With Horizon Forbidden West leaving the post-apocalyptic franchise's story open-ended, it seems inevitable that Horizon 3 will eventually arrive to conclude Guerrilla's saga. While nothing has been officially revealed about a potential third installment, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West have left plenty of loose ends to tie up. By digging into the franchise's past, it's possible to predict where Horizon 3 will take Aloy and her allies next.
While the series' second installment takes players on a satisfying adventure in its own right, Horizon Forbidden West's ending sets up a sequel by leaving several stones unturned. The sequel ends with Aloy and her friends defeating the villainous Far Zenith, though they also learn that an artificial intelligence named NEMESIS is currently heading towards Earth from outer space with intent to destroy humanity. Aloy and her friends split up to recruit as many allies as possible to prepare for this final battle, setting up an appropriately epic climax to the Horizon trilogy.
Horizon Forbidden West Left Loose Ends For Aloy
With the second game setting up the AI as a truly terrifying threat to the entirety of Earth, many fans rightfully expect the Horizon Forbidden West sequel to focus on Nemesis as its central antagonist. However, the series' second installment also sees the AI HEPHAESTUS escape from the GEMINI Cauldron. First featured in the Horizon Zero West DLC The Frozen Wilds, the corrupted AI is responsible for forging the iconic machines featured throughout the series. HEPHAESTUS is released in Horizon Forbidden West to help combat the Far Zenith before escaping at the end of the game, requiring that someone recapture it before Earth's biosphere deteriorates and leaves the planet lifeless.
Horizon Forbidden West also makes mention of APOLLO, another of Gaia's AI subroutines, though the system never actually appears in the game. Another potential loose end involves Sylens, one of the series' most fascinating reoccurring characters portrayed by the late great Lance Reddick. At the end of Horizon Forbidden West Sylens chooses to stay on Earth to help prepare the world for Nemesis' arrival, though his goals are unlikely to be exactly as they appear. Aloy also befriends her clone sister Beta at the end of the second game, with these seemingly disparate elements likely coming together for an explosive finale.
Horizon 3 Can Conclude Aloy's Epic Story
Unless it goes back in time to serve as a Horizon Zero Dawn prequel, the third and potentially final Horizon game should be incredibly climactic. With Aloy and her friends preparing post-apocalyptic Earth for Nemesis' arrival, it seems likely that the third game will involve a union of the franchise's various tribes like the Nora, Carja, Tenakth, Utaru and Quen. This could initially lead to a great deal of conflict, with old rivalries between tribes like the Carja and Tenakth standing in the way of unity. A combination of various AI programs, including APOLLO and a reformed HEPHAESTUS, could also be key to matching the power of Nemesis.
While it's unlikely that Forbidden West's DLC will lead into Horizon 3, the events of Burning Shores may be a strong indicator of where the series' third entry will lead. The expansion is set to introduce Seyka, a fierce and compassionate Quen warrior who may play a vital role in Aloy's story moving into Horizon 3. The Burning Shores DLC also appears to finally let Aloy face off with a massive Metal Devil machine, which have previously only appeared as inactive parts of the series' open worlds. With the expansion breaking the ice, perhaps Horizon 3 will feature Metal Devils and other massive machines in a more active role.
New Settings That Horizon 3 Can Explore
Horizon Zero Dawn took place in the United States' Mountain region, and Forbidden West brought Aloy to America's West Coast, but it remains to be seen where the franchise will take players next. Sylen's final scene in Horizon Forbidden West does seem to specifically focus on South America on a 3D map of the Earth, possibly suggesting that Aloy will move south while preparing for her climactic confrontation with Nemesis. The continent is shown covered with Cauldrons, opening the door for more new machines, and South America could also offer new geography compared to the first two games and their North American terrain.
However, the new Horizon Forbidden West tribe called the Quen also hints at life existing beyond the Americas and across the Pacific Ocean. The technologically advanced tribe hails from a land called the Great Delta, which is hinted but never confirmed to be China's Yangtze Delta. The introduction of the Quen could hint at an international adventure awaiting Aloy, with the machine huntress possibly traveling overseas to recruit the advanced Quen in the fight against Nemesis. Perhaps Horizon 3 could even feature multiple smaller regions rather than one massive open-world map, letting players experience various parts of the world after the Faro Plague returned them to nature.
While the Horizon franchise has so far focused entirely on the post-apocalyptic United States, Aloy's third and potentially final adventure can address the fate of the rest of the world. Fascinating new tribes with their own unique cultures and traditions, like the Quen of Asia, are likely surviving and thriving across the planet. The Faro Plague has no doubt brought many of the world's most recognizable locations back to a more natural state, with landmarks like the Great Wall of China or Egypt's Pyramids serving as remnants of a dead world. Exploring different parts of Earth could also introduce brand-new machines from different regions, making each map feel truly unique.
The upcoming Horizon Forbidden West DLC Burning Shores will take Aloy to a new location and introduce brand-new types of machines, but many fans already have their sights set towards the franchise's third major entry. Horizon 3 has not yet been announced, but the inevitable sequel is likely to pit Aloy and her allies against Nemesis in a battle to determine the Earth's future. The climactic conclusion to the Horizon trilogy could take players to a new region of the United States, or perhaps even to further regions like South America or China. For now, it remains to be seen how exactly Horizon 3 will pick up where Horizon Forbidden West left off.
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Horizon Forbidden West
- Released:
- 2022-02-18
- Developer:
- Guerrilla Games
- Franchise:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Genre:
- Adventure, RPG, Action
- Platform:
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Publisher:
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- ESRB:
- T
- Prequel:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Engine:
- Decima
- Summary:
- Following the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West puts players in control of Nora tribe hunter Aloy, again as she races to stop a mysterious plague that threatens to kill off all organic life on earth. Aloy has been searching for a backup of the planet's caretaker, codenamed GAIA, to help stop the world from falling into total disrepair. However, between the corrupted mechanical beasts that roam the land, warring tribes and self-established nations vying for control of large swaths of land will stand in Aloy's way as she makes her way west. Players will utilize Aloy's fusion of past and present as she utilizes unique futuristic and prehistoric tools to battle robots with bows, slings, and electromagnetic pulsing melee weapons as she battles her way over various detailed environments.
- Expansion Packs :
- Burning Shores
- How Long To Beat:
- 29 Hours
