Horizon Zero Dawn stars Aloy, a red-haired heroine who is equal parts brave and compassionate. Although she is independent, there are a host of people who give her support and love, including Zo the Utaru and Talanah the Carja. It is easy to make the argument that Rost has the biggest impact on her. He acts as her guardian, and he raises her into an amazing machine hunter, but overall players don't see much of Rost, which is why a prequel focused on him would be valuable.
Before the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, Rost has a family and a child. Tragic events bring an end to that, forcing him to live as an outcast after seeking revenge. Seeing things from his perspective would allow fans to learn more about the Nora tribe, as well as Aloy's early life. It would also shed light on the terrible attack that led to the death of Rost's family.
Horizon: Who is Rost?
Players are introduced to Rost in Horizon Zero Dawn. Although he is not Aloy's biological father, he cares for her like a daughter, in-part because he understands the pain of being an outcast. Rost is an important character because he ensures that Aloy has at least one source of love, comfort, and security during the early years of her life.
Rost's past is a sad one, and it highlights how honor and self-abnegation are his central traits. He grows up in the Nora tribe as is a skilled machine hunter, and it is revealed that he once had a wife and daughter named Alana. The loving family is destroyed when the Nora settlement is attacked by outlanders who murder several Nora, including Rost's wife, and kidnap six others, including Alana.
The outlanders eventually murder their hostages and leave their remains just beyond the borders of the Sacred Lands; an act of cruelty considering the Nora tribe views leaving the Sacred Lands as taboo. Rost, unable to let the outlanders get away with their deeds, volunteers to become a Death-Seeker. The Nora Matriarchs occasionally anoint a Seeker to leave the Sacred Lands in service of their tribe, but a Death-Seeker is only designated to kill, and they are never allowed to return. After being declared a Death-Seeker, Rost seeks the outlanders and murders them, but then is forced to live out the rest of his life as an outcast.
Rost's Life as an Outcast
The hunt for the outlanders is a perilous one that leaves Rost mortally wounded. He travels to the border of the Sacred Lands, expecting to die close to home, but is fortunately saved by a kind Nora. Though Rost should not be allowed in the Sacred Lands, the Matriarchs agree to let him live as an outcast within their territory. Rost builds a home for himself in The Embrace, and he lives a lonely life until he is joined by Aloy.
He teaches Aloy how to track and hunt machines, and Rost's training also prepares her for the Proving, which will allow her to become a full-fledged member of the Nora tribe. Although this is something she greatly desires, it will mean permanently parting ways with Rost. Aloy wins the Proving, and she becomes a Nora Brave in the process. However, the event is interrupted by the Shadow Carja, and Rost is killed protecting Aloy. She is devastated by Rost's death, and Aloy regularly visits his grave near the homestead he built to talk about her journey and honor his memory.
Rost Should Be Explored in a Horizon Prequel
In Horizon Forbidden West, players see that although Rost is gone, he is certainly not forgotten. His legacy lives on through Aloy and is passed along to Beta. Like Aloy, Beta is Elisabet Sobeck's clone, but her personality is vastly different. While Aloy is optimistic and always believes in herself, Beta is pessimistic and has low self-esteem. The reason, it seems, is that Aloy had Rost's nurturing presence and teachings to give her the motivation to keep fighting even when things seem bleak.
Guerrilla Games' Horizon series would greatly benefit from a prequel that delves further into Rost's life, exploring the source of his strength and the unseen members of his old family. A game from his perspective would also shed light on the Nora tribe's culture and rituals. Despite what little screen time Rost gets, he is one of the most impactful characters in the series, and he has a unique perspective having experienced life as a Nora and an outcast.
Rost isn't the only character fit for the starring role in a game, as the Horizon franchise is teeming with interesting characters. Many of Aloy's close friends, including Talanah, Varl, Erend, and even Beta have unique perspectives that would be fun to explore. It would also be interesting to see things from the perspective of one of the Old Ones, including Dr. Sobeck, or even the megalomaniac Ted Faro. Fortunately, it seems like Guerrilla Games is invested in further exploring the world of Horizon, not just through video games, but also through television and comic books. Maybe Rost will be explored more thoroughly in one of these projects.
Horizon Zero Dawn is available on PC and PS4.
