Across two entries, Guerrilla Games’Horizonseries has become one of the most popular and unique AAA action RPG franchises. 2017’sHorizon Zero Dawnestablished its detailed world in an alternate timeline where cutting-edge militaryAI robots went rogue, caused an ecological disaster on Earth, and wiped out nearly all of human civilization. The 2022 sequel,Horizon Forbidden West, continued the epic journey of Aloy and her eclectic band of comrades as they sought to claim back the Earth from the rampant mechanical monsters while navigating the complicated politics and cultures of the scattered tribes that share an uneasy balance of survival.
Horizon Forbidden Westthen further expanded the tale in the Burning Shores DLC, introducing a previously unknown tribal faction, and seeing Aloy join a new friend to take on one of the IP’s most iconic and imposing enemies: a Titan-class Horus. With that being the only in-game battle against one of these abominations so far, it’d be a natural extension for the third entry to pit fans against more of them while iterating on the mechanics of fighting them.
Horizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores DLC Horus Fight Should Come Back in a Big Way in Horizon 3
Horizon’s Horus Machines Are Still Waiting to Pounce
The Horus machines, or “Metal Devils” as characters refer to them, are the most massive and devastating automatons dreamt up by Ted Faro, the man behind the company responsible for unleashing the plague of AI bots that obliterated the Old World. Being the size of buildings, these multi-tentacled monstrosities resemble a Lovecraftian nightmare constructed of the most advanced technology, and are the pinnacle of Faro’s endeavors. Though most lie dormant by the time the story begins, they still literally loom over the landscape, armed to the actual teeth with an array of powerful weapons. They far outclass all other types ofHorizon’s machinesand could unleash untold destruction should they roar to life again.
Fans previously fought a Deathbringer, one of the deadliest threats, inHorizon Zero Dawn’s finale. But these still pale in comparison, and it wasn’t until much later that players finally came face to face with aHorus in the Burning Shores DLC. Aloy and her new companion Seyka took one head on, and the fight was on a scale of intensity and complexity previously unseen. It was a satisfying pay-off to the teased prospect that this would eventually be the case, and perfectly sets the stage for more inHorizon 3.
How Horizon 3 Can Double Down on Horus Boss Battles
Burning Shores' Horus fight was a spectacular multi-stage encounter akin toGod of War’s famous epic clashes. If the third game will indeed be the last, or at least the one to close out Aloy and her companions' arcs before the series potentially moves onto new characters or different locations, it’d be a good time to pull out all the stops, particularly regarding the Horuses. Not only are there still Horus machines scattered around the world, but Nemesis–the AI entity composed of the warped collected consciousness ofForbidden West’s Far Zenith antagonists–is heading straight toward Earth, hell-bent on eradicating humanity once and for all.
Given its nature and capabilities, Nemesis is highly likely to attempt to reawaken the Horus machines in its opening salvo to stamp out humanity. This could lead to more setpiece battles like the one in Burning Shores, while creating opportunities for additional fights against them. The threequel might see these encounters function likeHorizon’s Cauldrons, with some being mandatory and others optional that provide high-quality gear or unlock new skills for Aloy.
Of course, this element shouldn’t be too overused in order to preserve the awe and challenge of taking on a Horus. But sinceHorizon 3is set up to have the biggest narrative stakes, this should be reflected in gameplay design as well. Giving players a handful of Horus bosses, some of which are part of the story, and others being potential side quests, would provide an excellent balance while letting Guerrilla go all-out with them for the climatic third entry.
