Scheduled for next February, Horizon forbidden west puts aside its video presentations to leave more room for the speeches of its developers. After having given us more information on the character of Aloy and her evolution in the universe of the game, it is the turn of the exploration and the fights to reveal themselves a little more in depth.
In a lengthy PlayStation Blog post, Lead Systems Designer David McCullen and Lead Combat Designer Dennis Zopfi commented on both.
Freedom and immersion go up a notch
One of the strengths of the Horizon license is, undeniably, the world in which Aloy evolves. To reinforce the impact of this one on the experience of the players, the developers of Guerrilla Games therefore wanted, for this sequel, to increase the possibilities of exploration tenfold and to reinforce the feeling of immersion and freedom, compared to Zero. dawn.
For this, the Guerrilla teams bet on the verticality of Horizon Forbidden West. In the new part to appear, it will be possible for Aloy to climb more rock walls or any other part of the environment with hook points. This exacerbated verticality will also go through underwater exploration, since Aloy will have the ability to move underwater.
Mobility is also an essential aspect in the freedom of exploration offered to players. Two new tools will now be part of Aloy's arsenal in order to interact and move as she pleases in this forbidden West. On one side we find the Attractor, which serves as a grappling hook and a winch, and on the other the Ailegide, which allows the heroine to hover and gain height during combat and exploration phases. .
Dynamism, depth and permissiveness: the key words of gameplay
Moreover, the combination of these tools will be of great use during the clashes, because it will allow Aloy to use the scenery or what surrounds her to approach the fights with strategy. With this approach, the Guerrilla developers encourage players to experiment with the game's gameplay and get creative with using Aloy's array.
The warrior can, in any case, count on new weapons which will now be customizable thanks to the workshops scattered all over the place. This will give them more impact, as Aloy will need particularly effective weapons to deal with the dangers that will stand in her way.
His own abilities have also been overhauled. Indeed, the developers have reworked his entire skill tree. Similarly, if we know that Aloy is an outstanding hunter, the approach to her fighting style has been redesigned, in particular to add more complementarity between melee combat and ranged combat.
For more completeness, all the mechanics mentioned above are detailed on the PlayStation Blog. While waiting for new information from the developers, remember that Horizon Forbidden West is expected for February 18, 2022 on PS4 and PS5, with a free upgrade.
Sources : IGN, PlayStation Blog
