Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, the franchise developed by Guerrilla Games, have been great examples of an extraordinary and admired series. They showcase a post-apocalyptic dangerous world occupied by intimidating, deadly, and atrocious robots. There are also humans’ tribes, each with a particular tradition. Among the pervasion of these machine-driven creatures and bandits, the lead character, Aloy, has to save the Earth from multiple hostiles, coming for her one by one.
As a result of the fights she has been through, it is highly expected to observe some consequences on Aloy’s body and outfit. She could get bruises and take damage after intense battles. However, what makes the game less realistic is that she always keeps her beauty and never gets injured. Also, the series presents a wide range of various combat skills, each allowing Aloy to battle the machines in a unique way. Zero Dawn brought a lot of hunter, stealth, and trap skills. Forbidden West provided many more, as Aloy could activate the Valor Surges to destroy all the machines surrounding her in a blink of an eye. However, there is still one important skill that needs to be added in Horizon 3 to make her even more powerful. All these approaches could be adapted from some video games’ systems, particularly Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Damaging System
Aloy With a Scar? Impossible
In the Horizon series, both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, it doesn’t matter what Aloy is battling. She always remains fresh, beautiful, and without any wounds or scars on her face and body, not even on her outfit. Surely, the games are rated PEGI 16, and applying graphic violence could rise the index, but Guerrilla Games will still have the chance, for Horizon 3, to truly reveal the danger and fright of this universe by drawing inspiration of what Insomniac made for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Aloy with no wounds after defeating Regalla
Experience Wounding Similar to Spider-Men
In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which is also rated PEGI 16, despite observable scars and cuts on Peter and Miles upon overwhelming battles, if their outfits are used for quite a long time and in multiple fights, they start to damage and tear apart until they are switched out. This interesting concept could readily be applied in the next chapter of Aloy’s journey to fully present how dangerous the world of Horizon is.
Peter’s damaged suit
Combat System
The Traditional Dodge Skill for Protection
In terms of the combat skills, one of the oldest ways of evading enemies’ attacks is dodging. The Horizon franchise, both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, also presented this combat skill. Since there was no portable shield for Aloy, she had no other choice but to dodge to escape enemies’ invasions. In Zero Dawn, you could even upgrade this skill to make her dive further. She could also utilize the sliding ability to keep herself away from humans and machines trying to knock her down.
Aloy fighting with Tilda’s Specter Prime
Use the Parry Skill Like Peter and Miles
So, as the dodging skill is getting more repetitive, and Aloy requires an additional unique ability, what could be better than the parry skill? The parry skill is a remarkable strategy that games like God of War and Ghost of Tsushima utilized. But, let’s take a look at the recent Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Peter and Miles could parry the attacks to both defend themselves and fill the focus bar for using it to heal. This technique is worth adding to the world of Horizon. Aloy will be able to parry the charges to achieve some advantages for possible upgrades, or even better, healing, since she only consumes potions and plants to increase her health during battles.
Peter & Miles facing Venom
Also, the next chapter of Horizon could introduce a new way of enemies’ invasions by showing a specific color. For instance, yellow and red could be light and heavy strikes, respectively. Aloy is only able to parry those yellow attacks from small robots and humans, not those red ones from colossal and gigantic machines.
The highly-anticipated Horizon 3 has the capability to conclude the series in the best way. Not only can it advance in terms of story, but also in gameplay mechanics. Aloy could sustain injuries. Her armors could take damage. And she could rely on the parry combat skill in order to stand against any bloodthirsty hostile.
