Horizon Forbidden West is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A sequel to 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic version of the Western United States recovering from the aftermath of an extinction event caused by a rogue robot swarm. The player can explore the open world and complete quests using ranged and melee against hostile machine creatures.
Where does Horizon Forbidden West take place?
In Zero Dawn, players discovered — through a series of collectibles and story dialogue — that they were in modern-day Colorado during the year 3040. The setting allowed developer Guerrilla Games to create multiple environments, from the Carja desert to the frozen tundra in the north. As Aloy ventures out west, though, she will explore even more present-day states and cities. The question remains: where is Guerrilla Games taking Aloy on her journey across the Forbidden West?
The plague that Aloy is investigating pushes west of the Sundom, away from Colorado and her first home with the Nora tribe. The only confirmed modern-day location that fans know Aloy will visit is San Francisco, California. A gameplay trailer shows the ruins of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean.
It’s unclear how Aloy got to the American city in Horizon Forbidden West and at what time during the story she arrives there. It’s fully possible that Aloy has to venture across multiple other cities before reaching San Francisco. This leaves the possibility open for players to see the post-post-apocalyptic ruins of cities like Las Vegas, Nevada and Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as others within California.
Gameplay trailers showcase Aloy traversing across lush forests, mountains, deserts, beaches and plains. It seems likely that Aloy will have to go outside of San Franciso, at some point, to experience all of these different environments. However, it seems like the majority of the story takes place in and around San Francisco. This is the perfect location for players to experience the new underwater mechanics and all of the fresh gameplay mechanics that Guerrilla Games has designed. Also, the Forbidden West is confirmed to hold brand new machines for players to fight.
How Old Is Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West?
Horizon Forbidden West’s Aloy is unique among video game protagonists in a number of ways. Not only does she live in a post-apocalyptic, primitive society that is overrun by futuristic machines, but she was literally created to save the world.
She’s discovered the lost origins of her world, learned to master the machines that threaten humanity and saved the entire planet. With so many achievements under her belt at such a young age, it begs the question: Exactly how old is Aloy? Using the dates from notes and data points throughout both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, it’s possible to get a rough estimate of this hero’s age.
Aloy manages to win the Proving, but the tribe is attacked by Eclipse cultists, servants of the rouge AI HADES. Rost is killed during the attack while protecting Aloy, and she is given a mission by the Nora leaders to remove the Eclipse from their lands. These events kick off Aloy’s long and difficult battle against the Eclipse and HADES for the rest of the game. Although the timeline isn’t perfect, it’s safe to assume that the campaign of Horizon Zero Dawn takes anywhere from a few months to a year in-universe. This would put Aloy at somewhere between 18 and 19 years old by the final battle at Meridian at the end of the game.
The game picks up the story six months after the Battle of the Alight in Meridian. Aloy has been searching for a way to stop the blight that once again threatens life on Earth. This time gap between games would make Aloy around 19 or 20 years old by the start of Horizon Forbidden West, meaning she’s still quite young and likely has plenty more adventures ahead of her.
What are the Horizon Forbidden West system requirements for PC?
Minimum Requirements
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz / AMD FX-8320
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB
RAM: 8 GB
HDD: 65 GB
DirectX 11 Compatible Graphics Card
Recommended Requirements
OS: Windows 10-11 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K 4-Core 4.0GHz / AMD Ryzen R7 1700
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
RAM: 16 GB
HDD: 65 GB
DirectX 11 Compatible Graphics Card
If you were a fan of Horizon Zero Dawn, then it’s worth checking out Forbidden West as well. However, if you need a little help with choosing your next game, we got you covered.
It’s true that there are other exciting options out there, so we’ve compared them for you, in case you need a little bit more info before making a choice.
How To Preload Horizon Forbidden West
Pre-loading for the game is officially live. To preload, players must first ensure they have pre-ordered a copy of the game digitally via the PlayStation Store.
Once purchased, simply head to your game library on your PlayStation and navigate to Horizon Forbidden West, you will then have the option to download the game before release.
However, it’s important to note that anyone looking to take advantage of the free PS5 upgrade option will need to wait until Friday, February 18th to download the full game.
Players can purchase the PS4 version of the game for $10 cheaper and simply upgrade to the PS5 version on release, but this means you won’t be able to preload.
Can you romance Horizon Forbidden West?
No, the game does not have romance options. You will not be able to engage in any love stories with Aloy.
These days, many big AAA games find space for romantic storylines — some even give you multiple partners to choose from — but this particular franchise from Guerilla Games always seems to buck that trend.
Why is there no romance in Horizon Forbidden West? Well, just as she was in Horizon Zero Dawn, it seems that Aloy is too busy saving the world during the game to have any interest in pursuing romantic relationships.
Does Aloy get a love interest in forbidden West?
No, Horizon Forbidden West does not have romance options. You will not be able to engage in any love stories with Aloy.
Also read:
