Guerrilla Games just released the latest title in theHorizonseries,Horizon Forbidden West.Players are again whisked off to a post-apocalyptic Earth and put in the shoes of Aloy, the savior of Meridian. This time her role in the world is to save the planet by rebooting GAIA, the AI that has been charged with running the Earth’s terraforming system. She must tackle insurmountable odds on her quest to save the planet, or die trying.
The world thatHorizon Zero DawnandForbidden Westpresents is filled with a deep-rooted history that can be seen all across the land. Ruins of the old world dot every corner, giant machines lay in ruins, and factories churn out killer robots. Throughout the story ofHorizon, players are given a small look into a world that fell apart. They learn about the aggressors, the struggles Earth faced, and the mission to keep it alive; however, it only goes so far. Players are only given a glimpse of this world that begs to be explored further, and the best way for Guerrilla to do that may be through a prequel.
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The Backstory of Zero Dawn and Forbidden West
Horizon Zero DawnandForbidden Westtake place on Earth in the 31st century. Humanity has been wiped out by a rogue swarm of robots in an event called the Faro Plague.Ted Faro, founder and chairmanof Faro Automated Solutions, created a line of peacekeeping robots known as the Chariots in the 21st century that were meant to keep the peace on an Earth slowly falling apart due to climate change.
All was well until 2064 when a swarm of Chariots were impacted by a severe glitch. They stopped responding to commands, and it was impossible to regain control. Ted Faro gothelp from Dr. Elisabet Sobeck, who found that the swarm had become completely independent and only answered to itself. The swarm was capable of self-replication and consumed biomatter as fuel, so it was only a matter of time before machines overran the planet.
Instead of attempting to stop the swarm, Dr. Sobeck started the Zero Dawn project to create an AI known as GAIA, which would serve as an automated terraforming system.GAIA was made up of various subfunctions, each responsible for a different part of the process. Ted Faro was forced to fund the project, and they were able to get it out before the Faro Plague overran the planet and destroyed all life.
After 100 years, GAIA was able toshut down the Faro Plague. Then over hundreds of years after that it was able to restore the flora and fauna of Earth, as well as bring humanity back.Horizon Zero Dawntakes place 894 years after GAIA shut down the plague, when a new threat arises.
What a Prequel Game Could Look Like
If Guerrilla was going to make a prequel to theHorizonseries, it could not be in thesame style as Aloy’s journey. InHorizon Zero Dawnplayers traverse an expansive open-world filled with old ruins, beautiful landscapes, and various settlements. As they adventure they must fight back against killer robots with a bow and traps. This works for the story thatZero Dawnis telling, but it would not work as well in a prequel game.
Horizon Zero Dawntakes place in the 31st century, the Faro Plague occurred back in the 21st century. The prequel world would look fairly similar to what Earth looks like today, save for a few extra science-fiction elements. TheRPG mechanics ofHorizon Zero Dawnwould have to either be altered heavily to fit into a modern day setting, or it would have to attempt a completely different genre.
The prequel could be a real-time strategy game where players are given control of the surviving humans desperately trying to build GAIA before it is too late. It could be a story-driven title akin to Telltale Games' various series, or it could even take theform of aDynasty Warriors-esqueMusougamein which players would have to fight back against the Faro Plague.
There are many options for what aHorizonprequel game could look like. With its universe’s expansive lore, the time of the Faro Plague is begging to be explored. It could help build up the world ofZero Dawnand provide a great insight into the Zero Dawn project, and it would provide fans with even more content in theHorizonworld to play, something Sony is already interested in greenlighting.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available on PS4 and PS5.
