When Horizon Zero Dawn dropped on to us, it was met with acclaim. A lot of the praise is on the main character, Aloy, and her attitude towards the world, which can be seen as curious but optimistic. But, it's her courage that really makes her who she is, fearlessly taking down giant animal-like robots is a formidable trait.
Her determination to just not give up, but go on will make her harder to take down. But, she's not perfect. Going up against characters from other franchises can be a task for her. So mixing all these qualities together, here some characters she could win (and lose) against.
10 Ezio (Lose Against)
Even with her arsenal behind her, it would be nearly impossible taking out the legendary assassin, Ezio. As an assassin, his whole idea is stealth and Aloy can use stealth but it's nowhere as honed in as Ezio's capability. Even when her focus is on, Ezio would be undetectable up until she's really close to him and by then it'll be too late for her to react.
Most of Aloy's tools are good at range, whereas Ezio has a little bit of both. He can diversify his attacks at close up and at a distance, so it gives him options. So, overall, Ezio would win just because he's more versatile and can adapt well.
9 Tomb Raider (Win Against)
Now, both these two characters have similarities, both have a bow and arrow as the main weapon and both have faced some serious issues. Aloy has a clear advantage over Laura Croft because of how high tech her weapons are. From lightning to ice arrows, Aloy can win the fight in minutes.
Croft would have to work overtime. Dodging attacks that can hurt not just directly but over time. The Tomb Raider already has a hard time compared to Unchartered'sNathen Drake. So going up against Aloy would be another huge fight, one that she couldn't win.
8 Jak (Lose Against)
Even with her vast arsenal, Aloy couldn't take out Jak. Being one of the iconic heroes in gaming (and on the PS2), it's no wonder why he's on this list. Going back to the fight, Jak would win because he has guns and supernatural powers. His Dark and Light powers alone will push the fight in his favor.
Slowing down time with his light powers or using a dark bomb that can make the area around him ground zero. These attacks are things Aloy can't defend against well. And even his guns have devastating effects, like the Peacemaker which can wipe out anything around and near the blast radius. So Jak has some things up his sleeve to win against Aloy.
7 Winston (Win Against)
The big lovable gorilla has a bunch of things about him that make him really cool. But being a heavy-duty hitter is not one of them. Even in his own game Overwatch, he's kind of an easy kill, so when there's a trained warrior against him, it won't go his way.
Aloy can make quick work of him with her anchor tool, by shooting at him and making him stay in one place. After he's all tied up, then Aloy can come in for the kill. Even just using bow and arrow, because he's an easy target in a sense that he's big. So Aloy can surprise him and take him down easily.
6 Dante (Lose Against)
Going up against Dante from Devil May Cry is a challenge, he's moving all over the place. Aloy can't be as mobile and would have to attack with a bow and arrow. Even as he's jumping around using is dual-wielding guns, Dante can get an easier shot because she's lower and not moving fast.
Dodging would be easier for him because he can see the attack coming. Being nimble and faster will be the things that help Dante win.
5 Turok (Win Against)
He has gone against dinosaurs, so he understands Aloy's plight, but that doesn't mean he can win. Turok The Dinosaur Hunter has some tricks up his sleeve, but none of them would work with Aloy. Because she's quicker and can outmaneuver him, Turok will be spending most of his time hiding.
Being so used to dinosaurs he'll need to adapt to understand Aloy's tactics because she'll outpace in every aspect. Aloy can use one of her specialty arrows like ice to quickly take care of him and win in the end.
4 Geralt (Lose Against)
Taking on the Witcher is a bad idea, just ask Link. Aloy depends on more mechanical and physical attacks and can defend against them. But, Geralt uses a lot more including his signs and, of course, his swords.
So he can do many things on the offense and adding some of oil to his sword will probably hurt Aloy a lot more. Being a Witcher he can see further and move faster than her, so he has the edge of being superhuman. Aloy can try to beat him by anticipating his moves but it would be incredibly hard to do.
3 Marcus Fenix (Win Against)
The Gears in the Gears of War series are built for war and can go up against anything. Anything except for Aloy who is faster and more agile than the Gears (who are these large-bodied people with armor that could slow them down). Marcus Fenix, the main character in the original trilogy, has been through some stuff, so has Aloy.
But, it won't be an issue for her, because he is quite slower. Even with the Lancer Rifle or any other weapons that he can get, Aloy won't be scared because she can make him even slower and stack damage over time.
2 Kratos (Lose Against)
Let's face it, going up against the literal God of War is something no one can do or should do. Kratos' strength alone should be an issue, his blades and ax are just there for show at this point. Aloy could tether him down but that wouldn't do much except make him angry.
Adding on some of his better armor and mixing it with his fighting will be a huge issue for Aloy. Plus having literal god powers can open up a world of pain for Aloy. She would need to attack when he least expects it. But Kratos can counter anything she throws at him.
1 Master Chief (Win Against)
Taking on the hero of one of the best shooters ever is a challenge. Master Chief knows his enemy and is equally as determined as Aloy. His main weakness against Aloy is his suit, the Spartan relies mostly on it. Aloy has weapons and tools to deal with technology exactly like that.
When she deems his suit useless by shooting it with emp arrow, there goes the majority of Master Chief's strength. So it would be an easy win for Aloy in the end because she has much more options when dealing with an enemy like Master Chief.