Guerrilla Games announced a few days ago that it planned to host a May 2021 PlayStation State of Play event for its upcoming Horizon Forbidden West, claiming that it scheduled the showcase to give fans their first look at how the Horizon Zero Dawn sequel plays. The developer didn't provide specifics on what fans could expect from the reveal, only stating it would be 20 minutes total, with 14 dedicated to gameplay the developer captured using a PlayStation 5.
After a five-hour preshow displaying new details such as Horizon Forbidden West's day and night cycle, Guerilla Games finally delivered on its promise with gameplay, doing so by playing out a portion of one of its story missions. Once the mission ended, Forbidden West's narrative director Ben McCaw walked fans through the spectacle, contextualizing what they saw and detailing all of the upgrades Guerrilla made after Zero Dawn.
According to McCaw, the quest Guerrilla used sees Aloy rescuing her friend Erend after he comes under attack from a rebel faction of the Tenakth clan during a mission she deployed him on - one where she requested he obtain a specific piece of technology that will help fight the Red Blight. During her search and rescue, Aloy displays new combat abilities with her spear and bow, as well as the new Pullcaster and Shieldwing tools, which allow her to traverse the world in new ways.
The Horizon Forbidden West gameplay also reveals a host of additional new weapons and returning features for Aloy to take advantage of as well, including:
- Valor Surges, which upgrade the spear and give it various abilities.
- Smoke Bombs, which Aloy can use for cover.
- Javin Launchers, which allow Aloy to throw spears with splinter effects into enemies.
- Adhesive Grenades, which combine with Alow's Slingshot to stop enemies in their tracks.
- Precision Arrows, which return from the first game to help Aloy strip machines of their parts.
The spear gameplay shows just how much Forbidden West's combat improves over Zero Dawn's, as Aloy can do things with it that the player wished she could in the first title. For instance, she can seamlessly transition between the spear and her bow, as well as access combos and abilities that offer different advantages when used. All in all, everything Guerrilla displayed during the event seems to have made the wait worthwhile for eager fans, even without an official release date.
Horizon Forbidden West releases in 2021 for PS4 and PS5.
