The release date for Horizon Forbidden West inches closer each day. The sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn will have Aloy traveling to the Forbidden West, where she will find new lands to explore and new dangers to face. Guerrilla Games has been releasing a steady stream of information regarding the highly anticipated game and detailing the ways Horizon Forbidden West is improving on the foundation that Horizon Zero Dawn laid down. Aloy will have new moves available to her, she will be able to climb freely, and traversal will be made easier thanks to her hang glider and grappling hook.
In addition to new tribes, Aloy will also have to contend with new machines. Although the machines of Horizon Zero Dawn were amazing, the few machines of the Forbidden West that have been showcased reveal that Guerrilla Games is planning on taking things to a new level. One of the machines that have been shown off is the Bristleback, which is a feisty beast that seems to have a bad attitude. As distinct as the machine is, it is hard to ignore the many similarities it shares with the Behemoths of Horizon Zero Dawn.
The Mighty Behemoth of Horizon Zero Dawn
The Behemoth is a large and aggressive machine that makes its first appearance in Horizon Zero Dawn. Its power is awesome, and it boasts enough moves to pose a challenge to even the most valiant players. In addition to being a four-legged battering ram capable of goring and squashing anything in its path, the Behemoth can also make good use of its environment. It is capable of sending rocks hurtling at its enemies. Although it is not the largest machine players come across, it is certainly one of the more difficult ones to take down.
Dealing with the Behemoth is tricky because of its ability to execute close-up and ranged attacks. Aloy experiences this firsthand during the quest titled "The Terror of the Sun." Stripped of her weapons, Aloy is trapped in an arena with a rather aggressive Behemoth. Through quick thinking and sharp skills, she is able to use the Behemoth's strength against it and come out on top.
Horizon Forbidden West Introduces the Bristleback
The Bristleback is one of the machines of Horizon Forbidden West that have been revealed by Guerrilla Games. This machine looks a little like a warthog, and it has large tusks that it can use to gore anything and anyone that stands in its way. Bristlebacks are highly aggressive and, as a gif on Guerrilla Games' Twitter shows, it takes a group of tribespeople to conquer a single Bristleback. These machines are herd-based but this does not mean that they shy away from any aggressors. Rather, they prefer to deal with their opponents with their sharp tusks instead of running away.
In many ways, Bristlebacks appear to be the Forbidden West's version of Behemoths. Both machines are large and bad-tempered, making them tough foes to deal with. More importantly, both the Behemoth and the Bristleback were created to help supply GAIA with more resources. In the case of the Behemoths, they use their anti-gravity ability to collect resources and deliver them to cauldrons where machines are manufactured. Similarly, Bristlebacks harvest resources to assist with GAIA's terraforming project.
The similarities between Behemoths and Bristlebacks make it easy to hypothesize that Bristlebacks may be a later iteration of Behemoths. Both machines are brutes that serve GAIA by collecting and transporting resources. It could be that Bristlebacks in the Forbidden West achieve similar goals to what Behemoths achieve in Horizon Zero Dawn — supplying GAIA with resources. However, there are differences between the two. Most notably, it appears as though, unlike Behemoths, it is possible to mount Bristlebacks. In its brief showcase, a Bristleback is shown being ridden by a tribesman, and when a spear is stuck in the right place, the machine is eventually subdued.
To find out the truth about Bristlebacks, players will have to wait for the release of Horizon Forbidden West. Fortunately, the game's release date is just around the corner.
Horizon Forbidden West is set to release on February 18, 2022 on PS4 and PS5.