With multiple releases slated for next year, the early part of 2022 is packed with new games. One of the anticipated titles is Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, in which players control a young adventuress named Aloy.
For the most part, Horizon Forbidden West looks to be a continuation that will hold much of the same as the first game. Considering the first game is filled with well executed combat mechanics, gorgeous graphics and visuals, and awesome robot dinosaurs, that's hardly a bad thing. But at least one new feature is a head turner and, for what the game is, a bit of a head scratcher.
Said feature is a game within a game. Specifically, a board game called Strike will be part of Horizon Forbidden West, an actual part of the universe that players can learn about and play themselves. This was revealed in an FAQ about Horizon Forbidden West's collectible edition pre-order. Some of the editions will ship with physical pieces from Strike for players to collect and, apparently, digital copies of the same pieces to use in game. Presumably these special pieces cannot be collected in-game otherwise.
The game of Strike itself is not talked about in much detail. Players will learn about the game through Horizon Forbidden West's story, gain their own pieces, and be able to challenge NPCs to matches. From the desctiption, it sounds like a one on one game played using pieces made to resemble the mechanical monstrosities that roam Horizon Forbidden West's world. Comparisons that spring to mind include chess or the game Cyvasse from A Song of Ice and Fire. Another comparison could be made to Gwent, which got its own game with its own expansions. Only time will tell if Strike becomes as popular.
How heavily Strike will feature in Horizon Forbidden West's story is also unknown. It could be nothing but a small distraction or something more central to parts of the main plot. It doesn't feature prominently in any of the Horizon Forbidden West trailers released so far, so there's plenty of room for speculation.
That said, it's still debatable whether or not the collector's editions are worth the extra price, Strike pieces or no. If Strike turns out to be a disappointing mechanic, those pieces may become more of a representation of ill-spent money than anything else. And, of course, the upgrade to PS5 for Horizon Forbidden West is not free, adding another price to consider for some players. Hopefully Strike turns out to be a fun mechanic, even if it doesn't become the next Gwent.
Horizon Forbidden West releases for PS4 and PS5 on February 18, 2022.
Source: PlayStation