Thanks to Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, Horizon 3 is…

Guerrilla’s Horizon franchise is arguably one of PlayStation’s most thrilling IPs nowadays, and that’s not even necessarily only due to its rich story and unique science-fiction/post-apocalypse elements. Indeed, Horizon has taken intriguing strides with its VR title, Horizon Call of the Mountain, an upcoming movie replacing plans for a series adaptation, and an ‘Online Project’ multiplayer game that was confirmed by Guerrilla back in December 2022 as part of a jobs listing post. As for its roots as a single-player action-RPG franchise, though, Horizon’s future seems more or less assured.

Horizon Forbidden West improved on Horizon Zero Dawn in nearly every way imaginable. Most notably, perhaps, Horizon Forbidden West’s traversal and mobility options facilitate a more fluid experience between the Shieldwing Glider, Pullcaster, and Sunwing and Waterwing flying mounts. However, with flying mounts not being unlocked until extremely late in Horizon Forbidden West, it’ll be fascinating to see what Horizon 3 does to push envelopes further in terms of gameplay, especially considering how narrowly focused the series’ gameplay has proven to be in two mainline entries thus far.

Horizon 3 Should Take a Couple Pages Out of Baldur's Gate 3's Book

Guerrilla Games' expected Horizon 3 should be inspired by Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3 to introduce a classic RPG mechanic to the series.

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By Eric Warner

PlayStation’s Latest Trend Has Been Companion and Ally Stories

It wouldn’t be fair to claim that every first-party PlayStation studio has adopted this core premise, but it’s been quite apparent how popular companion and ally systems have been, particularly with a main protagonist accompanied for a prolonged period by one or more NPCs. This is no truer than in The Last of Us and God of War, with both even tackling rocky parent-child dynamics.

Plus, if there isn’t someone along for the journey, like how Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding have reveled in the lonesome exploration of vast landscapes, side character NPCs will still play a big role within a narrative full of epic cinematic spectacle, as is the case in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. Moreover, a prominent and recurring throughline of this NPC ally trope in PlayStation franchises is that side characters, or even minor protagonists, are established as characters who either rise to the same status as the original mascot or supplant them wholly.

Ellie is playable for a fraction of the time that Joel is in The Last of Us, but becomes the new primary protagonist with Abby serving as a deuteragonist in The Last of Us Part 2.
Atreus is playable as an extension of Kratos’ move set in God of War, but becomes a playable character in God of War Ragnarok and is expected to lead his own game in God of War’s future.
Miles Morales is playable as a side character in Marvel’s Spider-Man; leads his own half-sequel as Spider-Man in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales; and stars as one of two playable protagonists that players can swap back and forth to in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Obvious exceptions exist, and not every ally-related narrative has been cookie-cutter, either. But, while other landmark PlayStation blockbusters lately have revolved around character-driven stories with NPCs and often planted seeds in their side characters to one day have them be as or more significant than the series’ mascot, there is reason to believe Horizon will continue to stray from that path.

Horizon May Have Missed the Companion System Bandwagon, But That Could Be Its Greatest Advantage

Either way, with gameplay being so similar between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, it is incredibly unlikely that Horizon 3 will make seismic shifts in core mechanics. If Horizon was going to have another character replace Aloy or join her as a second playable character, much less have a dedicated character follow her around at the hip at all times—a storytelling device God of War and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach take quite literally with Mimir and Dollman, respectively—it probably would’ve done so already.

If Horizon 3 is the last Horizon game somehow, or the last game of a proposed trilogy, for instance, it’d be far too late and debatably superfluous to suddenly make NPC allies a fundamental feature. Rather, there are clearly plans to sustain the Horizon IP beyond its standard outings, and there are plenty of characters who’ve been given the development needed to potentially reinforce them as playable characters in the future if Guerrilla wishes to bench Aloy.

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