Horizon Forbidden West was a massive expansion on the first game, in terms of level design and quality. Taking the story to the West Coast gave it an entirely different vibe, new machines to take on, and more obstacles to overcome. It's the next chapter of a trilogy that is yet to be completed, with the surprisingly deep story hurtling towards a conclusion as Nemesis makes its way Horizon's Earth. The franchise has plenty in the tank, and will be seeing more entries across a few different mediums in the future.
Aloy is in the middle of it all, beginning her story as a Nora outcast and now being the planet's clear best chance for survival after Horizon Forbidden West. She's the most important person in the world, and while this makes her journey feel immensely weighty, it also means that if Horizon wants to shake things up and have players see the setting through the eyes of someone new, it could be hard to keep the stakes as high, and the story as gripping.
Aloy is One With Horizon's World
Vast deserts, harsh mountains, and luscious grasslands make up each of the maps Horizon games' maps. The Horizon games have their differences, but the way the machines roam the earth is something that is similar across both titles. Aloy is at the center of the franchise, with her status as a clone of the scientist who created Project Zero Dawn and the only character with the right genetic material to interact with much of the most important Old World technology. She's tied not just to the main story, but the setting itself, which allows the simple act of discovering a new machine to contribute to Aloy and Elisabet's development.
There are protagonists who are more compelling than Aloy in PlayStation's fantastic first-party line-up, but none are as pivotal to the fabric of their game as Aloy is. The Last of Us has messed around with new protagonists, as have Spider-Man and Uncharted. Even God of War has deviated (albeit slightly) from Kratos with lengthy sections where players take on the role of Atreus. The construction of Horizon's story and world, however, means that putting Aloy to one side could be too big an elephant in the room to ignore for too long.
A New Horizon Protagonist Would Have a Mountain to Climb
That omission would mount the pressure on a potential new main character. The confirmed Horizon multiplayer game will surely have players assume the role of someone new, which would make sense as roaming the space with other users will likely take precedent over cinematic storytelling and intricate character moments. However, should a singleplayer title look at someone new, players will know that the new protagonist may never be as important to the world in which they call home.
This could be a blessing or a curse, depending on what direction the story takes. Using a main character who is deliberately insignificant could be a good way to tell a rags-to-riches tale, or one that shows that in a dangerous and chaotic world, anyone can be a hero. However, future games will likely try and add more combat mechanics, and it wouldn't make much sense for someone without Aloy's genetics and inherited mission to have more power over their environment than Aloy does. PlayStation has big plans for Horizon in the future, that much is clear, but the structure of the first two games means it might be hard to deviate too far from Aloy.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.
