Fans of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have spent the last couple of years constantly debating what characters will get added to the game via DLC. The list of contenders remains lengthy no matter who gets confirmed, and one character who's been on the list for some time is Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. Now that there's only one DLC slot, the odds don't seem good that Aloy is coming to Smash. Instead, her next appearance will probably be in Horizon Forbidden West, the Zero Dawn sequel potentially releasing by the end of the year. However, that doesn't mean Aloy will never appear in a fighting game.
Nintendo isn't the only studio to make a fighting game starring characters under its helm. In 2012, Sony released PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, a fighting game showcasing the PlayStation's many exclusive characters in the same way that Smash celebrates Nintendo characters. PlayStation All-Stars got mixed reviews at the time, but it deserves a second chance. Sony has changed a lot since 2012, partially due to having new potential mascots. Horizon Forbidden West's Aloy seems like a fantastic inclusion in a theoretical PlayStation All-Stars 2. Sony ought to take another look at its fighting game and give Aloy another game to star in.
PlayStation All-Stars Return Would Be Timely
One big reason that PlayStation All-Stars ought to come back is that fighting games are doing well for themselves lately. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most obvious example. Smash has always been celebrated as a collection of characters from across the game industry, especially in recent years, but Smash Ultimate truly has everyone. Its DLC characters include everyone from Sephiroth to Minecraft's Steve to Kazuya Mishima. Aloy might not have gotten an invitation to Smash Ultimate, but that only makes her a bigger selling point in PlayStation All-Stars 2.
There are also other fighting games doing well for themselves lately. Although it's not out yet, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl generated a ton of hype from the moment it got announced. It's easy to see why: Nickelodeon's fighting game stars characters from classic early Nickelodeon shows as well as brand-new shows currently running on the channel. Just like Smash and its broad range of video game characters, it appeals to Nickelodeon fans of all ages. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl proves that there's a market for fighting games starring collections of known characters. Smash doesn't have the market cornered—on the contrary, there's room for more games of the same type.
It's not just other fighting games that make PlayStation All-Stars seem like a good investment. Sony also has the PS5 at the helm. The next-gen console can never have enough exclusive titles available to entice fans, so why not make a PS5 exclusive PlayStation All-Stars game that celebrates the games that got Sony to this point? Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West in particular deserve to be celebrated in a Sony-centric fighting game. Guerrilla Games has created a very valuable mascot for Sony in the form of Aloy, and Sony ought to capitalize on that.
Making the Most of Aloy's Star Power
There's no doubt about how influential Aloy is at this point. She's making cameos all over the game industry. For instance, an Aloy skin in Fortnite recently put her in a very public sphere, giving the Horizon publicity franchise in one of the most famous battle royales on the market. Similarly, Aloy is coming to Genshin Impact as a playable character soon. These not only show that Guerrilla Games and Sony think of her as a good mascot, but that other parts of the industry know how much Horizon fans value Aloy's presence.
That's why she ought to be front and center in a new PlayStation All-Stars game. An announcement trailer starting her would easily get the attention of fans, and she'd be the perfect face to stand at the center of the game's box art. Sony is already using Aloy as a representative in plenty of advertising, so it only makes sense that she'd be a top candidate for PlayStation All-Stars 2's main ambassador. Even if she wasn't the face of the game, Aloy's presence in PlayStation All-Stars 2 would be guaranteed. Horizon Zero Dawn is an acclaimed IP, but it wasn't created until well after the first All-Stars game's release.
Redeeming PlayStation All-Stars
Aloy being in a theoretical PlayStation All-Stars 2 to any extent would be important no matter what. PlayStation All-Stars wasn't perfectly received, in large part due to its combat system, which many players felt leaned too heavily on super moves. Players could only win by charging up their super move, which meant the gameplay boiled down to a race to charge the move, leaving little room for comebacks and restricted player strategies. Aloy could be the key to drawing players into the sequel since the original game saw a complicated reception.
On top of that, Horizon Zero Dawn's success could be a good excuse to fix PlayStation All-Stars' flaws. At face value, a sequel to the original game would be a simple follow-up intended to bring in new characters from PlayStation games that have gotten big since the original 2012 title. In the meantime, though, Sony could also rework the combat system, building on the original game by adding some nuance to PlayStation All-Stars' combat, introducing alternate win conditions and other new mechanics. If changes to the gameplay aren't enough, then Aloy's presence will be a huge selling point that could entice some players to give PlayStation All-Stars a second chance.
As of now, there's no sign that Sony is planning PlayStation All-Stars 2, but anything's possible now that the PS5 is on the market. The console presents another good opportunity to take another stab at the game. No matter what Sony decides to do with its fighting game IP, though, Horizon looks like it'll remain a heavy hitter. Ideally, Horizon Forbidden West will still release late this year, helping Sony end 2021 with a bang. Horizon Zero Dawn fans are eager to know what kind of adventure awaits Aloy in the mysterious Forbidden West, especially thanks to the recent Horizon Forbidden West gameplay reveal. Even if PlayStation All-Stars doesn't make a comeback, there's plenty of opportunities ahead of Aloy.
Horizon Forbidden West is set to release in late 2021 for PS4 and PS5.