Horizon Forbidden West's New Skills & Abilities Explained By Devs
In an interview with Game Informer, developers from Guerrilla Games outlined new details related to gameplay, skills, and abilities in Horizon Forbidden West. The latest bits of Forbidden West-related information comes a week after Sony hosted a State of Play centered around the highly-anticipated sequel.
During the gameplay reveal, fans received a much closer look at the landscape Aloy will explore in her upcoming adventure. Guerrilla also made sure to showcase the new machines that stalk the world, including the Tremortusk - a ferocious mammoth-like beast that a faction of raiders has learned to tame for combat and travel purposes. Aloy's action-packed battle against the Tremortusk featured heavily in the recently released footage, which additionally made room for the unveiling of previously unseen weapons and equipment. Though a launch date for Forbidden West remains up in the air, the developers continue to share more information about what fans can expect this time around.
Game director Mathijs de Jonge and narrative director Benjamin McCaw sat down with Game Informer for an interview covering Forbidden West's gameplay reveal. During the discussion, the developers provided more insight regarding new skills and abilities; for instance, de Jonge specifically mentioned the revamped skill tree, which Guerrilla designed to benefit different styles of play. The studio plans to share expanded details on this front at a later date, de Jonge said. Fans should also be pleased to learn that Horizon's melee system received a complete overhaul, making room for combos that players can obtain via the skill tree.
Fresh information regarding Forbidden West's previously teased workbench surfaced during the interview, too. According to the Game Director, the workbench will only be accessible via settlements, though players should still get plenty of use out of it. In exploring the world, users will gather resources from animals, plants, and machines that Aloy can utilize for upgrading weapons and outfits across multiple tiers. These enhancements unlock attributes, damage bonuses, weapon skills, and ammo types. It's also worth noting that Aloy's improved mobility received a bit of a tease as well, with de Jonge divulging that free-climbing enters the world of Horizon to allow players to climb cliffs and mountains at leisure.
Evidently, the crew at Guerrilla paid close attention to the criticisms leveled against the franchise's first outing. The improvements to melee combat seem especially noteworthy, based on both the interview above and the gameplay footage. A free-climbing feature should prove to be the icing on the cake.
Horizon: Forbidden West is expected to launch sometime later in 2021 on PS4 and PS5.
Source: Game Informer