Horizon Forbidden Westdials up the action from the first game by introducing new machines, weapons, and combos that elevates the gameplay and makes the combat feel progressive. However, one of the downsides of the series is the lack of exciting melee combat between Aloy and her human enemies, whether the rebels or the Far Zenith. This issue carries itself into the melee pits inHorizon Forbidden Westwhere players will find themselves often practicing certain button combos in the hopes of clearing certain levels of the pit so they can eventually challenge the pit master.
Horizon Forbidden West’s melee pits are definitely dragged down by the lack of melee combat options, and it can make completing the pits a bit more frustrating. This is because for players to complete the challenges, they have to focus on practicing a single combo multiple times, which can get very repetitive and many may never use these combos in actual combat. This takes away from the pits being a practice space since the opponents that Aloy will fight often do not emulate howhuman enemies fight in theHorizonworld.
RELATED:One Year Later, Horizon Forbidden West Proves the Franchise Can Be Expanded Even More
Horizon Forbidden West’s Melee Combat
As it stands,Horizon Forbidden Westhas simple melee combat as it is not the primary means of attack for Aloy, whether fighting humans or machines. Aloy uses her spear to inflict melee damage, often swinging it around and chaining attacks to perform lethal combos.Horizon Forbidden Westalso introduced the Resonator Blast abilitywhich allows Aloy to essentially charge an opponent and then blow them up by firing an arrow at them, giving players a new way to combine their long-range and melee combat options.
Melee attacks are also improved by unlocking skills on the Warrior tree, some of which can improve Aloy’s chances of knocking down machines, while others unlock new combos for the player to use. Unlocking certain skills can give players an edge, even when they do not utilize melee as much, since it often leads to attack bonuses on critical strikes. However, while challenging human enemies, melee combat seems to lack the nuances that are present whileusing some of Aloy’s ranged weapons, and many players find it much easier to simply rely on the bow and avoid bringing out Aloy’s spear.
Melee Pits
Horizon Forbidden Westhas four melee pits spread across its map for Aloy to visit, each of them has its own pit challenges that must be completed in order for Aloy to challenge the pit master. After defeating all four pit masters, Aloy will then be able to challenge theTenakth melee master known as The Enduring, who is a secret boss inHorizon Forbidden West. The difficulty the game is set on will dictate the amount of time available for each challenge, and defeating The Enduring unlocks the Enduring Trophy onHorizon Forbidden West.
While the melee pits are a good way to spend time between quests, the lack of strategic melee options such as parry and blocks takes away from the true experience of the pits. Further, for players seeking out a good melee experience inHorizon Forbidden West, the melee pits simply do not compare to seeking out the Tenakth rebels and using only Aloy’s spear in combat. This is because themelee pits forceHorizonplayers to focus on practicing certain comboswhich do not paint an accurate picture of how human combat actually works inHorizon Forbidden West.
RELATED:Horizon Forbidden West Improves Heavy Weapons, But Guerilla Can Do More
Horizon Melee Combat Changes Can Enhance Melee Pits
WhileHorizon Forbidden West’s melee pits may not accurately represent the human side of combat in the game, it does give players something else to do outside quests. However, improving melee combat in futureHorizongames could greatly elevate the pits and make them viable challenges similar toGod of War’s Valkyries.A more advanced melee system in futureHorizongameswould likely include a block or parry system, and maybe even a stamina system that will force players to intentionally swing the spear, rather than simply spamming the attack button and dodging out of the way of attacks.
At the moment, other than the melee pits,Horizononly has a few minigames; players can mainly fight or play the extremely addictiveMachine Strike board game. Improving the melee combat will undoubtedly improve the melee pits and could make them a greater challenge for players, especially since at the moment the melee pits are arguably the easiest part of the game. Instead of having four pit masters, one for each pit, melee pits should feature multiple pit masters, each with increasing levels of difficulty, giving players a more challenging activity to do outside of quests.
Horizon Forbidden West’s melee pits are one of the few things that players can do when taking a break from the storyline of the game. However, with the few options available in melee combat, and Aloy’s reliance on her ranged weapons in a majority of the fights, melee combat is not a viable option outside the melee pits. So, for futureHorizongames to make the melee pits more entertaining, the melee system itself will need to be overhauled to contain a few more tactical options such as parrying and blocking, as well asdifferent melee weapons inHorizonfor Aloythat could change the speed and damage to each attack.
Horizon Forbidden Westis currently available on PS4 and PS5.
