Guerrilla Games' Horizon franchise introduces gamers to a future world where giant machines roam the land and humans live in primitive tribes. Though these tribes may lack modern technology, they still have rich cultures, long histories, and a host of interesting characters. By the end of Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy has interacted with different tribes, and she realizes that she has to understand their inner workings if she hopes to empathize with the various tribe members.
Horizon Forbidden West is not the end of the series, and gamers likely want to see more tribes in upcoming games. While this is not an inherently bad thing, introducing too many tribes could make it difficult to explore any of them in adequate depth. Furthermore, Aloy would be better off spending her time rallying together tribes she is already familiar with against Nemesis, who will likely be the biggest threat she has ever faced.
Horizon's Tribes Need to Band Together Against Nemesis
In Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy travels to new lands to meet new threats, which include even more vicious machines and hostile bandits. Although she manages to make it to the end of the game alive, she is left with many puzzling problems. Her friend Varl is dead, and life on Earth is not safe yet. It faces perhaps the biggest danger to date - Nemesis. This artificial intelligence was created by the Far Zeniths on Sirius, though they considered the project to be a failed one, resulting in them locking Nemesis up indefinitely. The Far Zenith's should have thought better, as this causes Nemesis to develop a deep loathing of humans, and it eventually strives to kill them all.
At the end of Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy discovers that Nemesis is on its way to Earth to finish off what it started. It would be easy to lose hope for humanity but Aloy hasn't, and she doesn't plan on running away from Earth. Instead, she plans to stand her ground against Nemesis and thwart the incoming villain. As fiercely independent as she is, Aloy realizes that she cannot do this alone and that she will need all the help she can get.
It would be easier for Aloy to gain the trust of tribes she has already interacted with instead of seeking out new tribes and attempting to convince them that rogue artificial intelligence is on its way to kill them all. The Nora practically worship Aloy and would stand behind her without complaint. She also wouldn't have much of a hard time convincing the Carja and Banuk who have been witnesses to her bravery. Over in the Forbidden West, she has formed relationships with the Utaru, and while they are mostly averse to conflict, they could help her in other ways. She also impresses the Tenakth, and these brave warriors may be willing to back her.
Rather than bringing in a slew of new tribes, the next Horizon game should instead focus its attention on the tribes that have already been introduced. Getting these tribes on her side and convincing them to work together will be enough of a task for Aloy without attempting to factor in new tribes. Furthermore, there are still plenty of unanswered questions surrounding the known tribes.
Horizon 3 Could Be a Chance to Learn More About Old Tribes
The tribes that have already been introduced are fascinating, and there is still lots to be uncovered about them. This would be an especially big desire for longtime fans who want to piece together as much as they can about the world they have spent so much time in. Horizon 3 could be an opportunity to do this, especially with the Utaru tribe. They are mostly agrarian, and their culture puts a great emphasis on music. When players enter their settlement, they are greeted by beautiful singing, which makes it a treat to always visit the Utaru. To help them with farming, they seek help from friendly machines called Plowhorns, which they call land-gods.
The next Horizon game will likely delve into the Utaru tribe a little more because of Zo, an Utaru tribe member who has become an important person in Aloy's life. Although Varl is dead, Horizon Forbidden West ends with Zo pregnant with Varl's child. Whether the child will be raised according to Utaru customs remains to be seen. However, seeing as how Varl received an Utaru-style burial, Zo will likely ensure their child knows about their culture.
Although they have been explored in two games, there is still much to uncover about the Carja tribe. It is one of the most dominant tribes players come across, and while it has had internal struggles, it has managed to endure for years. It has also given birth to the Shadow Carja, a dark offshoot that disagrees with Carjas regarding the transition of power. Once again, it is likely that the next Horizon game will explore the Carja a little more, as there is some unfinished business. For instance, Talanah is Aloy's friend, and she defies norms by becoming the first woman to lead the Carja Hunters Lodge. Although Talanah changed the path of the lodge, she still has a lot to do to fix the restrictive norms of the tribe.
Gamers will get to see plenty more of Horizon's world in the near future thanks to Horizon Call of the Mountain, a VR game that will focus on Ryas, a former Shadow Carja warrior. There have also been rumors that Guerrilla Games is working on a Horizon multiplayer game, and this could be another opportunity to explore the tribes more. However, the best avenue would be a new mainstream game in the series, where gamers can spend as much time as they need taking in the lore and learning more about tribes and characters she is already familiar with.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.
