| Horizon Forbidden West | |
|---|---|
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| Developer | Guerrilla Games[a] |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Director | Mathijs de Jonge |
| Producer | Joel Eschler |
| Programmer | Michiel van der Leeuw |
| Artists |
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| Writers |
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| Composers |
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| Series | Horizon |
| Engine | Decima |
| Platforms | |
| Release |
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| Genre | Action role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Horizon Forbidden West is a 2022action role-playing game developed byGuerrilla Games and published bySony Interactive Entertainment. The sequel toHorizon Zero Dawn (2017), the game is set in apost-apocalyptic version of theWestern United States, recovering from the aftermath of anextinction event caused by a roguerobot swarm. The player, assuming control ofAloy, must venture into the Forbidden West to find the source of a mysterious plague that kills all it infects. The player can explore theopen world and completequests using ranged andmelee weapons against machine creatures and hostile rebels.Forbidden West introduced new gameplay mechanics to the franchise, such as new traversal tools, underwater exploration, and expanded melee combat.
Guerrilla Games began developingForbidden West in 2018. The development peaked at over 300 full-time employees and cost around US$212 million, making the gameone of the most expensive ever to develop. One of the team's goals was to "recapture the magic" of the original game, and the team made efforts to expand exploration and combat to support various playstyles. Guerrilla also invested more resources into creating the game's cinematics and spent more time creating character-driven side quests for the game.Ashly Burch andLance Reddick returned to provide the voice for Aloy and Sylens, respectively, and they were joined byAngela Bassett andCarrie-Anne Moss. As withZero Dawn, the game was powered by Guerrilla's in-houseDecima engine. Announced in June 2020, the game was released forPlayStation 4 andPlayStation 5 on 18 February 2022.
The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the visuals, combat, quest design and the cast's performance, but criticized its story and Aloy's characterization. Most reviewers agreed thatForbidden West was bigger and more refined thanZero Dawn, though it was more of an evolutionary experience than a revolutionary one. It sold over 8.4 million units by April 2023. It was nominated for several end-of-year accolades, including Game of the Year atThe Game Awards 2022 and the26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. An expansion,Burning Shores, was released for the PlayStation 5 in April 2023. The game and theBurning Shores expansion were collected together, re-released asHorizon Forbidden West Complete Edition for PlayStation 5 in October 2023, and ported toWindows byNixxes Software in March 2024. A sequel is in development.
Horizon Forbidden West is anaction role-playing video game played from athird-person perspective, set in a world populated by dangerous, animalistic machines. The player controlsAloy, a hunter who ventures into an uncharted frontier known as the Forbidden West, apost-apocalyptic version of theWestern United States, to investigate a mysterious plague.[1] Aloy's primary weapons of choice arebows and arrows. Other weapons in the game include a blastsling, which allows Aloy to slingshot bombs towards enemies, and a Shredder Gauntlet, which launches serrated discs useful for tearing armor and components. She can also lay down traps andtripwires, and use the ropecaster to tether enemies to the ground, immobilizing them.[2] Certain weapons in the game have different ammo types, allowing the player to inflict elemental damage on enemies. For instance, acid ammo may melt an opponent's armor, while shock ammo can stun enemies. Elemental damage can also be chained. For instance, purgewater arrows may result in a "drenched status" for a machine, making them more vulnerable to shock arrows and stopping them from unleashing elemental attacks of their own. The elemental status of a machine will gradually accumulate, and the machine will be significantly afflicted by that elemental status for a brief period of time once a meter is completely filled.[3] The player can use Aloy's Focus, a wearableaugmented reality device she collected during the events of the first game that gives her special perceptive abilities, to tag an enemy and scan them to identify their weaknesses.[4] Aloy may also detach parts of the machines through her attacks, crippling a large amount of theirhealth, removing their attack capabilities, and occasionally allowing her to use their own detached weapons against them.[5]
Aloy can also attack with her spear, and can now chain up her attacks with various types ofcombos.[6]Stealth is also a viable tactic, as Aloy can hide in tall grass, distract unsuspecting enemies, and silently strike enemies without drawing attention.[7] As the player progresses in the game and completes various quests, they earn moreexperience points (XP).[8] With sufficient XP, Aloy's health will increase, and skill points may be unlocked. Skill points can be spent on one of six skill trees targeting six different playstyles: Warrior (melee combat), Trapper (using traps), Hunter (ranged combat), Survivor (scavenging resources), Infiltrator (stealth), and Machine Master (overriding machines).[9] By playing the game tactically (such as performingheadshots against human enemies or tearing components off a machine), the player is granted additional combat points, ultimately enabling them to unleash "Valor Surge", a powerful special attack that inflicts a large amount of damage on enemies.[10]
Like its predecessor,Forbidden West is anopen world video game. The game offers two modes of exploration: Guided mode highlights key items and locations of interest, while Explorer mode has a more minimalisticuser interface, requiring the player to reach locations with the help of acompass.[11]Fast travel points can be accessed after discovering campfires in the wild,[12] while visiting shelters enables the player to change the time of day.[13] The player will meet differentnon-playable characters (NPCs) and completeside quests for them.[14] While conversing with other NPCs, the player can sometimes choose from one of three dialogue options, with each representing Aloy's tone and attitude towards a scenario or a character, though they will not affect the game's narrative.[15] The player can identify locations of interest by ascending to the top of a Tallneck (agiraffe-like machine) and overriding it.[16] They can also venture into "cauldrons", which are often a series ofplatforming challenges culminating in aboss fight.[17] There are a large assortment of side activities the player can complete inForbidden West, including findingcollectibles such as survey drones and ancientblack boxes,[18] clearing rebel camps and outposts,[19] completing salvage contracts and timed hunting challenges,[20][21] competing in fight pits against humans or machines,[20] finding relics through solving environmental puzzles in ancient ruins,[22] and participating in races riding overridden machines. At major settlements, the player can also play an in-gameboard game named "Machine Strike".[23]
Aloy is an agile character, and her Focus allows her to highlight climbable surfaces.[5] As the player progresses, they will unlock the pullcaster, which can pull down obstacles. It also serves as agrappling hook, allowing the player to access difficult-to-reach areas.[24] She will also unlock adiving mask, which enables underwater exploration, and a Shieldwing, which allows her to glide through the air, further aiding transversal.[23] Completing cauldrons in the game allows the player to unlock "machine overrides", enabling them to tame certain machines and use them asmounts to travel great distances or turn them against other machines. A new feature is that Aloy can specify overridden machines to take offensive or defensive actions.[17] As the player explores the world, they will also collect various resources, such as medicinal berries to restore Aloy'shealth and other crafting components necessary for expanding Aloy's inventory and upgrading weapons and outfits at workbenches.[25][26] Both weapons and outfits are divided into different levels of rarity, with the rarer weapons providing stronger perks.[27] Ingredients can also be brought to a village chef, who will cook a meal for Aloy to briefly improve her combat efficiency.[12] While Aloy can only carry a limited amount of items in her inventory, extra items collected in the wilds will be directly transferred to a cache found in major outposts or settlements in the game. Accessing the cache allows Aloy to restock necessary items.[5]
The game continues the story of Aloy (Ashly Burch), a young hunter of the Nora tribe and a clone of the Old World scientist Elisabet Sobeck. In the six months following the defeat of HADES (Anthony Ingruber),[b] Aloy has been searching fruitlessly for a working backup of GAIA (Lesley Ewen) to restore the planet's rapidly degradingbiosphere. After she discovers that her former associate Sylens (Lance Reddick) did not destroy but instead stole HADES, he contacts Aloy and asks her to continue her search in the region known as the Forbidden West.
Aloy and her friend Varl (John Macmillan) cross into the West to find the ruling Tenakth tribe amidst acivil war between Chief Hekarro (Geno Segers) and the rebel leader Regalla (Angela Bassett). Aloy tracks Sylens to a facility where she finds HADES badly damaged and permanently deletes it. She recovers a GAIA backup without its subsystems but is interrupted by a group offuturistic humans. The group, consisting of their leader Gerard Bieri (Dan Donohue), his lieutenant Tilda van der Meer (Carrie-Anne Moss), enforcer Erik Visser (Marc Kudisch), and a clone of Sobeck named Beta (also voiced by Burch), possesses advanced technology that renders them invulnerable. They take a second GAIA backup, while Aloy barely escapes, and passes out when Varl manages to find her.
Aloy awakens days later in the village of Plainsong, home to the Utaru tribe. Zo (Erica Luttrell), a member of the Utaru, guides Aloy to a control center, where she rejoins GAIA with her subsystem, MINERVA. GAIA locates the other subsystems AETHER, DEMETER, and POSEIDON, and advises Aloy to retrieve them before attempting to capture the more advanced HEPHAESTUS. GAIA reveals that the extinction signal that triggered HADES and mutated the subsystems originated from theSirius system; Aloy suspects that the futuristic humans sent it. She later tracks down Beta, who informs Aloy that her group is, in fact, Far Zenith, an organization of billionaire colonists who fled Earth during its global extinction, having managed to extend their natural lifespans. After their colony on Sirius collapsed, the Zeniths returned to Earth to use GAIA through Beta'sgenetic make-up for their own recolonization. At this point they have already acquired subsystems ELEUTHIA, ARTEMIS, and APOLLO, but Beta has stolen their GAIA backup.
Aloy recovers AETHER after helping Hekarro advance in the civil war, retrieves POSEIDON from the ruins ofLas Vegas, and recovers DEMETER inSan Francisco with the help of Alva (Alison Jaye), a member of the Quen, a seafaring tribe from foreign lands. Aloy and her companions then devise a plan to help GAIA trap HEPHAESTUS. Aloy, Varl and Beta manage to trap HEPHAESTUS in an inactive Cauldron, but are then attacked by the Zeniths. Erik kills Varl and recaptures Beta while Gerard steals GAIA, but Tilda double-crosses them and helps Aloy escape. Tilda explains that she was romantically involved with Elisabet Sobeck and regretted leaving her; having been inspired by Aloy, she wishes to stop Far Zenith. She further reveals that Sylens has been supporting the Tenakth rebels to use them against the Zeniths. Aloy refuses to sacrifice the Tenakth and instead defeats Regalla herself after thwarting the latter's final attack on Hekarro, forcing Sylens to reconvene with Aloy and help her formulate a new plan.
Aloy and her companions assault Far Zenith's base, while Beta releases HEPHAESTUS into the Zeniths'network, and it builds a near-endless amount of machines that tie down Far Zenith's army of drones. Aloy and her companions defeat and kill the Zeniths, including Erik and Gerard, but learn that their colony was destroyed by Nemesis, a failedmind uploading experiment they created. With Nemesis preparing to pursue them, the Zeniths fled to Earth, hoping to steal GAIA and colonize a new planet unknown to Nemesis. It sent the extinction signal to Earth to deny them that opportunity and it is en route to destroy the planet. Tilda tries to coerce Aloy into leaving Earth with her, but Aloy refuses and is forced to kill Tilda. Aloy's companions disperse to spread the warning of Nemesis while Aloy and Beta reactivate GAIA.
Some time after the defeat of Far Zenith, Sylens warns Aloy that one Zenith member, aerospace magnate Walter Londra (Sam Witwer), remains unaccounted for. The last known sighting of Londra places him at a location to the south called the Burning Shores, the former site ofLos Angeles. Upon arriving in the Burning Shores, Aloy meets a soldier of the Quen tribe, Seyka (Kylie Liya Page). Seyka agrees to guide Aloy to Londra's hideout on Starlight Rise (Griffith Observatory) in return for helping her disable a Zenith defense tower. Seyka takes Aloy to her settlement, Fleet's End, explaining that her fleet was separated from the main Quen expedition heading to San Francisco, shipwrecked on the Burning Shores, and has been stranded since. It is revealed that Seyka stole a deceased Diviner's Focus and found a clue that some crew members who had gone missing were located at Starlight Rise. Admiral Gerrit (Mark Noble) allows Aloy and Seyka to pursue this lead since one of the missing crew members is Seyka's sister, Kina (Xanthe Huynh), and the fleet's last remaining navigator.
Working together, Aloy and Seyka destroy the Tower and make their way to Starlight Rise. Upon reaching it, they discover signs that Londra has captured the missing Quen crew and has been forcing them to excavate his old headquarters. They find evidence of him retrieving data on a project called "MSP" and follow his trail north to the wreckage of a Horus war machine resting near theHollywood Sign. They come across a Quen camp and are dismayed to see that the missing Quen crew has willingly joined Londra, worshipping him as a god who promises them "Ascension". They infiltrate Londra's Ascension Hall and discover that he is using the Horus's replicating chambers to build a rocket to take him off the planet. In order to get the lift he needs, Londra salvaged experimental nuclear booster engines from the Starlight Rise, but their use would irradiate the entire Burning Shore and its surrounding lands. After eliminating Londra's henchman Zeth (Dylan Saunders), they learn he has taken a small number of his most loyal Quen, including Kina, to a nearby abandoned amusement park in preparation for their journey.
Aloy and Seyka infiltrate the park and make contact with Londra's personal AI, Nova (Cia Court). Nova explains that Londra intends to use his rocket to take himself, a select few Quen, and a genetic library collected from his Quen followers to found a new colony away from the threat of Nemesis. However, to ensure that his followers will not betray him, Londra reactivated his Mutiny Suppression Protocol research, using it tobrainwash Quen into being his loyal followers. Nova then deactivates Londra's security measures in return for Aloy deleting her so she can finally be free from Londra's constant tweaking of her personality matrix. They enter Londra's inner sanctum, where they find him ready to seduce Kina. Seyka then intervenes, forcing Londra to flee back to his bunker underneath the Hollywood Sign, summoning a Slaughterspine to cover his escape, which Aloy defeats. Londra activates the Horus and uses it to attack Aloy and Seyka, but it promptly flees to the beach after it begins to overheat. After a prolonged battle along the coast, Aloy sabotages the Horus's cooling system, forcing it into the sea in an attempt to keep itself from overheating. Aloy infiltrates the Horus through a breach in its hull before battling and killing Londra, which in turn permanently deactivates the Horus.
In the aftermath, Aloy sends all of the data from Londra's Focus to Sylens and helps the Quen in Fleet's End make contact with Alva so they can coordinate the reunification of their fleets. Aloy also has the opportunity to start a romantic relationship with Seyka before temporarily parting ways. Upon returning to her base, Aloy meets with Sylens, who has managed to decrypt some of Londra's data, finding a list of 21st-century companies that were developing experimental weaponry that may be key to defeating Nemesis.
Guerrilla Games began developingHorizon Forbidden West in 2018, a year after its predecessor,Horizon Zero Dawn, was released.[28] It was published bySony Interactive Entertainment for thePlayStation 4 andPlayStation 5.[29] According to documents from Sony, the five-year development peaked at over 300 full-time employees and cost aroundUS$212 million, making the game one of themost expensive ever to develop.[30] The studio was split into three subteams: the Core Design team responsible for combat, player system, anduser interface; the Quest Design team responsible for the design of the game's main quests, side quests, and tutorials; and the World Design team responsible for creating an immersive game world and populating it with activities.[31]
One of the team's biggest goals was to "recapture the magic" of the original game. As with the original game, the team identified three main pillars for development: having strong and memorable characters, exploration emphasizing the majesty of nature and ancient ruins, and "clever" combat which encourages strategic planning.[32] As Aloy journeys into the Forbidden West, the team wanted to ensure that "there is always a mystery for her to unravel, and always more for her to explore."[33] As a result, underwater and aerial exploration were added to the game, though the development of both were noted to be challenging from a technical perspective.[34] Quest designer Samantha Schoonen described underwater exploration as a "natural extension to traverse long-lost unknown places". The team intentionally avoided the oppressive tone typically found in underwater levels in other video games and instead focused on "fast and agile traversal" and stealth gameplay.[35] The gameplay was designed to promote the player's choices. For instance, new tools were introduced to aid transversal and exploration as well as provide multiple ways to solve environmental puzzles; various playstyles were supported, enabling players to choose how they engage with enemies and switch between playstyles at will;[36] and skill trees were also overhauled completely.[10] Cauldrons return fromZero Dawn, though their designs are more varied to upset the player's expectations. Some cauldrons were also tied to larger and more extensiveset pieces.[37]
The gameplay team identified Aloy as a "smart, fast, agile, precise, and resourceful" character and had to translate these personal qualities into gameplay mechanics. Melee and ranged combat were more interweaved together, with Valor Surges such as the Resonator Blast allowing players to quickly change from melee to ranged combat.[36] The team introduced more variety to human enemies, such as armored enemies; theirartificial intelligence was also designed to be more aggressive.[33] Whereas inZero Dawn, human and machine enemies were two disparate groups,Forbidden West integrates the two together by having Aloy fight against human enemies commandeering machines.[36] A number of new machines were introduced inForbidden West, including the Sunwing (inspired by flying reptiles and primitive birds) and the Tremortusk (inspired bymammoths andwar elephants).Zero Dawn establishes the machines in the game as caretakers of the world, and the team programmed each machine type to exhibit behaviors that would match their roles in an ecosystem.[38] Additional textures were added to each machine so the player could better identify their weak points visually, and more audio cues were introduced to better signal their actions to the player.[39] Machine hunting is more vital inForbidden West, as it was made a more integral part of crafting.[40]
The world inForbidden West is slightly larger than that inZero Dawn, though the studio focused on increasing the world's density to ensure that it was filled with content.[33] NPCs encountered in side quests may reappear as the player progresses further, and the team rewarded players more handsomely with side quests and tied them to the overarching narrative, so completing them would feel more worthwhile.[4] After evaluating player feedback onZero Dawn, the team decided to make each settlement more dynamic with improved animations and better NPC AI patterns and schedules.[4] An improved crowd system was introduced, with a more diverse range of audio, so that each area within a settlement would sound different.[40] As Aloy heads west, she encounters members of different tribes. According to the team, the Oseram are "social and historically patriarchal", the Utaru are "agrarian" and more laid-back in nature, while the Tenakth are more militant and combat-focused. The team created various animations and outfits distinct to each tribe, highlighting the differences in their ways of life.[4] This also allowed the player to identify tribe members from afar visually and enabled them to get a bearing of where they are in the world.[41]
Aloy returned as the game's protagonist. InForbidden West, she had to deal with another catastrophic extinction-level event, live up to the legacy of Elizebeth Sobeck, an esteemed scientist whom she was a clone of (as depicted inZero Dawn),[42] and prove herself again while venturing into the Forbidden West.[43] Writer Benjamin McCaw added that the overwhelming amount of pressure Aloy had to face was a significant part of hercharacter arc in the game.[44]Ashly Burch returned to provide voice andmotion capture for Aloy, along withLance Reddick as Sylens,John Hopkins as Erend, andJohn Macmillan as Varl. Newcomers include Alison Jaye as Alva, Noshir Dalal as Kotallo,Carrie-Anne Moss as Tilda, andAngela Bassett as Regalla.[45] Guerrilla invested more resources into creating the game's cinematics than inZero Dawn. Advanced motion capture tools allowed the team to record dynamic movement and character expressions more extensively, enabling the team to create character-centric scenes across main quests and side objectives, though travel restrictions during theCOVID-19 pandemic forced the team to recruit local talents in Amsterdam to substitute certain cast members.[46]
According to McCaw, Aloy's dynamics with other characters were difficult to write, as her unique upbringing and aspiration to live up to Sobeck's legacy meant that she often pushed away her friends as she felt she had to accomplish the task alone. In the game, Aloy had to integrate into society and learn to accept help, ultimately understanding that instead of saving the world in the abstract, it was the people in the world who are worth saving. The team spent more time developing character-driven side quests in order to deepen Aloy's relationships with them.[42] Varl was killed in the game, as the team felt that he was the most important character in Aloy's journey and that his death created an emotional low point for the narrative.[47] Aloy's relationship with Beta contrasted with Aloy's own relationship with Sobeck and was described by the team as "the heart and soul of [the game's] story," which was the most difficult part to write.[48][42] According to the game's writer, Beta served as a dark reflection of Aloy and embodied "all of Aloy's conflicts about wanting to be like Elisabet, wanting to connect to others, but feeling isolated."[42] Beta was initially written to be an "optimistic" character, though her personalty was changed to that of "a sullen teenager" in order to fit the story.[47]
Far Zeniths were an important part of the story, and their role was envisioned by the team during the development ofZero Dawn.[49] They were chosen as the game's main enemies as the team felt that the story needed to have a different direction when compared with that ofZero Dawn.[47] Having long achievedself preservation, Far Zeniths were egotistical and had little regard for the rest of human life.[49] Tilda, one of the surviving members of the Far Zenith, was created as a "Dutch technologist, authentication expert, and art collector", and the team collaborated with theRijksmuseum to select 10 art pieces and recreate them inside Tilda's mansion in the game.[50] Ted Faro, the billionaire who doomed the world inZero Dawn, returned inForbidden West. According to McCaw, he has become a "human cancer, a massive cancerous growth" due to the unnatural techniques used to extend his lifespan. The team made an intentional decision not to show Faro's face becauseForbidden West was not intended to be ahorror game, and the team felt that by only showing his silhouette, it left room for players to imagine what he would have looked like, making the encounter more frightening.[51] As with the previous game, Sylens and Aloy shared an "adversarial" relationship, but the two learn to collaborate despite their mutual disdain for each other.[52]
Horizon Forbidden West was the first video game by Guerrilla sinceShellshock: Nam '67 (2004) to not be released exclusively for a single console. The studio focused on pushing the game's visuals for the PlayStation 5 during the first half of the game's development, then pivoted to work on the PlayStation 4 version to ensure there would not be significant disparity. The goal for the studio was to ensure thatForbidden West was one of the best-looking PlayStation 4 games while ensuring that the PlayStation 5 version would look even better with easily observable differences. Aerial exploration was nearly scrapped as the team felt that the PlayStation 4 version could not support this feature.[32] The PlayStation 5's increased processing power, customsolid-state drive storage, Tempest Engine, andDualSense controller provide the game with advanced haptic feedback,3D spatial audio, enhanced lighting, special water rendering, improved visual effects, and reduced loading times.[53][54][55] This version has an optional "performance mode" at 60 frames per second with a lower base resolution[56] and an updated version of theDecima engine supportinghigh dynamic range.[57]
Forbidden West was officially announced by Sony in June 2020.[58] While originally set to be released in 2021, the game was delayed as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted production schedules, and the team wanted to avoidoverworking employees in order to reach deadlines.[59] Prior to launch, Sony's decision to not offer a free upgrade path for PlayStation 4 owners was heavily scrutinized. While Sony subsequently offered a free upgrade path following player backlash, it was criticized for pricing the PlayStation 5 version higher while players of the cheaper PlayStation 4 version could freely upgrade their copies.[60][61] The full game was released on 11 February 2022.[62] As part of Sony's Play and Plant initiative, Sony will plant one tree in collaboration with theArbor Day Foundation in three distinct forests for every player who receives the "Reached the Daunt"trophy.[63]
A comic book series, set after the events of the first game, was published byTitan Comics on 5 August 2020.[64] Sony partnered withDark Horse Comics and released a 200-page art book for the game on 18 October 2022.[65] Steamforged Games partnered with Sony again for aboard game based onForbidden West namedSeeds of Rebellion and launched aKickstarter campaign to fund the project in November 2023.[66] A cookery book titledTastes of the Seven Tribes by Rick Barba and Victoria Rosenthal was released on 25 June 2024.[67][68] To promote the game, Sony released a large assortment of merchandise, including partnering with theLEGO Group for the release of the Horizon Tallneck LEGO set, and collaborating withNendoroid,Spin Master andDark Horse Comics to create toys and figures based on Aloy.[69][70][71] Apop-up cafe was set up in Paris to promote the game from 9 to 11 February 2023.[72][73] In October 2025,Magic the Gathering released six cards based around the game as part of their Secret Lair Drops series.[74][75]
In June 2022, Sony released a free update for the game, introducingNew Game Plus, a newdifficulty level, and the ability to redistribute skill points, among other new additions.[76] AtThe Game Awards 2022, an expansion titledBurning Shores was announced. It was released on 19 April 2023 only for the PlayStation 5 and was about a third of the size of the original game.[77][78] UnlikeThe Frozen Wilds, the expansion ofZero Dawn,Burning Shores pushes the narrative forward, as it was set after the events of the main game and requires the completion of the main game in order to access the content. It also gives Aloy a potential love interest with Seyka, as the team felt that Aloy pursuing a romantic relationship was a "natural evolution" for the character following her growth in the events ofForbidden West.[79] Seyka was voiced by Kylie Liya Page,[80] while the antagonist, Londra, was voiced bySam Witwer.[81] The team also added athalassophobia mode for players who fear large bodies of water and an in-game memorial for Reddick following his passing in March 2023.[82][83] Sony bundled the main game with theBurning Shores expansion and re-released the game for PlayStation 5 on 6 October 2023 asHorizon Forbidden West Complete Edition.[84]Nixxes Software thenported the Complete Edition to Windows on 21 March 2024.[85]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PS5) 88/100[86] (PS4) 83/100[87] (PC) 89/100[88] |
| OpenCritic | 96% (Critics Recommend)[89] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8.5/10[98] |
| Game Informer | 9.25/10[90] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[100] |
| GamesRadar+ | 4.5/5[91] |
| IGN | 9/10[97] |
| NME | 4/5[99] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 70/100[92] |
| PCGamesN | 7/10[93] |
| PCMag | 4.5/5[95] |
| Shacknews | 9/10[96] |
| The Guardian | 4/5[94] |
| Video Games Chronicle | 5/5[101] |
| VG247 | 4/5[102] |
Horizon Forbidden West received "generally favorable" reviews upon release, according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic.[86][88] Critics generally agreed that it was a bigger and more improved experience when compared with its predecessor.[103]
The game's world received praise from critics. Kimberly Wallace fromGame Informer enjoyed the visual design of various locales and liked how side quests further provided additional insights into the game's world.[90] She praised the world for evoking a "constant sense of discovery".[91] The underwater location set in Las Vegas was singled out by some reviewers as one of the game's best locations.[90][104] Simon Cardy fromIGN praised the settlements for how lively they were and remarked that each tribe and settlement often had their own unique characteristics. He compared the side quests favorably to those ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as players are often rewarded with both good gear for future use and standalone but satisfying narratives.[97] Phil Hornshaw, writing forGameSpot, wrote that the open-world activities in the game were diverse and well worth the player's time.[100] Some critics were unimpressed by the game's lack of ambition.[100] James Tucker fromNME wrote thatForbidden West would have been a fairly middling open-world game if it were not elevated by its narrative.[99] Writing forVice, Matthew Gault noted that it was not a revolutionary experience but instead a "competent distraction that soothes and smooths the brain by repeating what open world games have been doing for years".[105] Critics had mixed opinions on the game's climbing mechanics, which were found to be inconsistent.[91][97][99] The game's visuals received critical acclaim from critics, with Wallace describing the game as a "technical marvel"[90] and Lavoy describing the visuals as "breathtaking".[96]
Sam Loveridge fromGamesRadar remarked that the game's focus on developing its characters is an improvement over its predecessor. He praised the game's diverse cast of characters and wrote that each of them has a distinct personality and backstory. He also liked the improved animations for making characters appear more lifelike and, therefore, helping players connect with them more.[91] While critics praised Aloy as a character and found her struggles to be compelling and relatable,[91][96] Hornshaw felt that she was often brooding and generally not as interesting as the surrounding cast,[100] and Matt Minotti fromVentureBeat remarked that Aloy's reluctance to accept help during the game's beginning was "illogically extreme" sometimes.[106] Melindy Hetfield, writing forEurogamer, described Aloy's character as a disappointment and went on to describe her as "obnoxious" and "unbearable."[7] Some critics also remarked that Aloy often ceaselessly provided hints to players about the solution to environmental puzzles,[99][7] with Hetfield concluding that it robbed players of all agency to explore and chart their own course.[7]
Simon Cardy fromIGN praised the use of cinematics instead of audio logs to convey important parts of the story. He remarked that despite an uneven start,Forbidden West was able to pick up its pace and noted that the story was at its best when it was about the cast's personal dramas and the social and political conflicts surrounding the tribes.[97] Several reviewers remarked that newcomers to the franchise may not be fully engaged in the game's narrative due to its constant callbacks to the events depicted inZero Dawn.[97][107] Dom Peppiatt fromVG 247 compared the game's structure toMass Effect and wrote that "the flirtations withBioWare-style story ideas shows just how much of a future this series has."[102] The game's cast performance and its motion capture technology were also praised by Hornshaw for enhancing the game's storytelling.[100] The story received some criticism from reviewers. Hetfield wrote that the story went "fully off the rails into wild, nonsensical sci-fi" and criticized the ending and its antagonists.[7] Ben Rayner fromDigital Spy, likewise, feltForbidden West's pivot to "hard sci-fi" was a baffling choice that missed the point of the franchise.[108]
The gameplay received generally positive reviews. Wallace described combat as "adrenaline-pumping" and appreciated the sequel's expanded destructibility and more elaborate setpieces. While she liked the quality-of-life improvementsForbidden West introduced, she was unimpressed by the progression system for only offering unexciting upgrades.[90] Bill Lavoy fromShacknews, however, called gameplay the game's greatest strength, praising its new gameplay additions and the diverse skill tree options.[96] Loveridge wrote that taking down large machines was always challenging but rewarding, and she liked the more varied design of its side activities, including Tallnecks and Cauldrons.[91] Cardy praised the enemy variety and noted that challenging combat prompted players to make full use of Aloy's arsenal and skills.[97] Critics generally liked how the game gave players more options in combat and exploration when compared withZero Dawn,[97][98][90] though some remarked that the new additions could be overwhelming and that the game struggled to introduce these mechanics to players.[91][109][7]
The expansionBurning Shores also received generally positive reviews from critics.[110] Jay Peters fromThe Verge wrote that he preferred the expansion over the main game as it was a more focused and condensed experience, and he liked the game's relatively more grounded story.[111] Cardy praised the new weapons and Valor Surges introduced inBurning Shores and liked the expansion's level design. While he felt that the villain of the expansion did not get enough screentime, he felt thatBurning Shores's focus on character development was an "essential chapter of Aloy's story".[112]GameSpot's Steve Watts further added that the final battle ofBurning Shores demonstrated "incredible scale and scope", overshadowing the one from the main game.[113] Seyka was praised by Marcus Stewart fromGame Informer. Describing her as one of the "primary highlights of Burning Shores", Stewart remarked that she was more charismatic than Aloy, though he felt that their relationship in the game was a bit rushed.[114] Seyka and Aloy may share an optional kiss at the end of the game, depending on the player's decision. This scene resulted in the game beingreview bombed on Metacritic. Metacritic subsequently responded that they were aware of "abusive" reviews being posted online and revealed that they would be imposing stricter moderation in the future.[115]
In the United Kingdom,Horizon Forbidden West was the best-selling game during the week of release and became the second biggest launch for a PlayStation 5 game at the time, behind onlySpider-Man: Miles Morales (2020).[116] By the end of 2022, the game had sold over 530,000 units in the UK.[117] It went on to become the fourth best-selling physical video game in the UK.[118] In the US, it was the second-best-selling video game in February 2022, only behindElden Ring.[119] It went on to become the ninth-best-selling game of 2022 in the US.[120]
In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version was the third best-selling retail game during its first week of release, with over 48,000 physical units being sold. The PlayStation 5 version sold about 43,000 physical units throughout the same week, making it the fourth best-selling retail game of the week in the country.[121] By 26 March 2023, the game had sold over 155,000 units in Japan.[122] In Germany, the game sold over 200,000 units during its launch month.[123]
In May 2023, Sony announced that the game had sold over 8.4 million units by 16 April 2023.[124] Following the game's launch on Windows, it became the publisher's sixth biggest launch on Steam,[125] though it was unable to surpass the concurrent player peak ofZero Dawn.[126]
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | 25 February 2023 | Best Character Animation – Video Game | Richard Oud, Jan-Erik Sjovall, Guerrilla Animation Team | Nominated | [127] |
| British Academy Games Awards | 30 March 2023 | Animation | Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment | Nominated | [128] |
| Audio Achievement | Nominated | ||||
| EE Game of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Game Design | Nominated | ||||
| Technical Achievement | Won | ||||
| Performer in a Supporting Role | Alison Jaye as Alva | Nominated | |||
| D.I.C.E. Awards | 23 February 2023 | Game of the Year | Angie Smets, Jan-Bart van Beek, Mathijs de Jonge, Joel Eschler, Michiel van der Leeuw | Nominated | [129] |
| Adventure Game of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Animation | Richard Oud, Paulus Bannink, Kim van Heest, Ismael Auray, Daniel Sipes | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction | Jan-Bart van Beek, Misja Baas, Roland Ijzermans, Roy Postma, Ben Sprout, Alex Zapata | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Character | Ashly Burch asAloy, Ben McCaw, Jochen Willemsen, Ismael Auray & Daniel Sipes | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction | Mathijs de Jonge, Jan-Bart van Beek | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition | Lucas van Tol,Joris de Man,The Flight, Niels van der Leest, Oleksa Lozowchuk | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Technical Achievement | Michiel van der Leeuw, Stefan Lauwers, Remco Straatman | Nominated | |||
| Dutch Game Awards | 6 October 2022 | Best Game | Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment | Won | [130] |
| Best Art | Won | ||||
| Best Audio | Won | ||||
| Best Technology | Won | ||||
| Game Audio Network Guild Awards | 23 March 2023 | Best Original Song | In The Flood | Nominated | [131] |
| Best Voice Performance | Ashly Burch as Aloy | Won | |||
| Audio of the Year | Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematic and Cutscene Audio | Nominated | ||||
| Best Ensemble Cast Performance | Won | ||||
| Best Game Foley | Nominated | ||||
| Best Game Trailer Audio | Nominated | ||||
| Creative and Technical Achievement in Music | Nominated | ||||
| Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design | Nominated | ||||
| Dialogue of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Sound Design of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Game Developers Choice Awards | 22 March 2023 | Game of the Year | Honorable Mention | [132] | |
| Best Audio | Nominated | ||||
| Innovation Award | Honorable Mention | ||||
| Best Narrative | Honorable Mention | ||||
| Best Technology | Nominated | ||||
| Best Visual Art | Nominated | ||||
| 20 March 2024[133] | Best Narrative | Honorable Mention[c] | [134] | ||
| Best Technology | Honorable Mention[c] | ||||
| Social Impact Award | Honorable Mention[c] | ||||
| GLAAD Media Award | 14 March 2024 | Outstanding Video Game | Nominated[c] | [135] | |
| Golden Joystick Awards | 23 November 2021 | Most Wanted Game | Nominated | [136] | |
| 22 November 2022 | Ultimate Game of the Year | Nominated | [137] | ||
| Best Storytelling | Won | ||||
| Best Visual Design | Nominated | ||||
| PlayStation Game of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Performer | Angela Bassett as Regalla | Nominated | |||
| Golden Reel Awards | 26 February 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Game Music | Bastian Seelbach, Lucas van Tol, Bastiaan van Bentum | Nominated | [138] |
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Game Dialogue / ADR | Jochen Willemsen, Erik Schuring, Juan Manuel Delfin, Vincent van Rooijen, Nick van Noort, Sander Houtman, Nick Gratwick | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Game Effects / Foley | Guerrilla Game Effects Team[d] | Nominated | |||
| Ivor Novello Awards | 18 May 2023 | Best Original Video Game Score | Joris de Man, Oleksa Lozowchuk and The Flight | Nominated | [139] |
| Japan Game Awards | 15 September 2022[140] | Award for Excellence | Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment | Won | [141] |
| Nebula Awards | 14 May 2023 | Best Game Writing | Ben McCaw, Anna Kitain | Nominated | [142] |
| New York Game Awards | 17 January 2023 | Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game | Ashly Burch as Aloy | Nominated | [143] |
| Statue of Liberty Award for Best World | Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment | Nominated | |||
| Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game | Nominated | ||||
| 23 January 2024 | Best DLC | Nominated[c] | [144] | ||
| The Game Awards | 10 December 2020 | Most Anticipated Game | Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment | Nominated | [145] |
| 9 December 2021 | Nominated | [146] | |||
| 8 December 2022 | Game of the Year | Nominated | [147] | ||
| Best Game Direction | Nominated | ||||
| Best Narrative | Nominated | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Nominated | ||||
| Best Audio Design | Nominated | ||||
| Best Action/Adventure Game | Nominated | ||||
| Best Performance | Ashly Burch as Aloy | Nominated | |||
| The Steam Awards | 31 December 2024 | Best Soundtrack | Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment | Nominated | [148] |
| Webby Awards | 15 May 2023[149] | Best Game Design | Nominated | [150] | |
| Technical Achievement | Nominated |
In April 2023, developerGuerrilla Games confirmed plans about "expanding the world of Horizon withAloy's next adventure", hinting that a possible direct sequel toForbidden West is likely to be in development.[151]
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