Horizon is well known for its innovative combat mechanics, and Horizon Forbidden West is set to make it even better. Aloy will still have her trusty bow, spear, and Ropecasters, but she'll also have new gadgets added to her arsenal.
The first of these is the Shieldwing, a specialized glider that Aloy can deploy for quick entrance and escapes. Aloy can use it to descend from high ground safely, or perhaps get the drop on an enemy from above.
The Pullcaster is a grappling hook that Aloy can use on marked grappling spots. She can even use it in mid-air to help her out of a lethal fall or to quickly scale sheer cliffs and gain a height advantage on enemies. Grapple points will be plentiful in the environment, granting Aloy plenty of choices for approaches.
Next up is the Diving Mask, a critical piece of gear for exploring underwater. Which is excellent, because Forbidden West's vast underwater environments are an incredible sight to behold, as this gameplay video by Skill Games shows.
Aloy also gets a new Slingshot, which hurls adhesive grenades that can stick to enemies.
She also gets a set of new outfits, with each one having an attached skill she can use. And if things start to get complicated, she can upgrade weapons at her own workbench to give her an edge in combat.
Finally, Aloy gets an upgrade to her Focus, allowing her to find climbable areas and take over machines to use as mounts. Free climbing is an essential new feature in the game, with Aloy being able to climb up more surfaces than allowed in the previous game. This will give players a wider choice of approaches and tactics for exploration and combat.
The mech-dinosaurs and other robotic fauna return in Horizon Forbidden West, with trailers showing Aloy riding a robo-raptor. While bigger and more dangerous foes will be introduced in the game, it seems taming and using these creatures as mounts also figure significantly, and may help Aloy survive the dangers of the new land.
Throughout her journey, Aloy will meet familiar tribes and new clans who may aid or thwart her. There are at least five tribes that Aloy can interact with. The first two are the Oseram and the Carja, both of which players have previously met in Horizon Zero Dawn. Two more are the Utaru and the Tenakth, both of whom appeared briefly in Zero Dawn but will play a greater role in the sequel. Finally, there's a fifth tribe that's been alluded to in the trailer but has thus far not been introduced.
The Utaru have made it their mission to attempt to heal the land of the Red Blight. The Tenakth, however, are more concerned with their civil war. Two Tenakth sub-clans are attempting to quell a rebellious third faction led by a woman named Regalla, who will play an antagonist in the game. Regalla and her tribe have somehow managed to gain control of the living machines, an ability that makes them formidable indeed.
As for the mysterious fifth tribe, the only thing known about them is this ominous passage: "strangers pass the shore, searching for secrets on the very edge of the West." Rumor has it this tribe is even more powerful than Regalla and her Tenakth allies.
Horizon Forbidden West comes in no less than five different versions, with some rewards for those who pre-order. Listed here are the differences. Note that the Standard edition only contains the digital version of the game. If you get the PS4 version, you can obtain a PS5 version if you decide to make the switch to PS5.
Horizon Forbidden West is a PlayStation exclusive. As of now, no plans for a PC release have been announced despite Zero Dawn already having a PC port. Both Sony and Developers have stated that Forbidden West is committed to the PlayStation platform's hardware capabilities.
Game director Mathijs de Jonge states:
"With the PS5's SSD, there will be virtually no loading screens. In an open-world game like Horizon Forbidden West, if you open up the map and fast travel from one end to the other, or restart from a checkpoint, it will be super fast. When you boot up the game, you're right there in the action."
The PS5 version offers some fairly amazing features. The 4K visuals and HDR give sharp, crisp details of every character and object in the environment. Haptic feedback gives you a sense of impact depending on the direction of the attack, and even provides sensation as you move through the grass and other obstructions. Adaptive triggers let you feel the tension of a bowstring and the force of your Pullcaster.
As shown in the Editions portion, if you happen to play the PS4 version of the game, you will be eligible for a free upgrade to the PS5 version if you ever buy the newer console. This comes after Sony backtracked on its announcement that they would not push through with the dual entitlement offer.
Horizon Forbidden West comes out on February 18, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Note that all the game footage featured is from the PS5 version of the game, so your mileage may vary if you have a PS4. Eventually, the game might come to the PC as well. Get your Horizon Forbidden West PS5 or PS4 key today.
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