fi and pre-historical history. Aloy, a clone of a pre-apocalyptic scientist named Elisabet Sobek, travels the United States while contending with machine animals, ranging from mountable deer to rampaging dinosaurs. As she travels the land, Aloy acts as a mediator, and connection, between tribes of humans. However, the title's antagonist, HADES, is a rogue AI, leading Aloy to what she deems to be "ancient" sites immersed in futuristic technology. Zero Dawn balanced the ancient and futuristic esthetics of its world and narrative well, never quite crossing headfirst into one or the other for too long.
In Horizon Forbidden West, developer Guerrilla Games doubles down on Zero Dawn's sci-fi elements, immersing Aloy in a conflict with Far Zenith. Far Zenith are a group of technologically-advanced 21st-century humans who left earth prior to the spread of the Faro Plague, who inadvertently cause their own extinction event at a colony of Zeniths in space. The title sees Aloy face-off against various Far Zenith members, while rebuilding GAIA, an AI capable of advanced planetary engineering. In the final act of Forbidden West, Aloy learns that Nemesis, an AI created by Far Zenith, is headed to Earth with digital copies of every Far Zenith member housed within its database.
Horizon Forbidden West's Sequel Can't Risk Leaning Even Further Into Sci-Fi
Prior to release, Horizon Forbidden West offered fans the same compelling concepts as Zero Dawn. While it certainly begins that way, it deviates further and further into sci-fi as the narrative progresses. By the title's end, Aloy's story is primarily focused on overcoming very futuristic problems with technologically advanced solutions, locking its characters in a conflict with the series' most sci-fi antagonist yet. With this conflict taking center stage in Forbidden West's sequel, the title may struggle to share the spotlight between the franchise's ancient and futuristic elements. In doing so, it risks losing the series' identity.
Horizon Forbidden West's sci-fi elements are by no means a negative aspect of the title, as they offer a compelling addition to a universe that many fans eagerly wished to learn about, following Zero Dawn. However, the Horizon franchise's biggest draw and most compelling concept is the intersection of ancient civilization and sci-fi, which Horizon 3 is in a particularly difficult place to present in equal measure. It remains to be seen how the next chapter in Aloy's story may unfold, following the events of Forbidden West and Burning Shores, aside from the conflict with NEMESIS. Fans of Horizon Forbidden West are left to speculate, as Guerrilla Games finishes work on the upcoming sequel.
Horizon Forbidden West
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 96%
- Released
- February 18, 2022
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Decima
- Franchise
- Horizon
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- How Long To Beat
- 29 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
