Even though Guerrilla Games’ Horizon: Forbidden West blends together futuristic sci-fi tropes and apocalyptic themes, these aren’t its only sources of inspiration. Examining the names of places and key characters that Aloy encounters during her quest on PS4 and PS5 serves to highlight the inspiration that the studio has taken from Earth’s real-world past. Among the robots, artificial intelligences, and clones, players will subsequently find references to several ancient mythological religions.
While plenty of nods can be uncovered in reference to Ancient Egypt, it’s arguably Horizon Forbidden West’s Greek influences that are the most prominent. Between the terraforming platform GAIA, and most of her subordinate functions, there are a lot of dots for players to connect. These references aren’t always just Easter eggs, either, as most have had tangible impacts on the trajectory of the universe. This means it's already possible to speculate on the shape that Nemesis will take, and how Aloy could eventually defeat it in the inevitable third mainline Horizon game.
Horizon’s Nemesis
During the closing moments of Horizon Forbidden West’s single-player storyline, Aloy uncovers a secret about her quest to save humanity. Having suspected that Hades and the Far Zenith weren’t the true masterminds behind the Earth’s latest apocalyptic disasters, the Nora Hunter’s suspicions were confirmed via Carrie-Anne Moss’ Tilda. Even though the Zenith had escaped to Sirius following the outbreak of the Faro Plague, it’s revealed that the colony succumbed to its own artificial intelligence, known as Nemesis.
Despite having already reached physical immortality, an undisclosed number of Far Zenith scientists decided to push the boundaries of life even further. By uploading and combining their consciousness into a digital database, the group accidentally created the Nemesis artificial intelligence. Displeased with their inability to achieve virtual immortality, the group quickly abandoned Nemesis. In the grand scheme of things, this single action essentially placed a target on the back of the collective human race.
Thanks to its abandonment and isolation, Nemesis eventually developed an apparent desire to extinguish all human life. When it comes to the antagonistic hierarchy of the Horizon universe then, the sentient AI sits at the top of the metaphorical pyramid. Over the course of a few hours, Nemesis was able to decimate Sirius thanks to its intelligence, before setting a chain of events in motion that led to the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. Now, it’s seemingly heading to Earth for a confrontation with Aloy, who will need to find a way to defeat it.
Nemesis in Greek Mythology
Even though little has been revealed about the in-game version of Nemesis, beyond second hand accounts from Far Zenith colonists, the closing moments of Horizon Forbidden West have provided a few tantalizing hints about its possible depiction. What’s particularly striking above everything else, though, is Guerrilla Games’ decision to name the entity after a prominent figure from Greek mythology. Throughout the ancient European religion, Nemesis was often depicted as the goddess of revenge and retribution.
Considering how the Greek pantheon of gods and their stories have shaped the Horizon universe in the past, it stands to reason that Nemesis’ moniker isn’t just a simple coincidence. The two concepts the Greek version held dominion over, revenge and retribution, both align perfectly with the established backstory surrounding the Horizon universe’s AI. It’s worth pointing out though that the character found within Greek mythology was never depicted as truly evil. Instead, Nemesis was said to dish out judgment to mortals who she perceived to have committed wicked deeds.
Despite the fact that it’s a little unfair to label Aloy and most of the humans currently on Earth in that way, in general the human race of the Horizon universe does have a lot to answer for. Beyond the creation of the robotic plague that stripped the world of organic life, multiple disasters have been started before and after that point thanks to human actions. It stands to reason that in this department, then, Guerrilla Games will blend Greek influences and sci-fi tropes together. Having gained its self awareness, it’s easy to see Nemesis deeming the entire human race as being culpable for the Earth’s current predicaments.
With there already being several clear through-lines between both incarnations of Nemesis, it’s also already possible to speculate on the shape that it will take in the next Horizon game, thanks to Greek mythology. Beyond being highly likely that Nemesis’ current form will be replaced by a female human avatar, it also stands to reason that it will also be related to GAIA on a technological level. In certain versions of Greek mythology, Nemesis was actually said to be the granddaughter of the Greek Gaia. It wouldn’t be too surprising then if the Far Zenith stole some of the code from Dr. Elisabet Sobeck's creation when they built their destroyer.
Aloy is Nike
Thanks to the clear parallels that Guerrilla Games has already drawn between its version of Nemesis and its namesake, it’s easy to imagine the entity's downfall also being influenced along similar mythological lines. Even though no known tale from Greek mythology has been uncovered that outlines the goddess’ ultimate demise, there is one character from its pantheon that could be viewed as her antithesis. In several stories the goddess Nike is depicted as not only one of Greece's greatest heroes, but as the person who rewards those she deems worthy.
As the Greek goddess of victory, in some of the mythology's darkest moments Nike is said to have turned the tide of battle back in Mount Olympus’ favor. During the titan-god war in particular, several chalk-up Zeus’ victory over his family directly to Nike's intervention. With so many parallels having already been established between mythology and the Horizon universe, it stands to reason that Guerrilla will attempt to create its own personification of the goddess. After-all, the in-game version of Earth is going to be in desperate need of saving as it faces Nemesis’ judgment.
Even though no stories have been found that pit the mythological Nike and Nemesis against each other, the latter is occasionally depicted wearing a crown adorned with the former’s likeness, which infers that they did have some form of relationship. This ambiguity could be the perfect opportunity for Guerrilla Games to fill in the blanks in its own way, while still adhering to the Greek influences that have already shaped the franchise. She might not have the same abilities as the likes of GAIA or Nemesis, but it’s already possible to predict that Aloy’s characterization in the third mainline Horizon game will move her more in-line with Nike.
In Greek mythology for example, Nike is frequently depicted as a chariot-rider with a love for animals. On some level at least, that description could be applied to Aloy and her machine riding capabilities. Nike’s Staff of Hermes and winged apparel could also be viewed as parallels to the Nora’s own spear and armor. More convincingly, both characters have been depicted as outcasts who are eventually able to unite others to their cause before achieving victory - something that is easy to imagine Aloy needing to do more of in the next Horizon game if she hopes to overcome Nemesis.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.