Sony's PlayStation VR2 is set to release on February 22, 2023, marking a new generation of Sony's foray into virtual reality gaming. While the launch lineup includes many games already available on other platforms like After the Fall, No Man's Sky, and Among Us, Horizon Call of the Mountain is easily among the most anticipated. Being the first Horizon game in VR, Horizon Call of the Mountain looks to promise a whole new level of immersion to the series and some of its most intense combat to date.
With the level of quality associated with a first-party PlayStation Studios title, Horizon Call of the Mountain is expected to take full advantage of the new hardware. Due to a starting price of $549 and a limited lineup of new titles available at launch, PSVR2 has already caused debate among the gaming community. However, those familiar with VR hardware praise the impressive specs of the device. These include 4K visuals with 110-degree FOV, eye tracking with foveated rendering, and the controllers having haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, which Horizon Call of the Mountain will fully utilize.
The Mountain Calls For Combat
Horizon games can be split into three main segments in terms of their gameplay: story and dialogue, open-world traversal, and combat. The story of Horizon Call of the Mountain is set around the same time as Horizon Forbidden West and will have players controlling Shadow Carja prisoner Ryas. In taking a different approach to its world, this game will not feature a traditional open world and instead will feature linear exploration and climbing sections in between combat scenarios. When it comes to combat, few games match the intensity of being attacked by a massive robot dinosaur. This is the area Horizon Call of the Mountain has the most to gain and potentially to lose.
Horizon's combat has traditionally excelled due to the variety and scale of enemies, along with the different ways players are able to approach encounters. These encounters are rooted in choice, as players can choose when, where, and how to take down their foes. With the smaller combat arenas shown thus far, it's unsure if the transition to VR will allow the game to provide players with the same freedom of choice as other games in the series. However, even with smaller environments in which to fight, many fans will be pleased that Horizon Call of the Mountain will include many of the same machines from past games, such as a Snapmaw, Stormbird, Thunderjaw, and much more.
Weapon variety plays a major role in Horizon games, as it allows players to determine how they want to take out enemies. The trailers for Horizon Call of the Mountain have demonstrated its diverse and threatening enemies, but fans haven't seen much yet regarding weapon selection. At this time, the weapons shown in trailers have been the series' signature bow with elemental arrows and most recently a Blast Sling, showcased in the newest teaser from The Game Awards 2022. With the game's VR controls having players physically draw arrows and grab bombs to sling at enemies, each weapon has the potential to heighten combat through immersive interactions.
As a VR game, immersive player actions help provide a sense of presence within the world and add tension to combat encounters, and these actions certainly don't stop at the weapons. Crafting and dodging also contribute to the overall feel of combat that cannot be overlooked, as they provide necessary tools for encounters. Players will be able to craft items from raw materials such as elemental arrows and possibly even upgraded weapons. A dodge mechanic has also been implemented in Horizon Call of the Mountain to give players the ability to quickly evade enemy attacks.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is coming to PS VR2 on February 22, 2023.