Horizon Forbidden West
Aloy goes west
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA TBC / PUB SONY WORLDWIDE STUDIOS / DEV GUERRILLA GAMES / PLAYERS 1
Put aside your childish things; Guerrilla Games’ sequel is the reason you bought a PlayStation 5 (sorry, Astro Bot…). The moment we see Aloy trot out from the jungle canopy, clamber up a grass hill and gaze out on the crystalblue shores of the Pacific Ocean stretching out below, it’s clear her return is going to be epic.
During previous reveals developer Guerrilla Games boasted Horizon Forbidden West would be a larger and richer world than the postapocalyptic Colorado it brought to PlayStation 4, yet before seeing it in action we hadn’t expected this open world to feature the curated set-pieces and platforming events more common to the Uncharted games than other large sandboxes. This future vision of California is absolutely ‘open’ but it’s also heavily directed in the wayonly Sony games manage to achieve.
In the opening sequence we see Aloy bound across mossy logs like an athletic Nathan Drake. Branches pierce the windows of long-forgotten homes and cross waterfalls. As she reaches the beach tall grasses hide her from prowling Clawstriders. It’s familiar, but it’s also bolder, larger, and more colourful than the similar hide-and-seek shenanigans of Naughty Dog’s games.
The real difference becomes clear when Aloy is spotted and the pack of robotic dinosaurs swoops in for an easy kill. Running is a good idea. Aloy can loose arrows on the hoof, and now you’re able to clamber up and over most of the obstacles in her way – a huge gear-shift moment from the original Horizon Zero Dawn, which limited your movement much more. Unable to shake her metallic, chainsaw-jawed pursuers – when Aloy climbs a vine-covered pillar they menacingly circle upwards on a surrounding staircase – the only escape route is down, into the watery depths of the ocean below.
It’s an innocently simple moment but one that instantly reveals the scale of Horizon Forbidden West’s ambition. Below the waves is an entirely new world equal in detail and scope to the one above. The coral-encrusted rocky cavern leads to a tall seaweed forest. As we’re consumed by watching the light scatter across the rocky seabed, a Snapmaw glides past, until now hidden in the seaweed. Tall-grass muscle memory kicks in; as above, so below stealth is crucial. Uniquely, however, you can use ocean currents to navigate speedily beneath the surface. Riding the tides can enable you to escape danger, but it also suggests new opportunities for exploration. Perching on an underwater ledge, the camera teases submerged buildings in the distance, places ripe for scavenging.
It’s easy to get distracted in Forbidden West by everything from the world around Aloy to the gentle but incredibly realistic way her hair sways in the water.
RAID TO REPLY
Once Aloy’s back on dry land the game reverts to more familiar stealth techniques – skulking in the undergrowth hides her from a Raider hunting party. Raiders are the new villains who, like our heroine, have gained the ability to control the world’s mechanical monsters, and it’s been confirmed there will be new tribes, enemies, and even allies in this sequel.
The environment hints at the world the way it was before the cataclysm. The remnants of a diner sign can still be seen, and the shell of a yellow tram is sunk into the sandy beach. It’s another sign this sequel has been crafted to offer a unique spectacle and grounded sense of place. The encounter
“ALOY CAN LOOSE ARROWS ON THE HOOF, AND NOW YOU’RE ABLE TO CLAMBER UP AND OVER MOST OF THE OBSTACLES IN HER WAY.”
we’re about to see has been carefully plotted against an evocative backdrop.
The combat itself is fluid and improvised. Aloy dodge-rolls from attacks and circles her opponents. She can blend attacks into unique combos. Her spear strikes flow into targeted bow shots. An opponent’s armour glows, revealing weak spots. Just as the arena for our fight has been thought out, cinematic scenes cut into the action to reveal a director’s hand behind the battle. In one move, Aloy plugs a Valor Surge unit – which powers attacks charged by XP earned as you land hits - into her spear to activate a new ability. The one we see is called the 360 Blast, but more can be bought and unlocked in her skill tree. Each has a cinematic to sell the move; with the 360 Blast the camera cuts to Aloy, circles, and pulls out as she lunges at her opponent, knocking them backwards. It’s fast and smooth and never feels clumsy, a sign PS5’s SSD is buzzing away in the background.
WHAT A TREET
Just as the fight was choreographed, walking through this world feels equally fine-tuned to build atmosphere. A hazy mist drifts in the trees creating sun rays that pick out floating leaves and insects and make Aloy’s new world come alive. As she climbs what used to be an apartment block, the remnants of the San Francisco Bay Bridge come into view. It’s breathtaking.
This future California is vital and varied. Aloy’s mission will take her across the west to a variety of regions, meeting new tribes along the way, to track down old-world tech that could hold the secret to curing the world. She’ll visit places like the Desert Tenakth village of Salt Bite, built on well-realised lore you’ll be itching to uncover.
The various locations teased also reveal the sequel’s day and night
cycle, as the previously sun-baked mountains come to life under changing weather conditions.
UP TO THE TUSK
Back in the demo, it’s a sunny day and Aloy is facing off against a massive Tremortusk. These hulking armoured mammoth-shaped robotic creatures have been tamed by Aloy’s new enemy, and there’s one between her and the widget that will reveal the next location of Blight-curing tech.
As in the original game these beastly battles are epic puzzle assaults to savour. Aloy needs to pick apart armour plating, target cogs, and launch explosive spear attacks on the Raider platforms strapped to the monster’s back.
This sequel encourages you to tap into the full range of Aloy’s abilities. We see how she can use her Pullcaster to zip out of danger and up and over the ruins of buildings jutting from the sandy beach. The Tremortusk makes swift rubble of this brickwork as it chases her. When Aloy lands, a quick cycle though her weapon wheel reveals traps and offensive gadgets to slow down the creature and then chip away its armour.
Once the beast’s shielding is whittled away it changes up its attacks, from laser bursts that stream across the ground to rising up on its rear revealing a yellow underbelly – weak spot confirmed.
Post-fight you can bank any XP earned and put it towards unlocking playstyles, upgrades, and more Valor Surge abilities. There’s also a new weapon crafting table suggesting this sequel has a deeper RPG side than the previous game. It’s designed to encourage you to enhance weapons, tools, and robots using specific resources, giving the game a Monster Hunter vibe.
NEW HORIZONS
This sequel allows more freedom to explore and fight, while also orchestrating events to have the greatest impact. Aloy treads a fine line, but, as we’ve discovered, she’s doing so in the sprightly way only PS5 can deliver. It leaves us eager to see more on Sony’s new-gen console, but slightly anxious that Forbidden West may stumble on PS4. Can Sony’s cross-gen approach do a game this ambitious justice? We’ll wait and see.
“A NEW WEAPON CRAFTING TABLE SUGGESTS THIS SEQUEL HAS A DEEPER RPG SIDE THAN THE PREVIOUS GAME.”