Since the launch of its debut title Zero Dawn in 2017, the Horizon franchise has quickly become one of PlayStation's most popular exclusives. Horizon Forbidden West, the second game in the series, launched in February last year and received strong reviews from critics who were particularly impressed with the game's stunning visuals. Forbidden West was such a huge project that it felt like additional content was almost inevitable. Sure enough, developer Guerilla Games released Burning Shores last month, the game's first DLC. The conclusion of Burning Shores has left many fans wondering what is next for the popular protagonist Aloy. Whether that is a third game or a second DLC offering for Horizon Forbidden West, it's almost a given at this point that her adventures are far from over.
The Horizon series chronicles Aloy's adventures across the post-apocalyptic United States during the 31st century. Forbidden West sees Aloy attempting to stop the planet from being destroyed due to a rapidly degrading biosphere. The game's climax reveals an even bigger issue: Nemesis, a rogue Artificial Intelligence that plans on ending all life on Earth. Burning Shores takes players to Los Angeles, and the expansion's final scene with Sylens, once again played by the late Lance Reddick, reconfirms the imminent threat of Nemesis. This sets up the game's next chapter perfectly, whatever it may be.
Horizon Forbidden West is Unlikely to Get a Second DLC
Horizon Zero Dawn only received one DLC, titled TheFrozen Wilds, and there is nothing to indicate that Forbidden West will be any different. Burning Shores, while visually even more impressive than the base game thanks to its PS5 exclusivity, is ultimately a short-lived expansion. This is highlighted by the fact that the game's flagship new machine, the Waterwing, which allows Aloy to travel underwater while perched on its back, is only used fleetingly in the DLC's main missions. The scope of Burning Shores serves to remind players just how huge Forbidden West really is, and Guerilla could probably create several more similar-sized expansions taking place in the same world, should it wish to.
The development process is taking more and more time for games of this magnitude though, and Guerilla may now feel that this time is best served by focusing on Horizon 3. Forbidden West may have played it a little safe at times, and Burning Shores is ultimately more of the same, even if fans feel this is a good thing. Fans of the series will be expecting much more innovation and some shiny new mechanics for Aloy's third outing, which will take time, and with five years between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, it is probable that Guerilla will want to shorten the gap between the mainline entries as much as possible.
Guerilla Games has already begun to explore whether the series would work without Aloy in the standalone PSVR2 exclusive title Horizon Call of the Mountain. While many viewed this as more of a tech demo to showcase the PSVR2's capabilities than an actual nuts-and-bolts Horizon adventure, the game nevertheless only features Aloy in a fleeting cameo appearance and highlights the developer's desire to further expand on the series' lore. Whether this is via more spin-off games remains to be seen though.
More likely than another DLC is that Aloy's next adventure will probably come by way of a full-blown sequel, a third mainline entry which, if the developer manages to stick the landing, could help to form one of the strongest trilogies in video game history. There is plenty of mileage left in Horizon's world and overarching narrative, with the threat of Nemesis still looming large for Aloy and her allies. That being said, a threat as big as Nemesis will be saved for Horizon's threequel, and if the unlikely possibility of a second DLC did materialize, it would surely be on a similar scale to Burning Shores rather than featuring a global-level threat.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now for PS4 and PS5.
