Even thoughHorizon Forbidden West’s single-player campaign was roughly 30 hours long, everything points to Guerrilla Games being nowhere near done with its franchise just yet. BetweenCall of the Mountain’sdebut on PS VR 2, and the series’ Netflix adaptation, there are plenty of post-apocalyptic stories for fans to look forward to. One that stands out prominently isForbidden West’sBurning ShoresDLC expansion.
While fans are looking forward to seeing whereHorizon Forbidden West’s story goes next on PS5, the expansion could have longer-term impacts on the universe. For several reasons, it’s easy to imagineBurning Shoressetting up more of the next mainline installment’s plot points. One subject that could feature a lot is the topic of the game’s setting. Based on the path that Aloy has traveled so far, a Central American backdrop could feature highly on the list of potential teases.
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Aloy’s Journey
Despite being set 1,000 years in into the future, theHorizonuniverse has so far explored a fairly familiar interpretation of the United States of America. Following her debut adventure inHorizon Zero Dawn, Aloy has steadily progressed westwards from theNora Sacred Lands in Colorado. In that breakout game alone, she then chalked off four more states in the shape of Utah, Arizona, Montana, and Wyoming. It’s little surprise thatHorizon Forbidden Westcontinued the trend.
When the sequel debuted on PS4 and PS5 a year ago, players were set loose in a sandbox that featured more states and locales. One of the reasons whyHorizon Forbidden Westwas a success is down specifically to how Guerrilla Games adapted both Nevada and California. Crucially, though, the studio’s interpretation of the latter focused almost exclusively on the area around the ruins of San Francisco. Thanks to therecently announcedBurning ShoresDLC expansion, players now know why that design decision came into effect.
In order to do the city justice, as well as makeHorizon Forbidden West’s PS5 exclusive DLC a more enticing prospect, the city was set aside. TheBurning Shoresexpansion will subsequently explore what’s left of Los Angeles in detail. While a bossbattle with a Horus Titanhas been teased for its release on April 19,Burning Shoresraises several other pressing questions about the franchise’s future. For example, now that Aloy has reached one bookend of the continental United States, it feels as though a new destination like Central America will feature soon.
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Central America’s Potential in Horizon
Based on the fact thatHorizon Forbidden West’sBurning ShoresDLCwill take Aloy and the player further south than they’ve ever been in the past, it’s worth pointing out that a Central American location could feature sooner than some fans might expect. As it stands right now, L.A. is the only location that’s been teased in the expansion’s promotional material. There’s nothing to stop Guerrilla Games from taking inspiration from Rockstar’sRed Dead Redemption, though, and including a surprise trip to Mexico in the experience.
Instead of simply copying the cowboy game’s iconic Mexican trip, it’s easy to imagine theHorizonuniverse’s adaptation of Mexico being a unique and exciting prospect in its own right as well. That part of the world features its own breathtaking geographical features, for example, that would set it apart well from what fans have already played. There’s ample opportunity forHorizon’s take on its local wildlifeand new gameplay mechanics to come into play at the same time too.
From a lore perspective, fleshing outmore of theHorizonuniversewould help the series too. So far, Guerrilla Games has focused on exploring what happened to the United States following the Faro Plague outbreak. It stands to reason, though, that other nations and groups reacted to the robot apocalypse in their own unique ways. Seeing what happened to them, and the impact they had on the world, would open the door for more themes and people to pop up in the future.
Horizon 3’s Central America
Now that Aloy’s journey to the West Coast is reaching a conclusion, it would make sense if Guerrilla Games was currently weighing what comes next. Based on the ending ofForbidden West’s story, players know that the Nora Hunter’s quest is only really just beginning. Despite coming to the edge of the continent, her showdown with Nemesis is looming on the horizon. The way that the studio has introduced the entity suggests that a climactic battle is on the cards forHorizon 3.
In some ways, because of that setup, it seems almost inevitable that Central America will at least become a topic for that next game soon. Considering the amount of unexplored land that lies to the south of California, a potential solution toAloy’s Nemesis problemcould be found out there at the end of the DLC, before the region’s full debut inHorizon 3.
While there’s a chance thatHorizon 3could simply combine the maps of the first two games for the Nemesis showdown, that seems unlikely. Beyond the fact that exploring Central America would represent an exciting design challenge for the studio, several other pieces of franchise media are already set to retread what’s come before. TherumoredHorizonmultiplayer game, for example, could theoretically give players something familiar as well. Setting out for Central America, on the other hand, could be the chance for somewhere completely new to star.
Out of all the potential new locales that could beset up in theBurning ShoresDLC, Central America would arguably be the most logical and enticing. Even though there’s no denying that traveling east to places like New York would be fun, players have explored that concept in plenty of other games in the past. In comparison, there are fewer examples of countries like Mexico and Costa Rica being given the chance to shine in a virtual space.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5.The Burning ShoresDLC is set to release on April 19 on PS5.
