Horizon Forbidden West has perfectly set up the next installment in the franchise by introducing a new threat to Aloy and the other surviving humans, the A.I. responsible for the demise of the Far Zenith colony, NEMESIS. As it makes its way to Earth, Aloy and her friends will need to figure out some way to take down the A.I. and its army of machines in order to preserve life on Earth, however, things may not go as planned for the Nora warrior. There are a few possible ways in which the Horizon franchise could end and not all of them include Aloy saving the planet and defeating NEMESIS.

NEMESIS will likely be the most powerful opponent Aloy has gone up against, partly due to the shared intelligence of the Far Zeniths that were responsible for creating the A.I. in the first place. NEMESIS has sworn to eradicate humans from the universe, and this possesses a massive threat to Earth, whose occupants are not as well-equipped as the Far Zenith colony. So, NEMESIS could be successful at killing life on Earth, however, it may not mean the end of humanity forever, as using A.I. like GAIA could restore life and give humanity another chance.

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NEMESIS Is Defeated

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The most straightforward ending to the Horizon franchise would be that Aloy and her friends were successful at stopping NEMESIS and saving Earth from yet another extinction event. With an army of machines and the collective intelligence of the Far Zeniths, fighting off and ultimately defeating NEMESIS may seem like a long shot, but Aloy has emerged victorious in similar situations. With GAIA and all her sub-functions now running, Aloy has an advantage she did not have before, and using this will prove to be instrumental in the defeat of NEMESIS.

It is possible that Aloy will use GAIA and her sub-functions to create a machine army of her own to combat NEMESIS. On top of this, Beta, another clone of Elisabet Sobeck, has a lot of information about NEMESIS and the Far Zenith colony that could help Aloy figure out a way to take down NEMESIS permanently and save life on Earth from what seems to be its final threat. With her resourcefulness, experience fighting A.I., and allies, such as the Quen who have a lot of knowledge about the Old World, there is a big possibility that Aloy will find a way to take down the NEMESIS threat without losing her own life.

Project Zero Dawn

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If NEMESIS is successful at eradicating humans from Earth, it is possible that Aloy would take the same measures as Elisabet, initiating a project like Zero Dawn that would bring humans back after centuries. With the capability that NEMESIS has, and the fact that it successfully took out a highly advanced civilization such as the Far Zeniths, it seems as if the humans on Earth do not stand a chance. If push comes to shove, Aloy could be urged by GAIA to initiate Project Zero Dawn once again in the hopes of bringing life back to Earth after NEMESIS has destroyed it.

Project Zero Dawn would basically terraform the planet after NEMESIS has left or been destroyed to make it livable once more before reintroducing humans and animals. This scenario will mean that Aloy and her friends will undergo a suicide mission, similar to Operation: Enduring Victory, in the hopes of buying GAIA enough time to set up Project Zero Dawn. It also means that Aloy will not survive the NEMESIS attack, and this would end the franchise in the same way it began.

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Aloy and Survivors Leave Earth

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Another possibility is that Aloy and the remaining survivors could evacuate Earth just like the Far Zeniths and use GAIA to terraform another planet, safe from the clutches of NEMESIS. This possibility means that Aloy was not able to find a way to defeat NEMESIS in time to save the planet, and instead, relied on the Odyssey, the failed colony ship, to save humanity. By escaping to another planet and using GAIA to terraform it, Aloy would successfully save humanity and leave Earth, following in the footsteps of the Far Zenith, and hoping that NEMESIS will not continue to follow them.

With Sylens and the Quen, Aloy should be able to find the knowledge necessary to reconstruct the Odyssey, and using GAIA’s sub-functions, the construction of the ship would not take long. Sylens can also help ensure that NEMESIS can no longer track them using his vast knowledge of A.I. The Quen’s vast collection of knowledge likely holds information about the Odyssey, including how it was made and why it failed, so Aloy and her allies will stand a fighting chance if they decide to evacuate Earth using the Odyssey ship.

The Horizon franchise has quickly turned into PlayStation’s flagship exclusive and Aloy has garnered a huge fan following in the process. With the story seemingly coming to an end in the next game, Aloy and her friends will first have to find a way to defeat NEMESIS or save humanity to have a happy ending. With the knowledge of the Quen, Sylens as an ally, GAIA fully restored, and Beta by her side, Aloy will feel confident fighting against NEMESIS, however, the next Horizon game could be the final chapter of Aloy’s story, whether she gives her life for humanity or she spends the rest of her days peacefully on Earth.

Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.

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