Highlights
- PlayStation is expanding into the live-service market using its first-party franchises like Horizon and The Last of Us, and the success of these games will determine if this new approach is worthwhile for players.
- Platforming mechanics are a crucial part of the Horizon series and should be incorporated into the multiplayer spin-off to maintain an authentic experience.
- The multiplayer game is still in development, with little official information released, so fans can only speculate on its gameplay and features. However, the inclusion of creative and varied platforming mechanics could enhance the multiplayer experience.
Over the last few decades, PlayStation has been gradually increasing its first-party line-up, and now, it's getting ready to use those franchises in a brand-new way. For a year or so, PlayStation has made it clear that it's going to be making a big push into the live-service market, and it seems to be using its first-party roster to lead the charge. Alongside the recently delayed Last of Us multiplayer spin-off, a Horizon multiplayer title is also apparently in the works, and there's a great deal riding on its shoulders.
Likely being one of the first big first-party live-service PlayStation games out the gate, the Horizon multiplayer spin-off needs to go above and beyond to convince fans that this new approach for PlayStation is worthwhile for the player, and not just a new way for the company to earn more money. To do that, Horizon's multiplayer game is going to need to be a truly high-quality experience, and that means embracing all the series' core features, including its climbing and platforming mechanics.
Horizon's Multiplayer Spin-Off Needs to Keep an Emphasis on Climbing
Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West are two incredibly mechanically-rich games, with a slew of complex features and systems working in tandem with one another to create an excellent AAA action-adventure open-world experience. From shooting mechanics and melee combat to stealth and RPG elements, the Horizon series juggles a lot. But one of the most important features, and a mechanic that acts as the glue joining all of Horizon's systems together, is its climbing and platforming mechanics, features that have become an inherent part of the Horizon experience.
Currently, practically no official information has come out about the Horizon multiplayer project. Technically speaking, there hasn't even been an official announcement yet, just individual members of Guerrilla Games confirming its existence during interviews, and several job listings further cementing that it's definitely in the works. The only official information fans have to go on is that it'll be an "online project set in Horizon's universe," featuring a "new cast of characters and a unique stylized look."
In terms of gameplay, fans know absolutely nothing about Horizon's multiplayer title, meaning that it really could be anything, from a vast MMO to a small 2-player co-op adventure or anything in between. But while Horizon's multiplayer gameplay loop could be anything, it should make sure that it keeps platforming at its core. Platforming has become an integral aspect of Horizon, with even the VR spin-off Call of the Mountain putting a great emphasis on the mechanic, and if Guerrilla wants its upcoming multiplayer game to feel like an authentic Horizon experience, then it simply needs at least some form of platforming.
But that doesn't mean that Guerrilla Games can't get creative with its platforming in a Horizon multiplayer game. Though Horizon's climbing mechanics are very accessible and generally enjoyable, they can get a tad repetitive after a while, and a multiplayer setting is the perfect opportunity to shake things up a little. With at least two players in the game, a Horizon multiplayer spin-off can include a new set of climbing mechanics specifically tailored to multiple friends climbing the same environment at the same time. For instance, players could unlock a new piece of gear that lets them swing off each other via a rope to traverse the landscape quicker, like in the recent co-op Indie game Bread and Fred. Platforming could also be made into more of a challenge in multiplayer, with races being a great way to incentivize more strategic and involved platforming.
The Horizon multiplayer game is in development.
