For some time now, it’s been clear that Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series has been destined for big things. Ever since the studio released Zero Dawn in 2017, the post-apocalyptic adventures of Aloy have steadily grown into a significant part of Sony’s plans. Evidenced recently by the protagonist’s central role in PlayStation Production’s MCU-style opening, and the franchise’s upcoming PS VR 2 spin-off. In a lot of ways then, Horizon Forbidden West’s success earlier this year on PS4 and PS5 served to reinforce this upward trajectory.
With the franchise continuing to expand into other forms of media and formats, following Horizon Forbidden West’s achievements, there’s going to be more opportunities for Guerrilla Games to explore other corners of its universe. One key group of people that should be at the top of its list are the villainous Far Zeniths. Although the faction has recently been a significant thorn in Aloy’s side, there’s plenty of scope for a prequel spin-off game in particular to look into their history more intimately.
The Far Zeniths’ Potential
Thanks to Guerrilla Games’ commitment to creating a complex yet believable universe, players already have a solid understanding of who the Far Zenith are and the journey they've been on. That’s mainly down to how throughout Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy uncovers details about the group's attempts to escape The Faro Plague during the in-game 21st century. Carrie-Anne Moss’ Tilda plays a central role in this process, as she’s able to quickly offload points of exposition to the protagonist in their fixed and optional conversations.
What’s important to keep in mind about this, though, is the fact that Guerrilla Games has so far employed a ‘tell instead of show’ mantra when it comes to the Far Zeniths. Players have only heard about the group’s past through other sources and a handful of holograms. Considering how intriguing the group’s history is, and everything they were able to achieve once they boarded the Odyssey, denying players the chance to see it all play out with their own eyes feels like a slight disservice.
This is arguably one of the biggest reasons why a Horizon Forbidden West prequel spin-off starring the Far Zeniths would be a good idea for Guerrilla Games to explore. From just a narrative perspective alone there are plenty of details that the studio could pick at and flesh out, both during the group’s time on Earth and their eventual attempts to set up a colony on Sirius. Having survived for over a thousand years, it’s easy to imagine there being a long list of stories just waiting to be told.
The Nemesis Factor
Even though it’s easy to imagine a Far Zenith-themed game serving up interesting narrative and gameplay opportunities, the theoretical spin-off could play a more important role in the overall trajectory of the franchise. Thanks to the group’s attempts to reach different forms of immortality, players have a good idea of what’s going to go down in the inevitable third mainline Horizon game. So far, all signs point to Aloy having to contend with the group’s most destructive creation, a sentient homicidal AI known as Nemesis. Having destroyed the Sirius Colony in a matter of hours, it's now said to be heading toward the Earth.
While the setup and general groundwork for the third Horizon game has been laid down, little has actually been revealed about Nemesis and its own history. Everything that the player and Aloy knows about the entity right now has come from second-hand sources of information. Thanks to comments from Tilda, there’s a general understanding that the AI was created by accident following Far Zenith attempts to reach digital immortality. Having been abandoned by its creators afterward, Nemesis seemingly developed a taste for blood and vengeance.
Specific details about how that process developed and eventually went bad are up in the air right now. A theoretical Horizon spin-off could change all of that for the better, though. Following the Far Zeniths’ attempts to create the first human colony in space could open the door for Guerrilla Games to explore the early days of Nemesis’ life at the same time. Not only would that be exciting to see first-hand, it would also add valuable context to the inevitable third mainline game in the series.
Having a deeper understanding of what Nemesis actually is, and what the entity’s motivations are ahead of time, would make it a far better villain for Aloy to face-off against. If Nemesis arrives and its goals are the one-dimensional death of humanity, Guerrilla Games risks it feeling too much like Zero Dawn’s HADES. Considering how the third game is likely a long way from release, there’s plenty of time for a spin-off game to tackle that potential pitfall in advance. With the Odyssey spaceship within Aloy’s reach, the studio could even employ an Assassin’s Creed-style Animus to bring the hero into the picture as well.
The Horizon Franchise
Due to the success that Guerrilla Games has achieved, the Horizon universe has steadily expanded beyond its video game confines. As a result, it’s been confirmed this year that the studio, PlayStation Productions, and Netflix, have all entered into a partnership to create a TV series based on the franchise. Thanks to rumors and insider leaks, for a while it looked as though the show was going to be a prequel set during the run-up to The Faro Plague’s creation. While it was never confirmed, that could have opened up the door to a deeper exploration of the Far Zeniths.
However, following recent comments from Netflix itself, it now appears as though this ‘Horizon 2074’ concept has been heavily revised. Thanks to how the streaming giant specifically name-dropped Aloy in its announcement Tweet, all signs point to the hero being the star of the small screen as well. Instead of being set within the distant past, viewers are seemingly going to be treated to a story set within the franchise’s present day. When it comes to the Far Zeniths, this leaves the door wide open for a different medium to tackle their story exclusively.
Although the Horizon universe has explored Aloy’s supporting cast in comic books, and this is one medium Guerrilla Games could utilize again, a compelling case can be made for the Far Zeniths needing a spin-off game. With thousands of years of history and technology that’s hard to fathom, a game is likely the best way for their story to be conveyed in detail. Horizon Call of the Mountain has opened the door for a game to take a step away from Aloy, which could be a factor that helps the colonist’s chances as well.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.