Horizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores DLC is officially available, and despite some absurd review bombing that comes primarily from homophobic gamers, discussion around the DLC is very positive. Aloy receives a good bit of character development, while the new frog-inspired machine the Bilegut serves as a challenging and interesting boss encounter. However, the best fight of all comes in the Horizon Forbidden West expansion’s last main quest.
The main story of Horizon Forbidden West had some solid boss fights, serving as a noteworthy step above its predecessor in this area, so it makes sense that Burning Shores would continue the trend. While the final boss of the new expansion is not difficult by any means, as players will have high enough health and strong enough weapons by the time they battle it that it will not be much of a challenge at all, its spectacle is a new high for the franchise. Once Nemesis arrives in Horizon 3, Guerrilla now has a perfect fight to look to if it wants to deliver a battle with a massive sense of scale.
Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead for Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
Burning Shores’ Battle Against The Horus and Londra Delivers in Several Ways
While challenging boss battles against enemies like Sekiro’s Isshin and Sifu’s Yang often rank at the top of many gamers’ lists, this is not the only way to deliver a memorable boss encounter. Some of the coolest boss battles are on the easy side, either because they’re very creative like Metal Gear Solid’s Psycho Mantis or visually stunning like Rykard from Elden Ring. The Horus encounter falls into the latter category, pitting Aloy against a machine that dwarfs any other threat she has ever come across.
Part of what makes the Horus encounter so special is that players have been waiting to properly battle one for years. Aloy has seen many of the massive, deadly machines littered across the regions she has explored, and given their incredible size, they have been a key reason behind gamers pushing for a prequel game that shows humanity’s final fight against extinction. With years of buildup, finally battling a Horus felt like a big deal, and thankfully Guerrilla Games stuck the landing.
The descent toward the boss arena where Aloy battles the Horus is a grand opening, as it gives players a chance to look in awe at the machine as it chases after Seyka and the Waterwing. As Aloy gracefully platforms toward the boss, the fight begins, and players begin destroying the heat sinks on the monstrous robot. Here, Guerrilla manages to consistently raise the stakes when players may think the fight is over, adding new attacks to the Horus’ move pool and keeping players on their toes. Even the appearance of Corruptors is well-handled, as they only come when players are taking a break from fighting the Horus, stopping them from being frustrating.
As the fight continues, Guerrilla Games mixes in some platforming, with players climbing the Horus in a Shadow of the Colossus-like sequence that serves as a reminder of the machine’s scale. Eventually, the Horus traps Aloy in its arms for a close-up encounter that resembles Dead Space’s final boss, forcing players to dodge attacks and land shots simultaneously. If that was not enough, once the Horus is beaten players swim into the machine for an encore, battling against Sam Witwer’s Walter Londra, who has his own attacks and mechanics.
The scale and length of the Horus boss fight helps make Burning Shores’ PS5 exclusivity understandable, and the result of all Guerilla’s effort is one of the best spectacle fights in recent years. Even more bombastic than classic spectacle fights like Demon’s Souls’ Storm King and Dark Souls 3’s Yhorm, the combo of the Horus and Londra makes for an unforgettable end to a must-play DLC. Hopefully, other video games take note of this sequence, as it is clear proof that “easy,” visually stunning battles can be just as exciting to play through as a fight against an overpowered boss.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5, and Burning Shores is available exclusively on PS5.
