WhileHorizon Forbidden Westoffers a robust story for action RPG fans to sink their teeth into, it also has a wide variety of side quests for fans to pursue, which greatly expands the game’s overall playtime. The game offers typical side quests and errands from the first game, but it also greatly expands on the side content by introducing Salvage Contracts,Relic Ruins, and much more. The Forbidden West has much more to offer Aloy than before, but that’s not purely a positive.Horizon Forbidden Westfeels a little cluttered because there are so many different types of quests for the player to pursue.
Rapid expansion was the name of the game inHorizon Forbidden West.The sprawling new map that brought the American Southwest to life contains lots of new machines, as well as a ton of varieties on known machines that kept combat fresh. Guerrilla Games seemed to go into quest design with the same principle, believing variety was the spice of life. Ultimately, however,Horizon Forbidden West’s side content feels like it’s stretched a little too thin across the open world. The nextHorizongame should find ways to keep its quests under one roof so that players don’t have to keep track of so many disparate objectives.
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The Horizon Franchise’s Evolving Side Quests
TheHorizon Forbidden Westsidequest list grows in every direction. Hunting Grounds, Tallnecks, and Cauldrons all return as quests, but the game has much more to offer. Rather than simply clearing Bandit Camps, Aloy has two options when routingRegalla’s Tenakth rebels: Rebel Outposts and Rebel Camps. These quests do differ somewhat, but ultimately the experience is similar. Salvage Contracts give Aloy a new part-gathering task to fulfill in exchange for rewards, while Melee Pits, Gauntlet Runs, and the Arena offer Aloy new competitions to win. Collectables also get their own quest list now, and Relic Ruins offer objectives related to certain collectables.
All in all, many of these quest categories seem excessive. For instance, Melee Pits, Gauntlet Runs, and the Arena don’t seem like they needed to be quests at all. While it’s somewhat useful to remind the player where these minigames are, map markers seem like they would’ve done the job, especially whenMachine Strikedoesn’t have a special quest category alongside these other competitive activities. Rebel Outposts and Rebel Camps also seem like they could’ve occupied one quest list, rather than taking up extra space in the menu. Not only does this long list clutter the quest menu, but it’s also harder to appreciate each ofForbidden West’s new ideas individually when the game has so much going on at once.
The Collectables quest category shows howthe thirdHorizongamecan simplify things. Rather than giving every collectable a separate quest type, objectives like Vista Points and Survey Drones are listed together as subtypes within the Collectables category. Much in the same way, Regalla’s camps could’ve been grouped as Rebel Bases and subtyped as Outposts and Camps, while the minigame-esque quests like Melee Pits could’ve been grouped together as Competitions or Challenges. MakingHorizonquests into families in this way would organize the game’s side content better while preserving the variety thatHorizon Forbidden Westhad to offer.
Horizon Forbidden Westis bound to introduce new types of side quests, possibly related to the encroaching threat of NEMESIS or Old World tech that’ll helpAloyprotect Earth. Better organization will be key to making those new quests appealing; stacking them on top of the litany of quest types inForbidden Westcould prove overwhelming rather than enticing for fans. A wide variety of quest categories may provide a sense of discovery toHorizonfans, but theHorizon Zero Dawnsequel’s approach was a little excessive. More efficient quest organization would mean that Guerrilla can provide just as much variety – or even more than before – without unnecessarily taking up menu space or player attention.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now for PS4 and PS5.
