The world of Horizon is filled with a diverse cast of characters from distinct tribes across the post-apocalyptic western United States. From loyal yet tough Oseram Vanguard member Erend to the intuitive and fearless Utaru Gravesinger Zo, Aloy has encountered and made friends with several members of various tribes over her journey to save the world from catastrophe. Even in LEGO Horizon Adventures, Aloy is able to find and recruit friends to save the world from ancient, artificial threats. However, there’s one element from LEGO Horizon Adventures that Guerrilla Games should consider bringing over for Horizon 3: playable companions.
LEGO Horizon Adventures’ Playable Characters Explained
A comical retelling of Horizon Zero Dawn’s events, LEGO Horizon Adventures has players once again embody Aloy to defeat Helis and the Eclipse cult alongside preventing the rogue artificial intelligence HADES from reactivating ancient war machines to wipe out all life on the planet. Unlike Zero Dawn though, players don’t have to go on this journey entirely alone, as Adventures is the first Horizon game to introduce a form of multiplayer. Two gamers can play through Adventures together via either local or online co-op. While people will initially play as Aloy, they’ll have a chance to play as Rost, Teersa, Varl, and Erend later in the game.
Unlike the mainline Horizon games where Aloy can select from a variety of weapons and playstyles from a weapon wheel, each character in LEGO Horizon Adventures uses their own unique weapon and can occasionally use limited gadgets and rare weapons. For example, Aloy’s primary weapon is a Bow, but she may also utilize Blast Boots and an Arrow Storm Bow to help defeat Eclipse cultists and threatening machines. Rost will also use a Bow, while Teersa uses Bombs, Varl uses Spears, and Erend uses his trusty Hammer. Some Rare Weapons can only be used by certain characters, such as Teersa’s Duck Bomb and Erend’s Earthquake Hammer.
Players in LEGO Horizon Adventures can additionally customize Aloy, Teersa, Varl, and Erend’s outfits to their own liking.
The Potential of Playable Companions in Horizon 3
Multiple Horizon games are currently in development following the release of LEGO Horizon Adventures. On top of Horizon 3, there’s a suspected multiplayer, story-focused Horizon spin-off and an NCSoft MMORPG Horizon spin-off in development. Both of these projects will reportedly feature multiplayer with various kinds of playable characters of some kind, but it may benefit Guerrilla to introduce playable companions in Horizon 3 both in terms of gameplay and story. Recent trends on other well-known PlayStation exclusive titles may support the prospect of alternate playable characters in Horizon 3 as God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered all feature sequences where players temporarily play as secondary protagonists or, at times, antagonists.
In terms of story, having sequences or the general option to play as other characters besides Aloy in Horizon 3 could spotlight certain narrative aspects that neither Zero Dawn nor Horizon Forbidden West have done before. Playable companions could showcase more of the internal thoughts and cultures of Aloy's companions, such as Kotallo’s journey to becoming accustomed to his new, artificial arm, as well as attempting to convince the Tenakth to help fight against Nemesis. Likewise, gamers could play as Beta as a literal alternate, more reserved version of Aloy. Being able to play as Beta could better showcase her growth out of her shell and into the role of a more confident person helping Aloy and their friends.
Potential Companion Gameplay in Horizon 3
Allowing gamers to play as some of Aloy’s companions in Horizon 3 could greatly expand the Horizon series’ gameplay. While Aloy has historically had a wise roster of weapons at her disposal, there have been a few restricted to NPC use. For instance, if players were able to embody Erend in Horizon 3, they could finally use his powerful hammer against both hostile humans and machines. Similarly, if players were able to play as Kotallo or a new companion, they could finally use some tribal spears or Tenakth swords. Guerrilla could additionally incorporate some of LEGO Horizon Adventures' more realistic or tangible weapons into Horizon 3 to further diversify other characters' gameplay options.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 54%
- Released
- November 14, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games, Studio Gobo
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
In a far future, where giant mechanized beasts roam a landscape reclaimed by nature and humans live in primitive tribes, an ancient evil seeks to destroy the world…
Join hunter Aloy as she leads a colourful crew of heroes on a quest to save the meadows, forests, and mountains of Earth from a man called Helis, who leads a gang of sunworshippers that follow an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery.
Dive into a thrilling adventure alone, or with friends with couch co-op or online play, customize your home in true LEGO style, and uncover stunning secrets from Aloy’s mysterious past along the way.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- PC Release Date
- November 14, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- November 14, 2024
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- November 14, 2024
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
