Guerrilla Games sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn justifies its existence instantly becoming a flagship PS5 title.
Horizon Zero Dawn didn’t demand a sequel. Its story felt complete when the credits rolled. We had taken Aloy from being an outcast of the Nora tribe to near-singlehandedly stopping a robotic apocalypse. That sense of resolution is increasingly rare for big-budget games of this size. It leaves the question so did a Zero Dawn sequel need to be made at all? Of course, we wanted to return to the strange futuristic, prehistoric Earth, where robotic dinosaurs stalk the land and tribes of humans try to eke out a living beneath their feet. But did it need to exist? In Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games proves Aloy’s story does indeed deserve another chapter. The game’s a grand technical achievement that feels “next-generation” and, importantly, also captures smaller, more human details, too. In Horizon Zero Dawn, we take Aloy nothing to becoming a world-saving hero. Forbidden West reveals the burden of that success. Her quest to find a solution to the Blight, a red plague that is sweeping the wildlife and foliage alike, pushes her to head West, towards California. This land has been called the Forbidden West by the Carja due to the violent Tanakth occupying the region. Despite all her achievements in the last game, Aloy is a stranger in this new setting. She’s not alone though. Varl and Erend, her two companions from the first game are along for the right, but the weight of her mission distances her from her friends. She is frustrated with the world. She is trying to save the planet from the Blight sweeping the land and yet she is running up against petty politics and squabbles. Soon after arriving in the Forbidden West she becomes embroiled in the infighting of the Tenakth and a rebel tribe run by a warmonger named Regalla who has been taught how to Override machines. This chase sends her on a massive journey that eventually widens the scope of the game’s sci-fi setting much further than the previous game. While never uncaring, especially to the downtrodden and those in need, at the start of the game, Aloy is running from social connections. She quietly slinks off into the night to avoid accepting the help of Varl, pushes away Erend having left him after the first game without a word. She’s forcing herself into a lonely existence as she doesn’t want to burden others with the weight of her own. This is where the sequel shines. The story remains personal. Forbidden West is about reconnecting with humanity and forming, or reforming, friendships. And it works because of the rich characters that fill the world. Varl and Erend return, but the game has a broader interest in ‘putting together a team’. That includes wonderful new additions to Aloy’s inner circle like Zo, a fierce personality from a largely peaceful tribe, and Kotallo, a brooding warrior dealing with the recent loss of an arm. Each character brings new perspectives, relating events back to you from a different angle. It fleshes out the world of Forbidden West and makes it feel lived in. This focus on character in Forbidden West is clear from how much time you spend in dialogue trees. If you want, you can spend hours talking to your companions. While this is a linear story with only a handful of branches to choose between, we still formed deep relationships with these characters. It may not have the choices of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, but we felt as involved with our companions as we would in those classic RPGs. It’s ultimately what makes Forbidden West more than just another open-world, action game. Guerrilla Games has always made beautiful games but here the team’s technical art serves the story. Exceptional animation brings the characters you meet to life.
