PlayStation today held a State of Play to reveal gameplay footage of the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to the popular Horizon Zero Dawn. We got 14 minutes of excellent third-person action-exploration gameplay that showed everything new Aloy has learned in the years since the previous game was released. The only thing we didn’t get was a release date for the new game.
The footage shows Aloy rescuing her old friend Erend from the clutches of a hostile tribe, who have found a way to tame the machines. To do so, she must navigate a beautiful beach environment, battling the raiders and some massive machines to do so. We also get more of a look at the in-game weather events that are causing such concern. Aloy must investigate a mysterious red blight that’s infecting the land by traveling into the titular west. According to the gameplay blog: “Together with old friends and new companions, she must brave this dangerous frontier to find the answers she needs to save life on Earth.”
The gameplay reveals Aloy has some new tricks up her nonexistent sleeves. Namely, she has a new grappling hook (or Pullcaster) to help with her climbing. She can also use a glider, Breath of the Wild-style, to descend from heights. She also has a rebreather that allows her to dive underwater. She has upgraded area scanning tech that lets her see the climbable parts of her environment, as well as more options for controlling machines.
Unfortunately, the one thing we didn’t get from this presentation that would have been very welcome was a release date. It would have been nice to know if we’ll get to play the game this year or the next. Ben McCaw, narrative director for Guerilla Games, said in a PlayStation blog post: “We don’t have an exact release date yet, but development is on track and we’ll have an update for you very soon.”
