Thanks to the closing moments ofHorizonForbidden West’s story, players have a good idea of what’s in store for them and the franchise in the future. Based on how Guerrilla Games has teased a face-off between Aloy and the AI entity known as Nemesis, aHorizon 3where Aloy grapples with the Old Ones' legacy one more time seems inevitable at this point. Between an upcoming Netflix adaptation, PSVR 2 spin-off, andseveral rumored PC and PS5 projects, demand for the threequel will likely only grow from here.
Althoughthe theoreticalHorizon 3will no doubt be designed around giving fans a satisfying resolution to Aloy’s quest to save the Earth, it’s already possible to predict some of its other potential selling points. As with almost every video game sequel, the threequel would be a big opportunity for Guerrilla Games to improve the franchise’s gameplay mechanics. The game’s combat would benefit and arguably flourish the most from a renewed focus on the weapons and armor of the Old Ones, though.
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Aloy’s Current Arsenal
Between the release ofHorizon Zero Dawnand its sequelHorizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games spent a sizable amount of time refining each of the franchise’s key selling points. While some fans and critics have weighed up which adventure is better from a narrative perspective, there’s been less debate when it comes to the gameplay side of things. Aloy’s combat abilities, melee skills, and general proficiency in battle all took a significant step forward in the sequel.
Despite Aloy’s improved combat skills, one could argue that her readily available weapons and armor didn’t progress at the same rate inHorizon Forbidden West. Even though using each part of her arsenalin Guerrilla Games’ sequelwas mostly an enjoyable experience, a lot of room for improvement was still left on the table. Of all the gear types that players had access to, many were returning fan favorites rather than totally new equipment. Weapons like the Spike Throwers and Shredder Gauntlets were notable new standouts, but Guerrilla Games might focus on addressing weapon diversity inHorizon 3no matter what.
What’s curious about the design philosophies that Guerrilla Games applied toHorizon Forbidden West, is the fact that this lack of variety didn’t make it over toHorizon’s Heavy Weapon selection. After ripping apart most of the sequel’s larger machines, the Nora Hunter was able to temporarily pick up an impressive array of powerful weapons. In total 21 were available, which is a dramatic upturn fromHorizon Zero Dawn’s seven. ForHorizon 3, the studio would do well to focus on what it’s achieved in this department while taking things to the next level.
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Gameplay Improvements for Horizon 3
By focusing onHorizon Forbidden West’s Heavy Weapon selection, Guerrilla Games might have found a way for it to makeHorizon 3’s combat flourish on a wider level. The heavy weaponry found in the second installment of the series is striking because of how many of them are relics of the ancient world. From an in-universe point of view, it appears as though the AI Hephaestus has been inspired to outfit its machines with armor and gear that were prevalent duringthe Faro Plague outbreak.
Considering how effective these weapons are in both the hands of Aloy and the machines, it’s remarkable that the former hasn’t spent more time studying others like them. Instead, InHorizon Zero DawnandForbidden West, the Nora Hunter spends most of her time repurposing old technology into inventions like the Tripcaster and her various armor mods. As a result of this,there’s significant scope for Guerrilla Gamesto take the concept of the Old Ones’ technology further in the theoreticalHorizon 3. Allowing Aloy to find and refurbish this type of gear on a permanent basis would likely benefit the experience on multiple fronts.
For starters, this retro-inspired arsenal expansion would likely come hand-in-hand with deeper combat gameplay and more varied enemy encounters. While this would possibly be true for any new weapon or armor type that Guerrilla Games could invent, this kind of gear in particular would take variety to previously unseen levels. That’s partly down to the fact that, as it stands right now, the energy and bullet-based weapons and armor that the Old Ones utilized are almost completely detached from those used by the present-day tribes oftheHorizonuniverse.
While it’s true thatAloy and theHorizontribeshave access to sophisticated elemental ammunition and protection, from everything that’s been shown so far, the Old Ones’ technology was even more impressive. Not only would this type of gear allow players to approach battles with new tactics, but they’d also help to make combat more engaging on a general level. Instead of approaching vendors for weapons, for example, it stands to reason that Aloy would need to refurbish and craft them herself. This would place a heavier emphasis on exploration too, as players would need to search for the right resources. Similar to gameplay loops seen in games likeThe Last of Us.
Knock-on Benefits of Old Ones Weaponry
Greater gameplay variety and expanded mechanics are the two biggest advantages that a renewed focus on the Old Ones’ technology would bring to a possibleHorizon 3. There are, however, other elements to the process that could have a positive impact on combat as well. For one, based on howGuerrilla Games has built out theHorizonloreso far, it’s possible to imagine each piece of gear having some form of backstory attached to its introduction.
In addition to making the universe slightly more believable, each weapon and piece of armor would also take up a more impactful place in Aloy’s arsenal as a result of this. It might be a small part of the process, but fostering an attachment between the player and the tools at their disposal can help to make combat more engaging on a personal level. Similarly, an increased focus on theweapons of the Old Onescould also make the physical prospect of fighting Nemesis more feasible.
Thanks to everything that’s been revealed about the entity up until now,Aloy is probably going to need new toolsin her arsenal if she’s going to fight against it. Looking back at the distant past could theoretically provide some answers to this conundrum. After all, Nemesis was built using the technology of the Old Ones, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they might have posthumous answers to it now. In some respects, making combat flourish inHorizon 3is a process that multiple parts of Guerrilla Games' theoretical threequel could depend on.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5.
