Guerilla Games' 2017 hit Horizon Zero Dawn and its recent follow-up Horizon Forbidden West were a breath of fresh air in the video game market. In a medium that is flooded with remakes and sequels to decade-long series, a brand-new IP featuring a strong female protagonist was a welcome addition. The combination of an original open world setting with challenging but enjoyable gameplay ensured that both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West were hits, but the unique stories in both titles elevated them to another level. Exploring the post-apocalyptic landscape littered with antagonistic machines as the imperturbable Nora hunter Aloy gave players a chance to experience a vast world filled with surprisingly touching stories and moments of humanity.
While the broader story of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West has a satisfyingly wide scope, encompassing space-faring immortal humans, last-ditch world-saving attempts, and all-powerful AIs, it was the smaller moments that truly stood out amidst the action. Whether it was optional side missions or hidden stories within Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds DLC, there are some surprising connections between seemingly insignificant narrative details and the sequel. One, in particular, is the datapoints players can find during the first game's DLC which feature an unlikely musical collaboration and a touching friendship. The developer then includes references to this apparently non-essential narrative moment in Horizon Forbidden West, providing an insight into its view of canon storytelling.
The Frozen Wilds And Narrative DLC
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds was the only DLC that the first game received, and was met with praise from players who felt that Guerilla Games had delivered a great expansion that built on the base game without feeling like it was retreading old ground. Even though it was labeled as a must-play for fans of Horizon Zero Dawn, it was also seen as non-essential in terms of prepping for Horizon Forbidden West and was mainly an added bonus rather than an integral addition. The DLC took place in a new location with a fresh cast of characters, making it feel separate from the main story of Horizon Zero Dawn while still part of the same world.
This is a familiar tactic for many titles and allows both developers and players to explore brand-new avenues without impacting the base game or the wider narrative arc of a series. DLC like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Blood and Wine did this to perfection, offering a self-contained adventure away from the main storyline but still providing everything players loved about The Witcher 3. DLC can still have a narrative focus without tangling itself too tightly into the overarching plot of a game, and The Frozen Wilds does this by opening up a new area of the map and introducing the Banuk tribe as Aloy helps them overcome a Daemon and save an overrun Old World facility.
Concrete Beach Party And The Human Touch
Something that's buried in an optional side quest in a non-essential DLC expansion wouldn't immediately seem very important to players. However, there's an interesting detail to the side quest Waterlogged within The Frozen Wilds that is up there with Horizon Zero Dawn's most human and emotional moments and is even revisited in the sequel. After offering to investigate why an area has been mysteriously flooded, Aloy discovers a dam toward the north of Song’s Edge. After solving a few puzzles, turning some valves, and once again saving the day, players can find a handful of datapoints that paint a bittersweet picture of life before the machines had the run of the place.
Players can follow the story of disgruntled dam workers Shelly and Laura and their resolution to start a band to stick it to The Man and alleviate some of their boredom now that machines are taking over their jobs. The sometimes funny, sometimes melancholic messages give a glimpse of their budding bond, the dissolution of life as they've known it, and the foreshadowing of where the planet was headed thanks to corporate greed and human arrogance. Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West are filled with insights into humans of the Old World and remnants of the people that came before – who they were, how they felt, and how they coped with the knowledge that their world was ending.
Shelly and Laura's audio and text logs in The Frozen Wilds show the humor at the heart of human interactions and the beauty of the little things as they relax on beach towels, smear their noses with sunscreen, and blast cheesy surf music over the emergency PA for their own private concrete beach party. The fact that they name their band after this moment of carefree rebellion characterizes their growing antagonism toward their employers and their determination to inject their circumstances with some normality. It's such a small part of the DLC and the wider game, but it highlights so many of the series' themes, and the fact that the developers reference it again in Horizon Forbidden West shows its narrative importance.
Optional Storytelling And Narrative Canon
The nature of DLCs usually suggests that they're added extras, and not imperative to the overall experience. But time and again DLCs provide vital story points, like Dragon Age: Inquisition –Trespasser which gave key insights into the villain of the upcoming sequel and explained a vague cutscene toward the end of the base game. In open world titles, so many of the side missions are presented as optional, and many players just mainline games and miss the majority of content during a playthrough. It seems odd that important narrative aspects are included in DLC, or elements that provide significant context to the wider story are buried in side missions that a lot of players won't even encounter.
While the story of two dam workers and the formation of their impromptu band might not seem like it has much of an impact on the overall series, the fact that Erend listens to Concrete Beach Party's music during Horizon Forbidden West seems to suggest otherwise. This could just be a niche easter egg for fans who have played through the small side quest as a nod of recognition and a joyful callback to Shelly and Laura, but it could also be something more. It could be the developer's way of saying that the true way to experience the games is to experience all of them – each side mission, each expansion, each seemingly insignificant quest. If players haven't, then Erend's musical predilections lack any kind of meaning, and they'll miss out on the touching moments of synchronicity between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.
Horizon Forbidden West is available on PS4 and PS5.