An action-packed look at Eloy's upcoming adventure featuring new gameplay mechanics, machines, and more.
We are excited to share with you Horizon Forbidden West's first gameplay show on State of Play. This unique episode captures 14-minute never-before-seen gameplay footage directly on the PlayStation 5 console, as well as a quick recap with Horizon's game director Mathiez de Jong and myself.
Horizon Forbidden West continues six months after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy, the machine hunter, has traveled west to investigate a mysterious and deadly blight. In these unknown lands, she will meet strange new tribes and face ever more deadly machines. Along with old friends and new comrades, he must cross this dangerous border to find the answers necessary to save life on Earth.
In the State of Play gameplay footage, Aloy sends his loyal friend Arend to San Francisco's remains to retrieve an important artwork. But he quickly gets into trouble, encountering a rebel faction of the Tenakath tribe - vicious fighters who have somehow acquired the power to override the machines. Aloy must cross the ruins and fight several enemies to save his friend and continue his journey.
This dangerous and unfamiliar land is full of challenges and dangers, but Eloy will have new equipment to help him along the way. The pullcaster accelerates the climb, quickly getting him out of trouble; Shieldwing allows him to descend safely from great heights (or surprise enemies from above); And with diving masks, a whole new underwater world is open for exploration. Not to mention major upgrades in her focus, which now feature areas that allow free-climbing and give her the ability to override more machines for mount or combat.
Speaking of war, Horizon Forbidden West emphasizes strategy and choice by giving the player a variety of weapons. Eloy's trusty Spear is good for close combat and enables a new set of combo. Dhanush with special types of ammo shut down machines to expose their weak spots. Adhesive grenades can be fired with slingshot, temporarily stopping enemies. And much more, and all of them can be upgraded to a single workspace.
Eloy will not deal only with human enemies. The game also includes a large new selection of deadly machines: sunwings in the sky, clostriders, and tremortesque on land, snapmaws and small (yet to be underestimated) burrowers in the water. This is only the beginning, more will unfold in the vast open world of Horizon Forbidden West. You have to be smart and creative to take them all down.