Horizon Forbidden West's gameplay showcase gave a lot of new insight into how combat and traversal elements have been improved upon. While everything stays true to the original feeling of Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West has obviously expanded upon and improved many of the systems, including climbing and melee combat.
Improved systems come with exciting new tools at Aloy's disposal, several of which were shown during the gameplay demo. Guerrilla Games was clear that not everything was revealed during the gameplay showcase, so there's still more to look forward to. The developer didn't hold back in the gameplay trailer, though, and there's a ton to unpack now that fresh details about the game have finally been released after a year-long silence.
Climbing Has Improved: Aloy's Focus and Pullcaster
Climbing was one of the main criticisms of Horizon Zero Dawn because it seemed to lack innovation and didn't allow for a lot of creativity on the player's part. Basically, Aloy needed to find the yellow handholds and grab on. In Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games has obviously taken note of those criticisms and improved upon the original climbing mechanics in a huge way.
Aloy's Focus now has a new feature that allows her to scan the environment to pick out areas ideal for climbing; this is a great way to keep those yellow handholds from fighting against the beautiful natural environment. In addition to traditional climbing, Aloy now has a tool called the Pullcaster, which looks and functions similarly to the grappling hook in Sekiro. It allows her to get to difficult-to-reach spots as well as helps her escape dangerous situations quickly. It looks very fluid, fast, fun to use, and should allow for players to creatively deal with enemy encounters.
Aloy's Shieldwing Glider Lets Her Descend From Great Heights
The second major traversal tool Aloy has been given in Forbidden West is the Shieldwing, a high-tech glider that allows her to descend from high places without having to rappel down in a cutscene like she did in the previous game. It opens up a lot of opportunities for traversing the game world and can also be used for combat. While floating down, Aloy can use the Shieldwing to attack enemies from above.
Gliders are not uncommon in video games, with Breath of the Wild being one of the primary examples. With an open-world as beautiful as Forbidden West's, the glider is a natural addition. Many Horizon fans really wanted to see Aloy mount flying machines in Forbidden West, and while that hasn't been confirmed to be true, the Shieldwing is the next best thing.
Horizon Forbidden West's Underwater Exploration
Underwater exploration was teased during the reveal trailer, where Aloy was shown briefly avoiding Snapmaws in a sunken city, but the Forbidden West gameplay showcase highlighted this element even more. It's clear that underwater exploration could be a big part of Forbidden West. Aloy dives into the water to avoid an angry herd of machines, and as soon as she does the ocean comes to life in a way no one expected.
The Forbidden West environment is absolutely stunning and the showcase demonstrated how Aloy must carefully avoid machines in water — it's unclear right now if she's able to fight while submerged. But thanks to her diving mask, the developer confirmed that Aloy can stay underwater as long as she wants without having to worry about coming up for air. She can even talk to herself underwater.
This would seem to confirm that underwater exploration will have a major role in Forbidden West rather than just be a passing attraction, and just looking at the stunning visuals, it's hard to imagine why anyone wouldn't take Guerrilla up on that opportunity. Sunken cities are something Aloy could never have explored in the land-locked Horizon Zero Dawn map, but the Pacific Coast location opens up a ton of new possibilities.
Aloy's Spear Finally Uses Combos for Melee Combat
The lack of melee combat options was also a major criticism for Horizon Zero Dawn, and once again Guerrilla seems to have paid attention to fan feedback. In Zero Dawn, Aloy only had two spear attack options, light and heavy, meaning that the primary focus was ranged combat. Aloy is a hunter and ranged combat is more or less the point of game, so that's not necessarily bad, but especially with faster machines it would have been great to have more options. It would also have been helpful in human combat.
It's not entirely clear yet how Aloy's spear works in Forbidden West, but combat sections in the gameplay reveal showcased what has to be a deeper melee combat system. The developers mentioned that Aloy's spear can now build combos, which is entirely new. Aloy's spear can also be outfitted with abilities like the Valor Surge, a charged attack that does a lot of damage to surrounding enemies. While players won't really know how the melee combat feels until they get their hands on the game, it looks like there are a ton of options that will make for a fast-paced and satisfying combat experience.
Forbidden West's Spike Thrower, Adhesive and Smoke Bombs
Of course, Aloy can't go to the Forbidden West without picking up some brand new weapons, specifically for ranged combat. Even though there are more melee options this time, ranged attacks are still Aloy's specialty. When it comes to massive machines like the Tremortusk, it's best to fight from a distance. One of the ways Aloy can do this is with the Spike Thrower, a new weapon that, true to its name, throws spikes at enemies to deal damage.
While they don't seem to deal damage, there are also a few more strategic tools at Aloy's disposal. Likely inspired by the Sticky Bombs from Zero Dawn, Aloy now has the Adhesive Bomb. Despite having similar names, they have different purposes. The Sticky Bomb would explode after being stuck to the enemy's surface for a couple of seconds, while the Adhesive Bomb explodes in a way that creates a glue-like substance, reducing the target's mobility. If Aloy needs a few extra seconds to get away or distract an enemy, this should come in handy.
Aloy will also have a Smoke Bomb, which many gamers are likely familiar with from other titles. True to tradition, Smoke Bombs act as a getaway device that blinds enemies momentarily. Horizon Zero Dawn used some stealth mechanics, but the Smoke Bomb will incorporate stealth with combat.
All of these new additions are only a sneak peek of what's to come and added that Aloy will be able to upgrade her gear at workbenches scattered throughout the world. Both the combat and traversal systems have been improved for Forbidden West, making it seem like a true next-gen game.
Horizon Forbidden West is scheduled to release for PS4 and PS5 in 2021.
