Into The West
Since its announcement at the June 2020 PlayStation 5 Games Showcase, fans of the hit 2017 action roleplaying game Horizon: Zero Dan have been clamouring for more information on Horizon Forbidden West, due to release in Q3/Q4 2021. Today’s PlayStation 5 State of Play focused on the sequel, giving us our first glimpse at gameplay in the new western frontier of Horizon’s Stone Age cyberpunk world.
The gameplay, captured on PS5, shows main character Aloy traversing a new seaside location while being hunted by enemy raiders, who have discovered the secret of overriding and taming the mechanical beasts that roam the Forbidden West. Aloy’s signature bow returns for this bout, with the Dualshock 5’s haptic feedback providing a tactile response with every arrow.
There’s a seamless transition as Aloy ducks beneath the waves to avoid her hunters, revealing a gorgeous underwater environment, full of vibrant colour. The traversal of the world in general seems to be a focus of Forbidden West, with a mechanical glider and Aloy’s ability to override and mount machines giving opportunities for broad range of movement. Aloy’s new focus scanner allows her to identify and highlight freerunning areas on the map.
Combat seems to be fairly similar to the first Horizon outing, with Aloy making use of stealth to instantly take down weaker human foes and weak points being marked out for strategic shots. Those badass mechanical mammoths we saw in the reveal trailer make another appearance here, with Aloy making use of trick arrows and well-placed shots to slow them down, damage their systems and turn their own weapons against them. You’ll be able to make use of weaponry broken off of the enemy, as displayed when Aloy turns a mammoth’s damaged laser cannon against it. A wide array of weapons will also be available through upgrades and scavenging, with a full crafting system allowing Aloy to customize her gear.
Horizon Forbidden West is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games of 2021 – Let’s hope it lives up to what we’ve seen thus far!