By AMIR GALBAN
Opinions Editor
Horizon is a Playstation exclusive created by Guerrilla, best known for the Killzone series. Forbidden West is a sequel to Zero Dawn taking Aloy to new heights to save the world from destructive machines created by man. Created in 2017, the first game had a wonderful intro to Aloy and her rise. She was created by a global terraforming system that was designed as GAIA to rebuild the planet after the extinction of the human race for the next generation of humans. Aloy is a direct clone of Elisabet Soebeck, the creator of this AI. A combination of human and synthetic life.
This made the tribes in the East treat her as an outcast. A man named Rost took her while she was a child and trained her to be the best hunter, climber, and tracker in an open world setting. Later on, she proves everyone wrong by saving Meridian, the main city in the first game from the machine threat HADES.
Forbidden West was created in 2022 and brings us into a post-apocalyptic California, Nevada, and Utah to gather the subordinate functions for GAIA.
Let’s break down the components to what makes this game so loved. Machines are the main enemy that Aloy tries to stop. Classic machines made a glorious return and a bigger list of new machines. The fan favorite to use is the sky wing more because of the flying element. Skill tree and progression is vast, with 6 different categories. Some include the hunter skill and the machine master that allows you to break parts off of machines more efficiently.
The graphics are beautiful and players are able to wander around and explore in the midst of completing missions. On the Playstation 5, the dual-sense controller gives you an immersive feel like when you pry open doors you can feel the shake from the button. When using the pull caster to open vents or breaking concrete walls, holding R2 vibrates when Aloy pulls. Load times in this game are less than 5 seconds each time you fast travel. Crafting is a huge part in creating ammo for bows or repairing machines. Overriding machines is a new feature where you can mount them and they fight by your side.
The environment is different with vast deserts, deep ocean waters that are swimmable, swamps, villages with loyal tribes, and jungles. The battle between the natural and unnatural are seen in Forbidden West. The collectibles are voice recordings and materials found in lifeless labs and abandoned offices from the old humans known as the ancient ones.
Similar to the first game, players have a dialogue tree that allows them to make choices based on their playstyle. Aloy can be heartless or she can be looked at as a hero, based on the actions you choose. The world is so big that Aloy’s quests intertwine with others’ lives, allowing there to be some intriguing side quests.
Overall, the game is designed beautifully with lots of emotional bridges in the storyline to get attached to characters. If you like to explore for 30+ hours and escape from reality, or like immersive storylines that make you question reality, this is the game for you.
