This is the first time we’ve seen Aloy’s new adventure in motion, as it had previously only appeared in cinematic samples since it was announced in June 2020.
This new story trades the Rocky Mountains for the West Coast of the United States, taking place in a California devastated by the same disaster that led the world to be dominated by the machines.
The promotional materials have highlighted Yosemite Valley and urban areas of a destroyed San Francisco, making us think that the adventure will take place among ruins and wide-open natural spaces.
The plot continues on from the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, as it is a direct sequel with Aloy repeating her starring role and having to travel to the forbidden lands to save the world from another disaster.
From what we could see in the trailer, Guerrilla Games is going for continuity in the playability, focusing on third-person action and sprinkled with various role-play components that we already enjoyed in the first part.
So, we will once again have a huge variety of weapons, ammunition, traps, tools and resources to take down enemies. Everything at our fingertips to finish off humans and machines.
The strategic, challenging playability was highly praised in its day, which is why we expect we’ll have to agonise over our decisions and use our whole arsenal to get through the Forbidden West.
Updated playables include a new hand-to-hand combat system and the possibility of climbing any obstacle, plus a glider that lets you soften any fall.
The improvements in terms of movement suggest it will be more vertical than its predecessor, plus a world design that promises to draw in large part from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Graphically, the quality of the detail in the scenes is surprising, especially underwater. This marine ecosystem is one of the biggest additions and Horizon Forbidden West promises even more freedom to explore than its predecessor.
In terms of graphics, Game Director Mathijs de Jonge says the rendering technique for the aquatic scenes is specially designed for PlayStation 5, with dedicated wave details, systems and techniques.
The director also highlighted that players can enjoy the better lighting system on PlayStation 5, thanks to its processing power. Plus, with this platform it will be possible to play at 60 frames per second.
In terms of the PlayStation 5 technology, Horizon Forbidden West will also make use of the new 3D audio functions, as well as the DualSense controller and its haptic technology.
However, we can’t forget that it is an intergenerational game and the developer has assured us that a good part of the development was done with the PlayStation 4 system in mind.
Horizon Forbidden West is being developed by Guerrilla Games and will be launched by Sony Interactive Entertainment for its PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 platforms. It is supposed to drop in 2021 but no date has been confirmed yet.
