While being big and expansive, open world games like Horizon: Forbidden West tend to also hold numerous secrets and Easter eggs for fans to find. In fact, some are hidden so well, that years can go by without being discovered, such as one in a side quest from The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine expansion that was finally uncovered 7 years after the game launched. After releasing earlier this year, players have found tons of references to other franchises like Super Mario, Star Wars, and plenty more.

As one of the year's most acclaimed titles, Horizon: Forbidden West has seen plenty of buzz since its launch back in February. Fans have already begun noticing the small details that developer Guerrilla Games has worked into the experience from the small Cauldron icons printed on the various machine enemies indicating where they were created, to the Spear Drill weapon reacting appropriately based on the object its attempting to drill through. However, the game also features more prominent secrets to find, including one touching moment players can interact with.

RELATED: Horizon Forbidden West Update 1.08 Patch Notes

While exploring the western shores in Horizon: Forbidden West, one player who goes by hermiona52 on Reddit discovered a scenic location overlooking the distant city of San Francisco. With an Utaru-like mat to kneel on, candles, and flowers surrounding the area, main protagonist Aloy begins to read from a note as the passage of time begins. The message reads as follows:

"Here, we remember our friend, with a view as calming as his voice, on stone as strong as his spirit.

He was not just our rock, he was our oak, sturdy and stoic, whose presence brought us comfort and whose branches touched us all.

Rest in peace."

After reading the note, Aloy remarks that this individual must have been truly missed, giving the sequence a feeling of referencing an event that had happened in Horizon: Forbidden West's universe. However, fans discovered that this area was created as a tribute and memorial to Patrick Munnik, a lead producer at Guerrilla Games who passed away in 2019. Munnik is also mentioned during the credit sequence during the In Loving Memory section. For those who want to experience the tribute for themselves, there's a small island to the northwest of the boat launch that takes Aloy to the Isle of Spires.

Tributes and memorials to fallen friends, community members, and coworkers are a common practice for many studios in the games industry. Creating a space that will not only be viewed but preserved is a powerful way to remember the life of someone, especially one so connected to the game. In fact, earlier this year, Ubisoft honored the legacy of a former Rainbow Six Siege player and caster named KiXSTAr, who unexpectedly passed away in car accident last October. The developer adding a plaque with the player's logo to the Airplane map, in the exact spot where he earned a 1v5 ace against the other team.

Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.

MORE: Horizon Forbidden West: The Tenakth Arena and America's Second Civil War Explained