But what is Ryas’s backstory? A new PlayStation Blog post reveals that he was one of the soldiers loyal to the Mad Sun-King Jiran, responsible for the Red Raids and who would be overthrown by Avad. Jiran had a group loyal to his cause in the Shadow Carja, with Ryas playing a role in the abduction of Prince Itamen.

In Call of the Mountain, he lets the Carja capture him and is tasked by Avad to investigate this new threat in exchange for his freedom. However, his main objective is atonement and regaining his honor.

Ben McCaw, Guerrilla’s Studio Narrative Director, said: “Ryas ended up on the wrong side for the right reasons. His family was torn apart, and ultimately, he was incarcerated. This is the story of how he tries to come back from that.” He’ll encounter new characters along the way and reunite with “familiar ones.”

“Having fought for the Shadow Carja, Ryas’ relationship with these characters is at best adversarial. He needs to make inroads and amends if he hopes to be accepted.”

One such character is Hami (seen below), who escaped the Red Raids by acting as a Border Guard. She must escort Ryas but hates him for the atrocities committed. Hami is described as sharp-witted but quick to anger.

As for why Guerrilla went with a new character in Call of the Mountain, McCaw said, “We took the Horizon experience and built it from the ground up for virtual reality. And for this, we felt we needed a new protagonist. As a master climber, hunter, and explorer, Ryas offers the perfect viewpoint of the sweeping vistas and dangerous wilds of Horizon.”

Horizon Call of the Mountain launches on February 22nd and is one of several launch titles for PlayStation VR2. Head here for the latest gameplay trailer.

Such is its scope that former Horizon Forbidden West senior world designer Chris James says it will “change what triple-A means for VR.” Let’s look at 15 things you should know before you play Horizon Call of the Mountain.

Story

Aloy isn’t the hero this time around. Instead, the story revolves around Ryas, a former Shadow Carja turned master hunter (whose appearance is also not well known). While Ryas is very capable in many things, from hunting machines and fighting to climbing, he’s done some bad things (like partaking in the banishment of Prince Itamen). As such, he’s described as “driven and skilled” who, despite losing faith in himself, is determined to redeem himself and save his people from this new mystery surrounding the Machines.

Setting

The setting is the Sundom, the Carja tribe’s territory, though the official PlayStation description indicates that players venture to Nora homelands, as well. With the promise of ascending the “towering peaks” of the Sundom, players may explore locations like The Daunt, Sun-Steps and even Meridian. Either way, you’ll zipline across ravines while looking out over waterfalls, venture to long-abandoned buildings, and travel by boat through dense jungles with realistic foliage.

New and Returning Characters

While the supporting cast hasn’t been fully detailed – even the characters seen in the initial reveal trailer are unknown – Ryas will encounter new characters and “familiar faces” throughout his journey. One of these is Aloy, though how their paths cross – and whether they’ll work together to take down this mysterious new threat – remains to be seen.

Combat

Horizon Call of the Mountain features many of the same combat elements as its predecessors. The twist is that it’s in first-person, so you’ll be drawing arrows, dodging attacks and exploring through Ryas’s eyes (so his appearance remains relatively unknown). Despite how chaotic it sounds, the initial gameplay looks pretty smooth, especially for a VR title.

Weapons

The bow is a mainstay of the Horizon universe and returns here. Once again, you’ll use different arrow types, including the powerful explosive arrow. The Blastsling is also included, but that’s pretty much all we know. The Shadow Carja have used Firestrikers, short-range cannons that fire incendiary rounds, and grenades, so it should be interesting to see if Ryas relies on the same at some point.

Machines

What would a Horizon game be without the Machines? There are plenty of familiar enemies here, from the flame-spewing Bellowback and electric Shell-Walker to the Watcher and Tallneck. Even the mighty Stormbird was seen in the latest trailer and features prominently in the marketing. Final boss, perhaps? It wouldn’t be impossible.

Exploration

Climbing up dangerously tall structures is a staple of the Horizon franchise, and Call of the Mountain is no exception. Ryas doesn’t seem to have a Pullcaster like Aloy, instead relying on two ice axes to scale surfaces. This means real-time climbing and hand movement, making the platforming more perilous.

Multiple Paths

One interesting part about Call of the Mountain is its “multiple paths.” According to the official description from PlayStation, you’ll need to take different paths and “look all around you to uncover the secrets of the mountains.” While it doesn’t sound like a full-fledged open world, this does mean that the VR title isn’t on rails or extremely linear. What those secrets are, and how they impact the game remains to be seen.

Quests

Unsurprisingly, there are also quests. Not much is known about this, save for the fact that they are present. While it’s a given that the main story will have quests, with no word yet on whether there are required levels, the side quests could be what incentivizes exploring off the beaten path. They could be simple, like “Hunt down X machine”, “Climb up this mountain,” or overriding a Tallneck. It may be unreasonable to expect something on the level of Forbidden West, but you never know.

Crafting

Crafting is also confirmed, and it’s again obvious based on the different arrow and ammo types. The real question is whether players can craft armor and weapons. Ryas has his Shadow Carja gear intact, but whether you’ll upgrade it or any weapons is unknown. It could be that new weapons are discovered while progressing through the game or as rewards for quests, but if Guerrilla and Firesprite are intent on sticking to the series’ tenets, there could be a whole loot system to dive into.

Supports Sitting, Standing and Room-scale VR

Horizon Call of the Mountain supports three VR setups – sitting, standing and room-scale. Sitting and standing require about three feet of space in all directions and are ideal for titles that require little movement. Roomscale is best with play spaces that are 6.5 feet and require larger degrees of movement. Having all three supported is great, but you’ll still need a decent amount of free space around you to enjoy the game.

4K HDR Support

Leveraging the PlayStation VR2’s new 4K display, Call of the Mountain features 2000×2040 resolution per eye in the headset, providing the sharpest of visuals. Even better is the support for HDR, which should ensure more vivid colors, lighting, and shadows while exploring the world. Based on the trailers and screenshots alone, this is looking to be the most visually resplendent of all the launch titles for PS VR2.

Headset Feedback and Tempest 3D Audiotech Support

One of the nice features of VR is that certain feedback is through the headset itself. You may feel vibrations at certain moments in-game, which increases the immersion. We could also see this being used in combat, where vibrations from a specific direction clue you into an impending attack. Tempest 3D AudioTech support also ensures the most realistic sound that responds accordingly to your movement and position. This will also come in handy when trying to pinpoint the sounds and positions of enemies.

Finger Touch Detection

Finger touch detection is also neat since it allows interaction with objects using your actual hands. It makes handling objects more intuitive, besides keeping track of your hand position. Sure, it’s not a new feature, but it does increase the overall immersion. Of course, there’s a grip button on the PlayStation VR2’s Sense controller, so it’s easier to grab in-game objects.

Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Trigger Support

Horizon Call of the Mountain also leverages two features that Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West fans will be familiar with: Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. The former replicates the feel of crafting and handling weapons. However, it also provides different kinds of feedback when navigating different terrain. In conjunction with finger touch detection, this allows one to feel their environments (and maybe even the destroyed bodies of Machines). The adaptive triggers provide force when using weapons like the bow – you’ll actually feel the tension when drawing back a bowstring.

Among the Machines is the Bellowback, spewing flames all over the place (with some kind of barrier seemingly protecting protagonist Ryas), and the Shell-Walker, with its annoying electric discharge. The Watcher can also be seen while two Machines are interestingly fighting with each other at one point. A Stormbird closes out the trailer, looking as threatening as it does in the main games.

Horizon Call of the Mountain is out on February 22nd, 2023, launching worldwide alongside PlayStation VR2. It’s one of over 20 launch titles that will be available with the next-gen VR headset. For more gameplay showcasing exploration, climbing and combat, head here. Stay tuned for more announcements and coverage from The Game Awards 2022, as the main show gets underway shortly.

Taking to Twitter, Guerrilla has revealed who the protagonist is going to be- Ryas, a former Shadow Carja who has gone on to become a master hunter. Described as “driven and skilled”, he has a lot of regrets from his days with the Shadow Carja and “has lost faith in himself”, while he’s also “a capable fighter and machine hunter” and “adept with the bow”- which all makes sense, given Call of the Mountain’s first person climbing and ranged combat gameplay core.

“Not much is known about his appearance,” Guerrilla says about Ryas. “Although he has kept some of his Shadow Carja gear, he has scrubbed all marking and insignia from it. He knows his past actions, including his role in the sequestration of the young Prince Itamen, will never be forgiven by the world. Still, he seeks to regain his honour.”

Horizon Call of the Mountain is set to launch as a PlayStation VR2 launch title on February 22, 2023, with pre-orders for the game now open.

Meet Ryas, the protagonist of Horizon Call of the Mountain. A former Shadow Carja with many regrets, he seeks his redemption and freedom in this upcoming adventure created exclusively for PlayStation®VR2 by Guerrilla and @FirespriteGames pic.twitter.com/V7gNd2pMIU

— Guerrilla (@Guerrilla) November 25, 2022