From the moment that Guerrilla Games confirmed it was working on Horizon Forbidden West, fans wanted to know what new technology would join Aloy's vast arsenal of weapons and tools. Aloy is famous for her engineering talents and her mastery of a long list of ranged weapons and other devices that help her fight machines and humans alike. Guerrilla Games took a long time to reveal details about new Horizon Forbidden West gear, but it has finally come forward with some information about Aloy's newest tools. Aside from a weapon called the Spike Thrower and a glider called the Shieldwing, Aloy has another versatile new gadget: the Pullcaster.
A gameplay trailer for Horizon Forbidden West already teased the Pullcaster, and at a glance, it looks like a pretty straightforward tool. It's a wrist-mounted grappling hook, which has obvious utility, considering how much climbing there was to do in Horizon Zero Dawn. However, the Pullcaster is much more than a grappling hook, which says a lot about the design philosophy at the heart of Forbidden West. Guerrilla Games seems determined to give players more freedom in exploration and combat than ever, which sounds like a great thing. The Pullcaster's uses are only one sign of positive changes coming to the Horizon IP as it blossoms into a franchise.
The Uses of Forbidden West's Pullcaster
The primary use of Aloy's Pullcaster is, as one would expect, grappling. Aloy can use the Pullcaster to grapple to new heights, rather than clambering everywhere by hand. However, the Pullcaster seemingly doesn't require slow and steady aiming like a Legend of Zelda Hookshot. Instead, Horizon Forbidden West's Pullcaster is designed to easily snap onto a nearby target and pull Aloy there, letting her reposition in battle quickly and get the high ground on even the most dangerous opponents. The Pullcaster could help Horizon Forbidden West players pull off some pretty satisfying trick shots.
The Pullcaster doesn't just move Aloy around, though. Aloy can also use the Pullcaster to change her environment. Horizon Forbidden West fans have already noticed that the game features destructible environments, which is a big change from Horizon Zero Dawn. Thanks to the Pullcaster, Aloy can destroy certain terrain, either opening up a battlefield or clearing obstacles in her path. She'll be able to move around other objects without destroying them, too. Guerrilla Games hints at the Pullcaster's ability to pull crates of loot down from ledges, giving players more access to plunder for Aloy.
Horizon Forbidden West's New Direction
Aloy's Pullcaster sounds like a fantastic new tool, not just because of its versatility, but because of how it represents Horizon Forbidden West's stance on versatility. In the same article where Guerrilla Games explained the Pullcaster, it discussed its interest in making Horizon Forbidden West feel more fluid and dynamic than its predecessor and provided some concrete examples. Aside from the Pullcaster, Forbidden West includes flexible free climbing, rather than relying on demarcated climbing points, and its combat aims to blend Aloy's melee weapons and ranged weapons more closely than ever before. As such, it seems like Horizon Forbidden West is meant to be played however fans want to play it.
Guerrilla Games' new design angle sounds fantastic. Opening up Aloy's options and abilities not only shows her growth as a character between games, but it gives players who mastered Horizon Zero Dawn's controls new techniques to learn and more freedom to form a preferred playstyle. If Guerrilla Games delivers on Horizon Forbidden West's intended flexibility, then it could deliver a uniquely seamless, adaptable gameplay experience that's a vast improvement on Horizon Zero Dawn, which was already a really strong game. The actual performance of combat changes and free climbing remain to be seen, but the Pullcaster's core concept is a positive sign. The creativity put into the Pullcaster speaks volumes.
Horizon Forbidden West releases on February 18, 2022 for PS4 and PS5.