Horizon Forbidden West Leaves Horizon 3 Stuck Between a…

The state of the next Horizon game is a huge mystery right now. It's been confirmed that developer Guerrilla Games is currently developing the project, but it's unclear how far along Horizon 3 truly is at the moment. There has yet to even be an official name revealed. Hopefully, within the next year, Guerrilla Games will have something to showcase, but only time will tell.

Until then, Horizon 3 is fertile soil for speculation, and the longer the wait continues, the more theories and rumors will surface. One of the biggest questions regarding Horizon 3 is how much it will evolve from its predecessor. Naturally, with Forbidden West being a sequel, the game enhanced many of the features found in Zero Dawn, but when it comes to difficulty, Horizon 3 may want to keep things a little more static.

Aloy’s Fate in Horizon 3 Could Be a One-Two Punch That PlayStation Has Avoided Like the Faro Plague

After Forbidden West, Aloy's next chapter is unclear, but Horizon 3 can finally take the leap that PlayStation has been afraid to make.

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By LB Beistad

Horizon 3 Could Benefit From Keep Forbidden West's Level of Difficulty

Of course, difficulty is subjective, but there were a significant number of players who found Forbidden West far more difficult compared to the first game. It's definitely not abnormal for sequels to be more intense than their predecessors, but some fans found the differences between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West daunting. The Machines in Forbidden West are more relentless, but beyond that, combat mechanics and crafting in general are more complex, and Horizon 3 may want to avoid taking this any further.

The Pros of Keeping Horizon 3's Difficulty the Same as Forbidden West's

The biggest pro of not increasing the difficulty and complexity is that more casual players will still feel comfortable playing the game. After Forbidden West, this portion of the fan base has certain expectations, and adding too many layers to its combat mechanics alongside even more powerful Machines would quickly cause a lot of gamers to put down their controllers. Of course, there are plenty of fans who enjoy the increasing complexity, but many prefer a more casual experience that still presents a decent amount of challenge, just not too much.

The Horizon franchise features difficulty options, but when considering the more complex approach of Forbidden West, playing the sequel can still be frustrating for some players. Sticking with Forbidden West's balance still brings plenty of intricate mechanics to the more hardcore fans, while also presenting options for those who are more invested in the story.

Horizon: Forbidden West features six difficulty options; Story, Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, and Ultra Hard.

Horizon 3's Difficulty Staying the Same Has One Major Con

With this being the third chapter in Horizon, it's expected to be Aloy's hardest challenge yet, and increasing the difficulty would be one of the best ways to help get that across. If the combat balance is the same as Forbidden West's, it may be hard for some players to actually believe that Aloy is being brought to her absolute limit. Of course, Guerrilla Games could find a way to drive this home without increasing difficulty, but it's unsure what method would be the ideal route.

The Machines in Forbidden West are more relentless, but beyond that, combat mechanics and crafting in general are more complex.

Guerrilla Games Has Big Ambitions for the Horizon Franchise

Horizon 3 isn't the only game tied to the franchise in the works. Guerrilla Games is also hard at work on an online Horizon spin-off that is just as mysterious as its mainline counterpart. There's no telling when Guerrilla Games will be ready to reveal the first teasers for both Horizon 3 and the online spin-off, but there will hopefully be news sometime later this year. The Game Awards could be a great place to make an official announcement, but that may be wishful thinking right now, since both are potentially a few years away.

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