Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West expanded Guerrilla Games' successful first-game concept into a much more varied environment along the American west coast, from the flooded ruins of San Francisco to desert canyons and dense rainforests, while Aloy continues searching for the cause of a mysterious blight decimating the planet's remaining vegetation and uncovers ever darker secrets of an ancient civilization. The combat system against mechanical creatures was enriched with new weapons, a diving ability, exploration of underwater locations, and a more elaborate system of dismantling and using parts from defeated machines against other enemies.

A new gallery of machines, including the massive Tremortusk and the predatory Slitherfang, further expands the tactical depth of combat based on finding weak points, which the player targets with a bow and various types of ammunition after scanning the target. A new gliding wing and grappling hook system allows for much more vertical and acrobatic movement across the landscape than in the first game, while the underwater locations bring an entirely new type of puzzles and battles with aquatic machines. The story deepens Aloy's relationships with new and old allies and expands the world's mythology by revealing the fate of the rest of humanity outside America.

Critics praised the visual presentation, variety of environments, and improved combat mechanics as a worthy sequel to the acclaimed first game; the game was commercially successful and cemented Horizon as one of Sony's key modern franchises. The fact that the game released simultaneously on both PlayStation 4 and 5 despite its enormous technical demands showed Guerrilla Games' determination not to leave the older console generation and its players without access to the sequel of a beloved series. Even on older hardware, the vistas of overgrown skyscrapers and herds of machines roaming the landscape remain among the most visually striking scenes that PlayStation 4 managed in its final phase.