Summary
Guerrilla Games’Horizon Zero Dawnarrived on the scene in 2017, surprising and delighting players and reviewers alike with its engaging gameplay, richly realized world, stunning visuals, and gripping story. The follow-up in 2022,Horizon Forbidden West,improved nearly every aspect and garnered even more critical and commercial acclaim, putting it in many Game of the Year discussions. With it, theHorizonseries firmly established itself as one of PlayStation and Sony’s premier first-party series, giving it a coveted spot alongside other prestige titles likeGod of War,The Last of Us, and most recentlyMarvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Guerrilla has already confirmed that a third mainlineHorizongame is in the works, which many fans assumed as a given in light of its popularity and rise in the ranks of AAA gaming. However, the developer has also been clear that it’s working on aHorizonmultiplayer titlethat seeks to expand on the world, and which will likely take precedence and release before the next proper single-player entry. Nevertheless, there is one feature that has been in the series since the start, and should see its best iteration yet in the threequel when it does come out: mounts.
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Why Horizon 3’s Mounts Could Be The Series' Best Yet
The world and premise ofHorizon Zero Dawnis unique especially among the many titles set in any kind of post-apocalypse. It can be described as something like a “post-post-apocalypse.” Centering on military AI robotic technology gone rampant, which led directly to a global environmental catastrophe,Horizon’s setup is fundamentally different from oft-used ones like nuclear war or alien invasions. One of the big design elements related to this that madeZero Dawnstand out against its contemporaries in the genre are the hordes of machines that roam its map. Resembling a mix of real-world wildlife and well-known dinosaur species, they were extremely distinctive, and became iconic for the franchise.
Though most of these machine creatures functioned purely as dangerous foes forHorizon’s protagonist Aloy, one of the most satisfying and fun mechanics introduced inZero Dawnand further expanded on inForbidden Westwere the ones that could act as ridable mounts. Players eventually received an ability allowing them to override a specific subset, hijacking them to turn them friendly and using them to traverse the world. Both narratively cohesive and compelling gameplay-wise, these mounts added another layer of excitement and immersion to the feel of the world.
As impressive as riding on a robotic ram was,Zero Dawnactually only contained a total of three mountable machines, all limited to land.Forbidden Westgave players a few more; four new ones in particular and one carry-over. However, it wasn’t until one of the final missions inForbidden Westthat players could acquire themost unique mount inForbidden West– the Sunwing. This agile pterosaur-like monster could both fly and dive briefly underwater, granting the most thrilling way to travel, and showcasing just how seamlessly Sony’s latest generation console could render and support such mechanics without impacting performance.
The beefier processing power provided by the PS5’s hardware opens up a realm of possibilities for expanding on cooler and more elaborate mounts inthe next mainlineHorizongame, which will presumably skip the PS4 entirely, rather than landing on both consoles. The Sunwing should almost certainly return, perhaps revamped and improved in both aerial maneuverability and combat tactics. Other previously seen machines like the crocodile equivalent Snapmaw could be added to the mountable ranks, asForbidden Westincluded many underwater sections, and being able to explore them while riding an aquatic-based beast would be even better. Whichever direction Guerrilla takes the nextHorizon, it has the technology at its disposal to make its mounts even more incredible and memorable.
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