Every sequel is met with the challenge of being new enough to stand out while carrying on enough themes and content from the first game, but Horizon Forbidden West has set itself up for success in this department. Guerrilla Games has made it well known that Aloy’s next journey will take her to a completely different setting from Horizon Zero Dawn.
Naturally, Horizon Forbidden West is set in the Forbidden West, a region of post-apocalyptic America that was shrouded in mystery in the first game. Guerilla Games played its cards right enticing players with rumors about this part of the world in the first game, leading to the Forbidden West serving as a strong setup for the sequel without being an overbearing presence.
Odds are, Guerrilla Games wants to set up for a third game in Horizon Forbidden West. Aloy and Horizon have proven their potential for a franchise after the first game’s success; however, it’s crucial that the developer doesn’t get in over its heads setting up for a game after Forbidden West. While fans would find it exciting to get the sense of what comes after Forbidden West, players can also have too much of a good thing. If Horizon Forbidden West is stuffed to the gills with clues and cryptic references to Horizon 3, players are bound to find the game more exhausting than immersive.
Although it seems obvious, Horizon Forbidden West needs to focus on the Forbidden West. It’s clear that there’s a lot going on here. There’s a narrative of a dangerous sickness for Aloy to investigate, there’s denizens of the West for Aloy to encounter, and there’s a ton of new machines that players are chomping at the bit to fight. Even in spite of how much has been revealed about Horizon Forbidden West so far, there’s plenty of context to the setting that’s still missing. It’s hard to say who exactly Aloy’s newest enemy is, if it’s anyone specific, but the game’s trailers have built a lot of tension around the plague that may threaten everything Aloy holds dear.
Guerrilla Games doesn’t need to treat Horizon Forbidden West as a gateway to a third game, seeing how content is already set up for the West. There’s room for a little bit of mystery here, especially since these lands are as foreign to Aloy as they are for the players. However, too much mystery and intrigue will make players feel lost. When everything is obscure, it becomes hard to tell what’s important for the current plot and what’s just a clue for the next game. Players need to feel grounded in the Forbidden West or they’ll spend a lot of the game feeling like they’re missing out instead.
Of course, there’s room for a few clues about a third game. If characters occasionally talk about a remarkable border that fans can’t cross, then fans will surely be full of excitement, knowing what it means after Horizon Zero Dawn. Fans will be really curious if Aloy goes north toward the Pacific Northwest and Canada or south toward Mexico. Whichever direction is made remarkable will tell players what to expect out of Horizon 3.
Teasing the Forbidden West worked in Horizon Zero Dawn because it never got in the way of the game. The narrative had a ton of places to go without constantly bumping into the Forbidden West’s border with nowhere to go. Instead, the Forbidden West was just a strong piece of lore that players could learn about and contemplate. Guerrilla Games has written good lore by not explaining everything, since that leaves possibilities for sequels. There’ll be new lore in Horizon Forbidden West, for sure, but it can’t all be written with something else in mind. Instead, it needs to leave just enough open ends that the game’s focus remains on the West while still reassuring players that there’s even more to come.
Horizon Forbidden West releases on PS4 and PS5 in late 2021.
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