Summary
Horizon Forbidden Westleft players with a notable cliffhanger with its conclusion, strongly alluding to a third game to tie up the story. The series is also receiving a wealth of new content including a multiplayer game andaHorizonNetflix show, but rounding off Aloy’s tale will still be a high priority for developer Guerrilla Games.
Little is known about a potential third game, save for the final moments ofHorizon Forbidden West, but the 2022 release gave a dismal glimpse at what Aloy and company might have to manage, as Nemesis is hot on the tails of Far Zenith. The new enemy could have a knock-on effect on the world, and bringing human-like machines could be a good tonal and narrative quirk that could separate the next game from its predecessors.
Humans are an Obstacle in Horizon, but Aren’t a Threat
The human enemies inHorizon Zero Dawnand its sequel in theForbidden Westgive Aloy all manner of enemies to overcome, from machines to the terrain itself. The list includes human adversaries, be it gnarly bosses like Helis or more typical foot-soldiers from other tribes. They add some much-needed diversity, as machines are varied, but can often be defeated in the same formulaic ways.The final boss ofHorizon Forbidden Westis Tilda piloting Specter Prime, a bigger, angrier version of the enemies that appear late in the game, and while it’s a tough fight, it unfolds much like several encounters before it.
The Specter Prime Fight Feels Like a Blueprint
The boss fight loses the human feel of Aloy going up againstone of the Far Zenithsface to face, but narratively it shows that humans and machines can be fused in some way to make something far more threatening. Should the threequel build on this idea to potentially have humans entombed in machines (maybe not even by choice like the Handymen inBioShock Infinite),it could show that humans have grown to utilize machines as well as to overcome them. This would see an evolution in world-building and enemy variety.
Nemesis Needs a Face in Horizon 3
The final fight could also be a prompt for the machines to take advantage of the human form, instead of just other beasts in the animal kingdom. A humanoid machine could be an interesting opponent. With its advanced systems, Nemesis could embody a humanoid, or find a way to create twisted human replicants that do its bidding as puppets to attack Earth.Tilda’s history inHorizon Forbidden Westshows that humans are willing to toy with technology for their own gain, and having Nemesis bite back in a very personal way could be intriguing.
The end scenes ofHorizon Forbidden Westshow that Nemesis is headed for a collision course with Earth. As of yet, players don’t know what it will look like, and seeing as Nemesis is a corrupted AI, it will need some kind of tangible form.
Enemies in Horizon are Memorable Because they’re Relatable
The reason why characters like Helis and Regalla were effective was because players could put a face to the evil deeds. It was easy to dislike them by their deeds, but their place in the world humanized them. Nemesis being an artificial entity means it could require a vessel to both carry it through the environment and better connect with players as an antagonist. The finalForbidden Westfight is tense and exciting in its own right, but to use it to advance the story ofa potentialHorizon 3could make it truly worthwhile.
