BeforeHorizon Zero Dawnwas released in 2017, Guerrilla Games' action RPG title was already setting itself up as an exciting new IP with a fresh perspective and unique premise. Now, six years later, the series has entered another exciting chapter with the launch ofHorizon Call of the Mountainlast month and the upcoming release ofHorizon Forbidden West’s first DLC set for later this year. Even with an impressive streak behind it, some fans are already looking ahead and wondering what the future of the series afterHorizon Call of the Mountainmight look like, and what other formats the games might take.
Guerrilla Games hasn’t revealed much about wherethe next mainline game in the Horizon serieswill take place or what it might entail, but the developer has suggested that it is a trilogy and that another installment is on the way. WithHorizon Zero Dawn,Horizon Forbidden West, and the PS VR2 titleHorizon Call of the Mountaineach showing off new sides to the post-apocalyptic setting and expanding the original world that the developer created in different ways, gamers can expect the next title to do the same. However, one way that a futureHorizongame could really develop the franchise further is to switch the single-player RPG gameplay to an MMO format with much more player freedom.
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The Horizon Series' Journey So Far
In the past decade or so, much-needed video games centered around a compelling female protagonist have appeared with increased regularity and in a wider array of genres than ever before. Following in the footsteps of characters like Lara Croft,theHorizonseries' protagonist Aloywas an instantly memorable main character who drove the action of the games and was the beating heart of their expansive stories. Uncovering humanity’s past alongside Aloy, players explored the crumbling world that still clung on after it was overrun by machines, and theHorizongames presented a fascinating setting with almost limitless potential.
Horizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westare centered around Aloy’s story as she discovers the secrets of the Old Ones and learns more about her past and her place in the world as a result. Although each game focused on different areas, and the sequel in particular offered more diverse biomes for players to explore, the mainline games have all focused on regions in the Western United States. They are both RPGs that focus on a single-player story experience and are played through a third-person perspective.Horizon Call of the Mountainswitched things up a bit, with a first-person, VR format that introduced some interesting new elements which subsequent games could continue to push.
The Future Of The Horizon Franchise
WhileHorizon Call of the Mountainwas not a direct sequel, it still intersected with the previous two games in terms of its timeline, narrative, and gameplay aspects, and even featured a cameo from Aloy. However, it showed the potential of expanding the IP beyond its initial roots. Introducing former Shadow Carja rebel Ryas as a new protagonist was a big step away from Aloy and her story. Although single-player story-focused RPGs have proven endurably popular over the years, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for franchises likeGuerrilla Games’Horizonto also play around with other formats.
The next game in theHorizontrilogy will likely bring Aloy’s story to a close and deal with Nemesis' eventual arrival to Earth, as well as what effectAloy and Beta’s reactivation of GAIAwill have. There is a multitude of unanswered questions that the third mainline game will inevitably tie up, but the future of the franchise beyond that isn’t so certain. Fans of theHorizongames have some ideas of where the next game or any subsequent games might go, such as South America, but besides that, the door is essentially wide open for a variety of different avenues.
Beyond the closing chapter of Aloy’s narrative, some players are hoping the developer looks atturningHorizoninto an MMO. Instead of following the story of a fully-realized character like Aloy or Ryas, gamers could create their own and have a bigger hand in how they encounter the world.
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Possible Focuses Of Future Horizon Games
An MMO that pits gamers against each other in the treacherous and challenging world of theHorizonseries has plenty of potential. The previous games have given Aloy and evenRyas options when it comes to combat, with players able to unlock tools and other perks to help them with exploration and conflict. Both characters are predominantly archers, but in aHorizonMMO where gamers can decide what their character looks like, what type of fighter they are, and which weapons they prioritize, players could have a lot more freedom. With the combination of salvaged machine parts and the weaponry each tribe favors, there are lots of possibilities and unique builds that gamers could choose.
AlthoughHorizon Zero Dawnstarts with the hunter-gatherer Nora tribe, and both the first game and its sequelHorizon Forbidden Westare led by Nora hunter Aloy, many different groups are introduced over the course of the games as players explore new regions. Tribes like the Carja, of whichHorizon Call of the Mountain’s protagonist has ties, are another faction that presides predominantly in the desert and has their own complicated history.
The Banuk, which mainly consists of wandering groups of hunters and shamans who call the snowy mountainous regions home, orthe Oseramwith their talent for fighting and metalwork, are also tribes that Aloy encounters on her journey. Any of these groups could have more prominence in another entry, and players could even be given the chance to choose which one they belong to.
An MMO couldopen up the world of theHorizongamesas well, further focusing on other overrun metropolises throughout the former United States that players have already encountered or shift the focus onto new areas entirely.Horizon Forbidden Westalso added underwater exploration, but there are other types of settings and methods of traversal that could be included. AHorizonMMO that lets players build their character from scratch, pick their own tribe, or even operate as a free agent as they uncover the world of the Old Ones would expand the series in incredible ways.
Horizon Call of the Mountainis available now on PS VR2.
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