12 Things We Can’t Wait to Do in Horizon Forbidden West

As the sequel to one of the best new gaming IPs of the last decade, Horizon Forbidden West is easily one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2022, and excitement surrounding it is ramping up exponentially as it approaches its launch. Of course, we, too, can’t wait to jump in and see what Guerrilla’s newest open world adventure has on offer- to that end, here, we’re going to talk about just a few things that we can’t wait to in Horizon Forbidden West when it launches.

FIGHT THE DEADLIEST MACHINES

The machines are and always will be Horizon’s biggest selling point, and it looks like Forbidden West is going some exciting things in this area. From the serpentine Slitherfang to the elephant-like Tremortusk to the turtle-like Shellsnapper, it looks like a bunch of massive, deadly new machines are being introduced- and we can’t wait to take them on in combat. Going up against the likes of Thunderjaws or Fireclaws was what defined Zero Dawn, and it looks like Forbidden West is going to take things even further.

OVERRIDE MACHINES

Overriding and taming machines is a crucial part of the combat loop in Horizon, and with an even larger number of machines to deal with, it seems like Forbidden West is going to put even greater emphasis on that. From revealing crucial details about machines to taming them and riding them to even making machines fight against each other, overriding is a crucial mechanic that we’re sure we’re going to be engaging with a great deal in the upcoming sequel.

HUNT DOWN ADVANCED ARMOUR

With Horizon Forbidden West promising a much deeper role-playing experience than its predecessor, progression and customization are likely going to be much more integral parts of the experience. Part of that, of course, will be getting your hands on better loot to make Aloy more powerful- and if there’s hidden, super-powerful armor in the game that rewards players for taking on additional challenges, you can be sure we’re going to hunt it down as soon as we get the chance. Horizon Zero Dawn had plenty of that going on as well, and did it quite well, so we’re excited to see how the sequel will handle it.

DISCOVER SECRET LOCATIONS

For all of its strengths, Horizon Zero Dawn left something to be desired where open world exploration was concerned, but with Guerrilla Games promising a much better designed world that encourages exploration, it seems like Forbidden West is going to make necessary improvements. Our hope is that its world will be brimming with opportunities for exploration that reward players with secret locations and quests, and if that does happen to be the case, we’re going to be spending a lot of time on hunting those secrets down.

HUNT DOWN ALL THE LORE

Story and storytelling were among Horizon Zero Dawn’s biggest strengths, and what made the game stand out in that area was its excellent world-building. If you took the time to hunt down background story details, audio logs, lore, and what have you, the game rewarded you with a significantly better narrative experience. We’d be surprised if Forbidden West didn’t do similar things, and we can’t wait to be wowed by it in the same way we were by its predecessor.

UNDERWATER EXPLORATION

Underwater exploration is one of the bigger new additions in Horizon Forbidden West, and while gaming audiences have often had a natural aversion to underwater gameplay, we’re curious to see how Forbidden West handles it. The idea of exploring post-apocalyptic underwater ruins and fighting aquatic machines when in the depths is an inherently fascinating one, and if pulled off well, could be an interesting wrinkle. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen- but we’re certainly keeping our fingers crossed.

EXPLORE NEW SETTLEMENTS

Coming upon settlements, towns, and cities in Horizon Zero Dawn’s post-post-apocalyptic world and exploring these spaces was one of the game’s highlights without a doubt, and with Guerrilla Games promising even bigger improvements to the settlements in Forbidden West, we’re quite excited about that aspect of the game. From learning about the cultures and histories of different tribes to seeing the visual design of unique settlements, there’s plenty that’s got us looking forward to exploring the settlements of Forbidden West’s world.

ADMIRE THE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF A TALLNECK

Open world towers might be a tired old trope, but some games put very unique twists on that mechanic. Horizon Zero Dawn did that with the Tallnecks, and we’re excited to see them come back in Forbidden West. Even if the mechanic is brought over exactly as is, it’s going to be worth engaging with- there’s nothing else quite like climbing to the top of a Tallneck and then admiring the view stretching out in front of you.

MESS ABOUT WITH THE NEW TRAVERSAL MECHANICS

Like almost every other open world game out there these days, Horizon Forbidden West is taking a leaf out of Breath of the Wild’s book, especially where traversal mechanics are concerned. With the addition of things such as free climbing and gliding with the Shieldwing, it looks like traversal and movement in Forbidden West will offer far greater freedom and be much more dynamic. Taking those new mechanics for a spin and pushing them to the limits to see what they’ll allow is something we’re quite excited to do.

MESS ABOUT WITH THE PULLCASTER

Another new mechanic being introduced in Horizon Forbidden West is the Pullcaster, which is a grapple hook in all but name- and every game is better with a grapple hook. That’s just an unspoken rule. Forbidden West’s Pullcaster looks like it’s going to be an important tool for both combat and traversal, and by its very nature, it seems like it’s going to be quite versatile in how it can be used. As such, we’re waiting with bated breath to experiment with this tool and try out how and where it can be used.

LEVERAGE THE IMPROVED STEALTH AND MELEE MECHANICS

Stealth and melee combat were among Horizon Zero Dawn’s biggest weaknesses, but like any good sequel should do, Forbidden West is promising some major improvements in those areas. Melee specifically seems set for a major overhaul, especially with the addition of Valor Surges, and we’re curious to see how both these areas are going to fare in Forbidden West. We certainly hope they’re a big step up over the first game, because having greater viable options in how to tackle combat and stealth encounters would be a huge improvement.

PHOTO MODE

Photo modes might not be relevant to gameplay or mechanics in any way, but more and more each day, they feel like a crucial part of games- especially when they’re as beautiful and massive as it looks like Horizon Forbidden West is going to be. Zero Dawn had an excellent photo mode, and we’re hoping Forbidden West will follow suit. It definitely looks like there’s going to be no shortage of gorgeous sights in the game, so there’s that.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

---