Horizon Forbidden West, much like its predecessor, is a beloved open-world game replete with stunning vistas to explore, surprisingly deep combat for its genre space, and some of the most impressively realized, photorealistic graphics the industry has ever seen. Certainly,Horizon Forbidden WestandHorizon Zero Dawnare robust, content-rich open-world games to their core, but it’s worth pondering what they would be like if that weren’t the case.
Open-world game design has exploded and evolved exponentially over the years, with the concept becoming increasingly normalized starting in the seventh console generation. Perhaps this can be chalked up to the leap in hardware capabilities between the Xbox/PS2 and Xbox 360/PS3, which allowed franchises likeFar CryandAssassin’s Creedto flourish with dizzyingly large maps packed with activities. But whatever the reason, open-world experiences likeHorizon Forbidden Westare now more or less commonplace, with even historically linear-focused developers like FromSoftware taking a crack at the idea. As Guerrilla Games continues to develop itsHorizonseries, there’s a case to be made that this open-world formula should be left in the past, replaced with something a bit more structured.
The Case for Horizon Forbidden West’s Sequel to Ditch the Open-World
Horizon Forbidden West Falls Victim to Common Open-World Woes
While many enjoyHorizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden West’s open-world design, others are weary of it. Ultimately, the games succumb to many of the same shortcomings befalling series likeAssassin’s CreedandFar Cry, which have mutated from their status as genre leaders into bloated, overwrought cautionary tales about the importance of innovation. The key critique of this open-world design philosophy, often called the “Ubisoft open-world,” is its general quantity-over-quality construction, which prioritizes dull or repetitive checklist-style activities designed to soak up player time rather than provide them with novel gameplay or narrative opportunities.
At the end of the day, whileHorizon Forbidden West’s combatis superb, its universe is intriguing, and its visuals are breathtaking, there’s not much reason to justify yet another massive open-world in the third entry. In a lot of ways, these strengths are actually hindered by the series' open-world formula: there’s too much time spent checking menial items off lists, traveling to and fro, and completing repetitive activities. In other words,Horizon’s greatest strengths are smothered by an abundance of all-too-common open-world bloat, and future games may want to remedy that.
What Guerilla Games Could Replace Horizon’s Open-World With
WithHorizon Forbidden West’s excellent third-person-shooter mechanics and dramatic sci-fi narrative, one could argue that a linear,Uncharted-style format would work better for the series as a whole. Maybe the nextHorizoncould feature the same vibrant worldbuilding and complex combat sandbox as its predecessors, but within a more structured, mission-based template, perhaps with a few open-region areas here and there, like what’s been offered inThe Last of Us Part 2andUncharted 4. This could help with the pacing of both combat and narrative, the latter of which will be hugely important since the next game will cap off Aloy’s story. Alternatively,Horizon 3could keep the open-world formula, but trim the fat and keep things more quest-focused, like what thetwo most recentGod of Wargameshave done.
Potential Drawbacks of Abandoning Horizon’s Open-World Formula
Of course, a lot of players likeHorizon’s open-world design, and for good reason: it facilitates worldbuilding, provides ample opportunities for engaging side content like Cauldrons, and buttresses the sense that Aloy is on a grand,Odyssey-like adventure. Fans may rightly be concerned that a switch to a linear style would undermine these strengths, but this isn’t a guarantee. A more linear structure inHorizon 3could actually improve worldbuilding through thoughtfully-organized missions, side-content could be hidden within levels like inArmored Core 6, and the storytelling could enjoy a massive face-lift, as there would be a greater sense of pacing, tension, and stakes.
Horizon Forbidden: West
WHERE TO PLAY
Join Aloy as she braves the Forbidden West – a majestic but dangerous frontier that conceals mysterious new threats.Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon.The land is dying. Vicious storms and an unstoppable blight ravage the scattered remnants of humanity, while fearsome new machines prowl their borders. Life on Earth is hurtling towards another extinction, and no one knows why. Explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.It’s up to Aloy to uncover the secrets behind these threats and restore order and balance to the world. Along the way, she must reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring new factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past – all the while trying to stay one step ahead of a seemingly undefeatable new enemy.
