Horizon 3: The Case for Staying Within Zero Dawn and…

Summary

Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Forbidden West's regions, which are based on parts of the Mid and Western United States, offer visually vibrant and impressive landscapes that stand out among other games in the genre.
Horizon 3 should stay within its established maps because it would maintain narrative coherence and preserve the work already put into the storylines and relationships of the characters. It would also allow Guerrilla to reduce production costs, update existing assets, and focus on improving the game mechanics.
While Guerrilla could introduce a new map for Horizon 3, staying within the boundaries of the previous games' regions would provide closure in a consistent and fitting manner, preserving the overall world and character building and making it more memorable.

Guerrilla Games' Horizon series is one of the more recent Sony exclusive franchises that achieved great success and now counts among PlayStation's best and highest rated single-player experiences. With 2017's Horizon: Zero Dawn and the 2022 sequel Horizon: Forbidden West, players were introduced to a "post-post-apocalyptic" world that was very different from most other games with the same framework. Instead of the usual fare of drab blasted out wastelands, the Horizon titles were set in a lush recreation of portions of the Mid and Western United States. Their areas were more visually and impressively vibrant compared to their contemporaries, and thus stood out among them.

With such a rich world to build off, Guerrilla has previously announced a Horizon multiplayer title to tide fans over before the official third entry. It promises to feature fresh narratives and characters, and possibly new regions, along with expanding the lore and integrating similar gameplay mechanics. Horizon 3, though, will ostensibly be the conclusion of protagonist Aloy and her ever-growing collection of companions' stories. As such, there are numerous reasons why Horizon 3 should stay within its established maps rather than sending players to an entirely new one.

Why It Makes Sense For Horizon 3 To Stay in its Existing Maps

Zero Dawn & Forbidden West's Regions

Horizon: Zero Dawn was set in and around the states of Colorado, Utah, and northern Arizona. This allowed for a range of environments and topography, as Aloy navigated sandy plains and treacherous rocky mountains in the course of her quest. In keeping with games of its nature, Zero Dawn' s map was also quite large, and often contained many out-of-the-way sections that hid collectibles and rewarded other resources for players who meticulously delved into its nooks and crannies. Zero Dawn provided a fun and challenging sandbox with memorably stunning vistas, and landscapes that were satisfying to traverse.

Horizon: Forbidden West, as implied, moved the map in that direction. It built on Zero Dawn's foundations, expanding to cover spots from Nevada (specifically Las Vegas) out to the edges of southern California near San Francisco. It felt both familiar yet distinct from Zero Dawn' s, and was consistent and believable within the story. Being massive open-world games, players spent a lot of time acclimating themselves in both titles as they trekked across the terrain, soaking in the setting and exploring versions of iconic real-world landmarks from those areas while the story unfolded.

Horizon 3 Should Take Place in the Series' Established Locations

Given how Horizon: Forbidden West ended, it's a safe bet that Horizon 3 will center on Aloy and her allies unifying the various tribes they previously met, and convincing them a final time to defend against the looming existential threat. Horizon' s supporting cast is extensive, as is Aloy's network of friendships within it. Players that are familiarized with them will recognize the specific locations they visited in the world that each group resides in. In light of this, a completely new zone might end up feeling too disjointed with established storylines and relationships. It runs the risk of undermining all the work already put into them, as well as players' investment and attachment.

Sticking to the previous titles' maps would afford Guerrilla some big advantages:

Reduce production costs by reusing at least some existing assets.
Allow opportunities to update the map without starting from scratch.
Maintain narrative coherence.
Prioritize focusing on improving Horizon 3' s mechanics.

Though Guerrilla could easily introduce an entirely new map for Horizon 3, as it stands, there isn't necessarily a compelling motivation to do so. In fact, the best choice in the long run might be to remain within the boundaries of Zero Dawn's and Forbidden West' s already impressive regions. This would provide closure in a consistent and fitting manner within the series' scope, preserving the overall world and character building and making it that much more memorable.

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