Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West is an action role-playing game played from the third-person perspective. Players control Aloy, a huntress in a world populated by dangerous machines. Set in an open world located in post-apocalyptic California, Utah and Nevada,[1][2] the game will explore the mysterious frontier known as the Forbidden West. The map will be larger than in the previous game, filled with secrets that lie beneath ruins from the world of the Old Ones. The game will feature a multitude of recognizable locations including a ruined San Francisco and the Yosemite Valley with various biomes.[3][4] One of the main additions to the sequel is the element of underwater exploration.[5] Players will be able to uncover the mysteries beneath the surface of seas, lakes and rivers.[6] The game will also feature enhanced melee combat, revamped climbing mechanics and improved traversal options over the original game with the addition of the Valor Surge system, freeform climbing and tools such as the Shieldwing, Focus Scanner, Diving Mask and Pullcaster.[7]

Horizon Forbidden West continues the story of Aloy, a young huntress of the Nora tribe sent on a quest to the arcane frontier known as the Forbidden West to find the source of a mysterious plague that kills all it infects. On her journey across these uncharted lands, Aloy encounters hostile regions ravaged by massive storms and occupied by dangerous enemies and deadly machines. She also discovers a vast array of environments and ecosystems, including lush valleys, dry deserts, snowy mountains, tropical beaches and ruined cities, both above and below the water.

Horizon Forbidden West is a sequel to 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn.[8] It is being developed by Guerrilla Games and will be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.[8][9] The game director is Mathijs de Jonge whilst the narrative director is Benjamin McCaw.[10] The Flight (composed of Joe Henson and Alexis Smith), Joris de Man, and Niels van de Leest are set to return to compose an original score for the game alongside Oleksa Lozowchuk.[11] Ashly Burch, Lance Reddick and John Hopkins reprise their roles as Aloy, Sylens and Erend, respectively.[12][13]

The PlayStation 5 version of Forbidden West will take advantage of the console's increased processing power, custom solid state drive storage, Tempest Engine and DualSense controller to support features such as advanced haptic feedback, 3D spatial audio, enhanced lighting, improved visual effects and reduced loading times.[14][15][16] The PlayStation 5 version will also feature an optional "performance mode" that allows the game to run at 60 frames per second with a lower base resolution.[17] The game uses an updated version of the Decima engine with support for high dynamic range.[18]

Horizon Forbidden West was announced during Sony's PlayStation 5 reveal event in June 2020 with a planned release in 2021.[8][19][20] On May 27, 2021, Guerrilla Games showcased a 14-minute PlayStation 5 gameplay demo for the game in Sony's State of Play presentation.[18] In June 2021, head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst said they were on track for a late 2021 release but development was being partly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as they were having trouble getting access to performance capture and talent.[21] On August 25, 2021 it was announced that its release had been delayed to February 18, 2022.[22]

A comic book series, set after the events of the first game, was published by Titan Comics on 5 August 2020.[23] On June 3, 2021, Guerilla released an extended play (EP) entitled The Isle of Spires composed of four tracks.[11]