Summary
Following the glowing reception of 2022’sHorizon Forbidden West, the future of Guerrilla Games’Horizonfranchise looks more promising than ever. Many gamers considerHorizonto be one of thebest single-player series on PlayStationthanks to its industry-leading graphics, strong combat foundations, and engaging action-adventure and narrative elements. With all that said, it’s not without its faults, and the next entry might have to remedy these issues, lest audiences turn on the IP.
Horizon Zero Dawnwas a huge shift for Guerrilla Games, a studio that was previously best known for its work on the gritty, futuristicKillzoneFPS series. Guerrilla managed to break the mold withHorizon, expanding far beyond the linear, mission-based structure ofKillzoneand growing a vast and detailed free-roam experience, complete with secrets, lore, side missions, and a bevy of typical open-world activities. This foray into the open-world genre has earned Guerrilla major praise, but it’s also a point of contention for many fans who feel that the series' open-world structure is bland and uninspired, and these players likely want to see itimprove in the thirdHorizongame.
Horizon 3 May Need to Rethink Its Open-World
The Shortcomings of Horizon’s Open-World Design
Horizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westdo a lot to set themselves apart from the pack. Everything from the games' one-of-a-kind techno-apocalypse plot and modular enemy design to its weighty ranged combat and light RPG systems make it a breath of fresh air for even the most avid and adventurous open-world fans. It’s something of a shame, then, that their approach to open-world design is so pedestrian and repetitive.
Horizonhas plenty of memorable factionsand characters to explore, yet it is cluttered with some of the most commonly criticized open-world tropes. Things like minute crafting materials and boring collectibles litter the map, and the game can sometimes fall victim to the much-maligned ‘map marker syndrome’ that is so controversial in games likeAssassin’s Creed. Basically,Horizontends to adopt a quantity-over-quality approach, leaving a lot of unnecessary fluff-type content in the game. This can undermine the series' strengths and make it feel somewhat outdated, especially when compared to some of its open-world contemporaries.
Horizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westinfamously launched within a week ofBreath of the WildandElden Ring, respectively.BOTWandElden Ringare widely considered to be seminal titles when it comes to open-world implementation, and comparisons between them and theHorizonseries highlight the latter’s more by-the-numbers approach to open-world design.
Updating Horizon’s Open-World
The stage is set forHorizon 3to be a fantastic, proper next-gen game, whenever it releases. ThoughForbidden Westimproved uponZero Dawn’s foundations, it wasn’t exactly revolutionary, taking many of the same steps as its predecessor. This was all well and good for many fans, but the next game in the series may need to make greater strides, especially when it comes to the open world.
It would be a major change from the norm and defy most audience expectations, but perhaps the best choice for the series would be for it to contract. Guerrilla could make a smaller, denser map, perhaps even drawing from its competitors likeElden Ringand eschewing traditional map markers in favor of environmental storytelling and complex, meaningful geography.
ThenextHorizongame may share the same mapas the previous entries, which could help Guerrilla focus on quality over quantity. Instead of pouring time and resources into a bigger, better map, perhaps the next game could just deepen what has already been established, similar to how Nintendo handled Hyrule inTears of the Kingdom. Whatever the studio decides, many gamers are feeling open-world fatigue more than ever, and the follow-up toHorizon Forbidden Westmay need to wrestle with that.
Horizon Forbidden West
WHERE TO PLAY
Join Aloy as she braves a majestic but dangerous new frontier that holds mysterious new threats. This Complete Edition allows you to enjoy the critically acclaimed Horizon Forbidden West on PC in its entirety with bonus content, including the Burning Shores story expansion that picks up after the main game.Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon.The land is dying. Vicious storms and an unstoppable blight ravage the scattered remnants of humanity while fearsome new machines prowl their borders, and life on Earth is hurtling toward another extinction.It’s up to Aloy to uncover the secrets behind these threats and restore order and balance to the world. Along the way, she must reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring new factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past.
