Since the release of Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games has greatly expanded the world it created. It has a rich history stretching back centuries and, as players learn in Horizon Forbidden West, the story encompasses more than just Earth. It reaches all the way to Sirius thanks to the Far Zenith and its space colonizing plans. Though the Far Zenith receives the spotlight in Horizon Forbidden West, there are still many questions surrounding the group, and they could be answered in a future prequel.
The members of Far Zenith are the main antagonists of Forbidden West, and they have twisted ideas on how to continue the human race. Aloy learns a lot about the members, especially Tilda van der Meer, who was once well-acquainted with Dr. Elisabeth Sobeck. With more Horizon releases lined up, there may be more opportunities to find out more about this mysterious group.
What Is Far Zenith?
In Horizon Zero Dawn, players explore to a future world where human society has been destroyed. Humanity was brought to the brink of destruction, but thanks to Project Zero Dawn, the species is given a second chance. It is quite interesting to discover how humanity attempts to rebuild society and the new cultures and tribes that emerge. It is just as enthralling to learn about the Old Ones and what they did as they realized that their own technology was about to bring about their demise.
During Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, gamers mostly find out about Project Zero Dawn and its members. The group is led by the genius Dr. Elisabet Sobeck, and it strives to repopulate Earth with life after the Faro Plague consumes all biomass on the planet. Although this is the best hope the species has, not everyone is on board with the plan. Far Zenith is such a group, and it is composed of some of the wealthiest people on Earth. Instead of saving Earth, they plan on leaving the planet. Far Zenith claims that it wants to expand humanity across the galaxy, but in reality, it only wishes to save the elite by fleeing to Sirius. They succeed in this endeavor, and they manage to run a colony for several centuries. Through advanced technology, they become practically immortal, and life is as close to paradise as one can get.
The Members of Far Zenith
One of the reasons why a game about the Far Zenith would be so interesting is because the members are an intriguing bunch. They are the elites of the Old Ones, and they all are eccentric. Members include Tilda van der Meer, a Dutch tech mogul and information broker who had a short-lived romantic relationship with Dr. Elisabet Sobeck. She loves fine art, and her intelligence allows her to be a master manipulator. There is also Gerard Bieri, who is the leader of the Far Zeniths, Erik Visser, who is his right-hand man, and Verbena Sutter, among a number of other unnamed elites.
They meet their downfall when they find themselves unsatisfied with mere physical immortality. They also desire to store their consciousness digitally, and for that purpose, they create Nemesis as a digital database for their minds. The project is considered a failure, and Nemesis is locked up and forgotten. This is a terrible mistake, as Nemesis grows sentient and eventually loathes humans for neglecting it. Fueled by hatred and malice, it destroys the Sirius colony, killing everyone on it.
Only eleven Far Zenith members escape, and they flee for Earth. On Earth, they plan to steal GAIA and colonize a new planet. Their plan is spoiled when they run into Aloy and her friends. They are defeated, and though Tilda temporarily fools Aloy into thinking she is on her side, she too is eventually defeated. Nemesis' threat has yet to be neutralized, and the vengeful AI is headed for Earth to destroy all humans.
Questions Surrounding Far Zenith
In Horizon Forbidden West, gamers find out a lot about Far Zenith, but there are still plenty of questions surrounding the mysterious group. Gamers could find out more about Far Zenith in a prequel game from the perspective of one of the members. Perhaps the most interesting member is Tilda. A game from her perspective would allow gamers to find out more about Elisabet Sobeck, and what kind of person she was in her personal life. Gerard's perspective would also be extremely valuable, as it would reveal a lot about the inner working of the Far Zenith and the origins of Nemesis. A game focused on the Far Zenith would also reveal more about Sirius. Fans deserve a firsthand perspective on how the colony worked, what Sirius was like, how it compared to Earth, and so on.
A prequel from the perspective of the Far Zeniths would also shed more light on Beta's life. Beta is created by the Far Zeniths who intend to use her to access GAIA's terraforming system. For the most part, the Far Zenith members treat her like an object, except for Tilda, who gives her a small hideout to explore and occasionally talks to her. This treatment during her early life causes her to become very closed off, pessimistic, and reclusive.
Horizon Forbidden West's ending suggests that there are more games on the way, as Aloy still has to deal with Nemesis' incoming threat. She will need the help of all her friends to deal with this terrible enemy. There have also been rumors that a Horizon Zero Dawn remake and a multiplayer game are in the works. Gamers can also look forward to the upcoming VR game Horizon Call of the Mountain, and as it will focus on a former Shadow Carja warrior, it is unlikely that anything related to Far Zenith will make an appearance.
Horizon Forbidden West is available on PS4 and PS5.
