Highlights

  • Horizon Forbidden West expanded on damage types, adding new variety to combat strategies.
  • Finding the right balance of damage types is crucial to maintaining engaging combat without overwhelming players.
  • The next Horizon game should be cautious in introducing new damage types, aiming to build on the successful formula of Forbidden West.

The Horizon franchise features high-action combat against both humans and machines great and small. The idea of knocking off components from machines was novel in Horizon Zero Dawn, but Horizon Forbidden West took things further by introducing even more machines and combat mechanics. More importantly, there were also more damage types thrown in.

The inclusion of more damage types was a good move, as it ensured the core gameplay remained the same but wasn't a cheap repeat of the prior game. A Horizon Forbidden West sequel should keep the current balance the franchise has now. Add more, and things could get too complex. Reduce the list and things could get boring.

seyka-aloy-horizon-forbidden-west
Related
Horizon Forbidden West: Why Burning Shores Still Doesn't Open the Door to a Beloved RPG Feature

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores centers on the dream team Aloy and Seyka, but a popular RPG feature still doesn't make an appearance.

The Damage Types of Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Zero Dawn already has a long list of damage types. Different machines are weak against different damage types, forcing Zero Dawn players to plan their loadouts carefully to ensure Aloy has a sufficient variety of weapons to take on whatever dangers she comes across. These are the damage types found:

  • Damage
  • Tear - Great for shaking off machine components
  • Fire - Deals damage over time
  • Shock - Temporarily paralyzes the target
  • Freeze - Slows down the machine's movement
  • Corruption - an interesting damage type that makes machines hostile to their own allies

Horizon Forbidden West expands the list of damage types in a meaningful way, ensuring players can employ new strategies to deal with the range of new enemies they face. These new damage types are fun to use and add significant depth to the combat. In addition to all of Zero Dawn's damage types except Corruption, Forbidden West also has the following:

  • Melee
  • Ranged
  • Explosive
  • Purgewater - Leaves a machine more susceptible to elemental attacks
  • Acid - Causes damage over time while weakening a machine's armor
  • Plasma - provides a time-delayed explosion
  • Adhesive - coats the target in a sticky substance that slows down movement significantly
  • Berserk - causes the target to attack anything and anyone

With these damage types, Aloy can take on any machines or bandits. Most importantly, the list provides great variety without overwhelming players with too many damage types.

The Weapons of Horizon Forbidden West

To accommodate the new damage types, there is a host of new weapons in Forbidden West. Some of the most notable additions include the Acid Bomb Launcher, Plasma Bomb Launcher, and Pulse Cannon to name a few.

Horizon 3 Should Maintain Forbidden West's Balance

Forbidden West strikes a sweet spot when it comes to damage types. There is enough to keep things fresh, but not so much that it becomes impossible to keep track of them all. The next Horizon game can prevent stale combat in other ways, such as by introducing new weapons and machines. A greater variety of potions and outfits could also be added.

It's hard to strike a good balance between ensuring things remain novel while not overwhelming players and Forbidden West manages to achieve this feat. The next game should be careful if it attempts to alter the formula Forbidden West has laid down.

When is Horizon 3 Coming?

The next Horizon game hasn't been officially announced but the ending of Forbidden West all but confirmed that it is coming. Aloy's story is far from over, and in fact, it seems the greatest challenges are still to come thanks to the upcoming arrival of Nemesis the intensely misanthropic AI. Guerrilla Games is also working on a multiplayer Horizon game, though not many details have been revealed about this exciting project.

There's a lot to appreciate about the Horizon franchise. It features gorgeous environments and a unique combat system with Aloy using primitive weapons to take on high-tech machines. Forbidden West gets a lot right when it comes to damage types, and the next Horizon game should tread carefully when it comes to adding or subtracting new damage types.