Horizon Forbidden West has been one of the most successful sequels in recent memory, offering meaningful changes and improvements to the gameplay. Like the first game, the ending of Horizon Forbidden West confirms that a future installment in the Horizon Franchise is guaranteed, with a new threat already revealed.
Contains Spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West.The main takeaway from the ending of Horizon Forbidden West is that the Far Zenith, a group of individuals that fled Earth a thousand years ago and the main antagonists, were in fact escaping an entity known simply as NEMESIS after it destroyed their world. This entity is now on the way to Earth to destroy all humanity, once and for all. After receiving this news, Aloy and her friends have realized that they have a much bigger fight ahead of them.
NEMESIS
NEMESIS is an A.I. that is made up of the minds of different Far Zenith members that wished to live in a sort of “digital immortality” after the Zeniths settled in the Sirius System. NEMESIS was responsible for the destruction of the Zenith’s new home, forcing them to flee to Earth and retrieve the GAIA kernel that could terraform planets.
Everything that has happened so far in the Horizon franchise has been directly caused by NEMESIS. It was responsible for giving HADES, previously a sub-function of GAIA, intelligence and setting Aloy on her quest in Horizon Zero Dawn. It was also responsible for doing the same to the other sub-functions of GAIA, forcing Aloy to find them and reconnect them with GAIA in Horizon Forbidden West.
Now, with the threat of NEMESIS approaching Earth, Aloy and her allies must figure out a way to take down the formidable A.I. that has already caused so many problems and was able to wipe out an entire civilization that was far more advanced than anything that is currently on Earth.
Aloy and Her Allies
The biggest shock in the game came towards the end, when Varl was killed by Erik Visser. This moment was particularly heartbreaking for Aloy as, throughout the game, Varl was the only other Nora that Aloy interacted with, and he was one of her most trusted and loyal friends. Following this, Aloy and her allies, along with Tilda van der Meer of the Far Zenith group, successfully attacked and prevented the Zeniths from stealing both the GAIA kernel and Beta.
Tilda then insisted that Aloy join her in leaving Earth and starting a new home for humanity, but Aloy refused and ultimately killed Tilda. Sylens then requests the same of Aloy, before she convinces him to stay and help her fight off the upcoming threat. With this, Aloy and her allies depart to prepare for the coming battle.
Future of the Franchise
There is a lot of debate as to where Aloy’s journey will take her next. With the new threat of NEMESIS now approaching Earth, she needs technology and knowledge of the old world, and she already has two possible resources for this. Sylens has a lot of knowledge of the old world thanks to his association with HADES. He will undoubtedly prove vital for Aloy’s fight against NEMESIS. On the other hand, Aloy can use the Quen’s vast catalog of old world knowledge coupled with their already impressive transport methods to find the weapons necessary to defend the planet.
With the threat of NEMESIS looming large and Aloy and her allies scattering to figure out a way to stop it, the next installment in the Horizon franchise is already set up to be a thrilling ride. Horizon Forbidden West is a successful sequel that capitalizes on everything done right in the first game and improved features that were generally missing. While it is not a perfect game, players are left with a satisfying ending that will have them eagerly awaiting the third installment in the franchise, as well as the DLC that is surely going to be out soon.
Horizon Forbidden West is available on PS4 and PS5.