Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Forbidden West does almost everything that a good sequel should. Beyond introducing new gameplay mechanics and a sandbox for fans to play with them in, Aloy’s sophomore adventure dives deeper into the sci-fi mystery at the franchise’s core. Even though she’s never appeared in the flesh and blood on-screen, Ashly Burch’s Dr. Elisabet Sobeck has arguably shaped that journey of discovery more than any other character.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Horizon Forbidden WestMost of the things that players interact with in Horizon Forbidden West can be traced back in some fashion directly to Elisabet. With a third mainline entry in the Horizon universe seeming almost inevitable at this point, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for Guerrilla Games to continue this trend. Having played such an important role in the narrative already, it’s easy to imagine there being more surprises in store from Elisabet.
Elisabet’s Role So Far
Even though Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Forbidden West take place 1,000 years after her death, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck keeps popping up in the present. Over the course of both games, Aloy has slowly pieced together the role she played in shaping not only the world of today but her own being as well. Throughout the first entry in the series in particular, how Elisabet was able to safeguard the future of the planet arguably became the driving force of the entire game.
Due to her sleuthing, Aloy was able to uncover the mystery behind the titular Zero Dawn project. Realizing that the robotic Faro Plague of the 21st century couldn’t be stopped, Elisabet pooled together the best scientist of the era to create a terraforming AI capable of creating life. Most of the machines, people, and fauna that populate the present-day Horizon universe subsequently owe their existence to Elisabet. If she hadn't created GAIA, life would've simply ended after the singularity.
If that revelation wasn’t shocking enough on its own, partway through Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy realizes her connection to Elisabet is far more personal. Fearing another apocalyptic cataclysm, GAIA took her creator’s DNA and created Aloy from it. While the definition of the relationship between the pair can get a little murky, that basically makes Aloy the genetic clone of Elisabet. Grappling with what that means in practice, in addition to the weight of expectation and responsibility it entails, has often fueled Aloy’s character development.
Even though Horizon Forbidden West switches gears slightly to look at Elisabet’s personal life, the surprises that Guerrilla Games has presented in its sequel are just as significant. The romantic relationship that Elisabet is revealed to have once had with the Far Zenith colonist Tilda ultimately proves to be the story beat that underpins everything else. If it wasn’t for that unexpected revelation, it’s easy to imagine the game being dramatically different.
Elisabet’s Ongoing Legacy
Thanks to the mark that Elisabet has had on the Horizon universe, it stands to reason that players haven’t heard the last of the scientist yet. That’s partly due to the fact that technically three of her daughters are still actively driving the story along. While Aloy and Beta are direct descendants that embody different aspects of Elisabet, it’s worth keeping in mind that GAIA is part of her legacy as well. With Nemesis on route to destroy the Earth, all three will likely play pivotal roles in fighting back. Having already driven their individual motivations, there’s scope for Elisabet to influence each again in the future.
Due to the fragmented nature in which Elisabet's life has been presented to Aloy so far, there are still significant chunks of her life that have been unexplored by Guerrilla Games. In the grand scheme of things, very little of her past has actually been shown or spoken about on-screen. Naturally, that means there’s plenty of wiggle room for surprises to physically creep out of the unknown as well. Nemesis’ creation and path to sentience, for example, could dovetail nicely with the illegal practices that Elisabet employed to bring GAIA to life.
As the brightest scientist of the 21st century, it’s been established that the Zero Dawn project was far from the only scheme Elisabet was involved in during her heyday. Before Ted Faro’s titular robotic swarm stripped the world of its resources, there were plenty of other apocalyptic disasters looming. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Elisabet was involved, in some shape or form, in the frontier science that was happening during that time. It’s hard to predict based on the sci-fi nature of the series, but the answer to Nemesis’ defeat could be out there waiting to be uncovered.
Aloy’s Personal Arc
Beyond the fact that another round of Elisabet revelations seems like a sound bet based on the shape of the Horizon universe, more surprises would likely benefit the third game’s story as well. So far, Elisabet’s past has defined most aspects of Aloy’s personal coming of age story. While the burden of living up to her genetic ancestor’s legacy has driven her forward in terms of motivation, it’s also shaped the Nora Hunter’s personality at times as well. The fact that Aloy’s journey is still a work in progress ensures some form of resolution on this front will be needed.
At several points throughout Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games has made it clear just how much Elisabet and her past mean to Aloy. This is exemplified by the opening of the sequel when the latter physically dreams of meeting the woman she considers to be her mother. Even though Aloy later takes steps to forge her own identity when she embraces her friends, there’s still a sense that the Elisabet portion of her life hasn’t been truly resolved yet.
While the discovery of Elisabet’s remains in the first Horizon means it's unrealistic that she will pop up again physically, there are still other avenues that Aloy could get some closure. For example, based on the fact that Elisabet presumably knew her DNA was going to be stored in the Zero Dawn project, there’s a chance that she might have prepared a message for her future clones. With all of her previous appearances having come in hologram form, it’s easy to imagine that another personally tailored message for Aloy could give her some cathartic reassurance and peace of mind.
Horizon Forbidden West is available on PS4 and PS5.
