In a post on the PS Blog, the Guerrilla Games team shared information about some of the new machines players will encounter in the upcoming sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West.
Some of these new machines have already been shown in trailers, while other machines mentioned in the blog post have an air of mystery to them. Also, with new machines come new skills and abilities for Aloy!
Guerrilla Games Shares Details About New Machines in Horizon Forbidden West
It’s no surprise to say there will be new machines for Aloy to fight in Horizon Forbidden West. Several new machines have already been shown in trailers for the game, though plenty more have yet to be revealed.
Not only are we eager to see more of these new machines, we’re also looking forward to learning how to survive and defeat them. In a new post to the PS Blog, Guerrilla Games address these aspects of the game from the machines themselves, to ways Aloy will be able to handle them.
To start, new machines with new abilities mean that players can look forward to having new movement abilities with Aloy, along with helpful tools and supplies. There are also multiple ways to deal with these machines once players learn more about them in the game.
Speaking on the subject, Principal Machine Designer, Blake Politeski, notes:
“The machines in Horizon Forbidden West are more mobile in almost every way you can imagine – jumping, swimming, clinging to surfaces… Because of this, Aloy will need to keep up with them, so there’s new movement mechanics to help her out.
We’re also focusing more on Aloy’s ability to survey and plan an encounter before engaging, as well as her ability to escape if things don’t go as planned.”
The blog post then goes on to describe how Aloy will be able to use her climbing skills along with items like Smoke Bombs to escape from some of these enemy encounters. Additionally, players can keep an ear out for auditory cues as machines will make specific sounds when initiating attacks or warning other machines of your presence.
These cues will come in handy, with the blog post confirming that some machines can be snuck up on.
Commenting on combat, Asset Art Lead, Maxim Fleury, explains:
“Aloy has many different types of weapons and ammunition available, and she’s going to need them all to beat the different machines! Without spoiling anything, every machine has multiple ways to be defeated.
We tried to make it clear for players through the machine design, and added textures to show the weak points or interactive components. You’ll need to study each machine closely to find different ways to approach it.”
Setting combat aside, a question some may have in regards to Horizon Forbidden West is how many machines will there be compared to the total number of machines in Horizon Zero Dawn.
While a set number hasn’t been provided, Blake Politeski does confirm there will be more machines in Horizon Forbidden West than there were in Horizon Zero Dawn.
In Horizon Zero Dawn, there were over 25 different machines, and according to Blake this catalog will be further expanded in Horizon Forbidden West.
“We’re expanding this catalog further with Horizon Forbidden West. For example, we knew we wanted a slightly bigger flying machine than the Glinthawk, which resulted in the Sunwing – but it needed a place and a role in the world.
We studied various flying reptiles and primitive birds for inspiration, and came up with the concept of their wings collecting solar energy during sunny weather.
This in turn created an interesting gameplay dynamic: Sunwings will be vulnerable when they are harvesting solar power, but are also more alert to potential predators when they are idle.”
Maxim Fleury added to this, stating:
“Creating an authentic world was always a main focus for Guerrilla, and that includes creating authentic machines that roam around the world of Horizon. The design language that was created with Horizon Zero Dawn is still hugely important to us.
At the same time, we try to make the new machines different and unique so that we are expanding the world for our players. The machines in Horizon Forbidden West have a lot more functionality this time around, which is a challenge from a design perspective, but hopefully gives the player a unique experience during each encounter.”
The blog post goes on to detail specific machines including the Tremortusk which is based around a mammoth. Except it’s not an ordinary mammoth, this one comes packed with guns, sharp tusks, and elemental weapons.
The Tremortusk is described as being one of the most formidable foes in Horizon Forbidden West. It’s recommended by Blake and Maxim that players use things like traps and the Pullcaster to deal with Tremortusks. They also remind players to dodge to avoid being trampled, and keeping clear of its flamethrower trunk.
Not all machines you encounter in Horizon Forbidden West will be as deadly as the Tremortusk, though. The blog post also talks a bit about the Clawstrider which is one of the machines that can be overridden and used as a mount.
The gameplay trailer for Horizon Forbidden West shows Aloy on a Clawstrider, which makes us think this will be a machine you encounter fairly early on in Horizon Forbidden West.
Only time will tell in regards to the other machines you’ll encounter in Horizon Forbidden West, and what steps you’ll need to take to either override them like the Clawstrider, or defeat them like the Tremortusk.
For more on the machine info shared today by Guerrilla Games, be sure to read through the full post on the PS Blog!
After soaking in the latest info on machines and combat in Horizon Forbidden West, we’re curious to hear your thoughts. Are you looking forward to taking on the Tremortusk?
Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media channels including Facebook and Twitter!
Related: Guerrilla Shares Info on Aloy’s Journey From Zero Dawn to Forbidden West
