Summary
Horizon Forbidden Westsaw 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 inHorizon Zero Dawn. However, it wasn’t long until the title’s true villains,Far Zenith, appeared, veering the narrative andHorizon’s connected universe into deep sci-fi territory. Given the ending ofForbidden 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 Westis the sequel to 2017’sHorizon Zero Dawnand takes place 6 months after the original’s pivotal events. InForbidden 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 theForbidden 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.
Horizon Forbidden West Doubled Down on The Franchise’s Sci-Fi Aspects
Horizon Zero Dawnfeatured 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-apocalypticscientist 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 Dawnbalanced the ancient and futuristic esthetics of its world and narrative well, never quite crossing headfirst into one or the other for too long.
InHorizon Forbidden West, developer Guerrilla Games doubles down onZero 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 ofthe 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 ofForbidden 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 Westoffered fans the same compelling concepts asZero 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 inForbidden 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, followingZero Dawn. However, theHorizonfranchise’s biggest draw and most compelling concept is the intersection of ancient civilization and sci-fi, whichHorizon 3is 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 ofForbidden WestandBurning Shores, aside fromthe conflict with NEMESIS. Fans ofHorizon Forbidden Westare left to speculate, as Guerrilla Games finishes work on the upcoming sequel.
