Warning: Contains spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn from Guerrilla Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment, launched on PlayStation consoles to massive critical acclaim and great commercial success. The production process for the game clearly had a lot to do with the regard it is now being held in.
From the creative team to the engine being used and the way the original game inspired this follow-on, there are plenty of behind-the-scenes details that should help fans understand how this incredible release was really put together. There may be some spoilers below surrounding the title and the future of the franchise!
The Gameplay Engine
Both Horizon games were actually produced using the Decima Engine. Created by Guerrilla Games they first utilized the technology on a title called Killzone: Shadow Fall. In many ways, it has since become the catalyst for the Horizon series' success and indeed the Death Stranding series as well.
Interestingly, the engine, which boasts its own physics system, artificial intelligence, and graphics package which has managed to evolve with next-gen consoles, was produced in conjunction with Kojima Productions. The specialism of the system ultimately though is its ability to build worlds, which is on full display in the visually stunning latest Horizon release.
The Most Difficult Character To Write
One of the aspects of the games that has been highly commended is their narratives, with the writing truly drawing in the audience in a way that other campaign-based titles haven't been able to. Narrative director Ben McCaw is largely credited with coming up with the main beats for Horizon Forbidden West, alongside a team of senior writers.
In one interview though the duo McCaw and writer Annie Kitain made note of the most difficult character to get right and indeed write for in this sci-fi sequel. They say that it was the clone of Aloy which caused the most issue, with the game going through multiple drafts to try and capture a unique voice for the Far Zenith ally.
Composing The Music
Music is such a huge factor of any major title and the Horizon series already has a very distinctive sound and score set out for it. The team responsible for bringing together the tracks for the original Horizon Zero Dawn actually returned for the latest installment.
The project was led by Joris De Man who previously worked on the likes of Vainglory and Killzone 2. What's more, the band The Flight, who have lent their talents to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Alien: Isolation , and Assassin's Creed Odyssey also had a huge hand in the work.
Motion Capture
Some of the smallest details in a game are captured through the animations of the characters. These are always hard to get right and games have started to move towards film-based technology of motion capture, in order to better understand the performances of their heroes and the people behind them.
The original Horizon Zero Dawn capitalized on these techniques to try and bring an authentic set of individuals to screen. The sequel continued on that quest for perfection by putting the voice actors, like Aloy's Ashly Burch, into the mo-cap suits and allowing them to fully explore the material.
The Director
Every game needs a director to try to man the ship and take it to more prosperous shores. Guerrilla Games originally turned to Mathijs De Jonge for work on Horizon Zero Dawn. His record on the Killzone series had proven he was a force to be reckoned with and the right pair of hands.
The success of that first installment was indicative of his performance and he was brought on to direct Horizon Forbidden West as well. Interestingly, the Horizon games were a reaction to what Jonge had produced on the Killzone franchise, with the aim to make them far more visually vibrant than the grit of the previous series. The team of course prevailed, rallying around their director and creating a narrative and range of side quests that took advantage of the gorgeous landscape.
PS4 In Mind
Horizon Zero Dawn was produced as a PS4 game. While it is backward compatible, it is easily one of the most stunning and well-thought-0ut titles on the previous-gen console. It boasts even more depth when played on the PS5 though. Those PS4 roots are very much protected in Hozizon Forbidden West.
Director Mathijs De Jonge actually said that "A lot of the development has taken place on the PlayStation 4 and a lot of playtesting is also done on PlayStation 4. So we are ensuring that owners of that console have a great experience and that the game will look fantastic on that console." It's great news for owners of the console but doesn't take anything away from the next-gen variation either.
A Release Delay
Horizon Forbidden West was actually one of the titles hit by a delay. While a lot of games were having to push back their release dates because of various issues within the industry, including in relation to the ongoing global situation, the director has revealed that there was an additional reason for the late launch.
Mathijs De Jonge explained that the reason for the delay was so that the studio wouldn't have to go into a crunch. The rushing of a video game can have such a negative impact on the team working on it and Jonge noted that "Forbidden West might have been released at the end of last year, but then we might have had to work overtime. People should also be able to relax and take a vacation, for example to be with family and friends."
VR Experience
Alongside the console experience, the team at Sony was also working on a VR game that would be sold through the PS VR2 system. The idea is to showcase the capabilities of the virtual reality software, while also allowing fans to explore the expansive world of Horizon.
The Call Of The Mountain narrative has been designed as a DLC in many ways, with the player taking on a different protagonist but coming across the characters of the mainline title. Fans will have to wait until at least next year since its still in development but it should unlock the next chapter of this story.
DLC And Online Store
Fans have been thoroughly enjoying the original PS4 game on PS5 thanks to its backward compatibility and all of its DLC glory in the ultimate edition. However, the latest Horizon chapter looks to boast some DLC of its own in the future and perhaps even an online store.
A behind-the-scenes leak has revealed that these changes may actually be coming very soon. It would certainly line up with what the studio has previously produced and would capitalize on the clear market currently looking to dive further into the world.
The Sequel
A sequel for the Horizon series seems like an almost certainty. The game actually deliberately leaves some narrative threads open so that there's more for the team to explore moving forward. But a fun fact is that the history of Guerrilla Games demonstrates it loves making sequels.
Internally, there have been discussions for some time that this series will actually be a trilogy, perhaps even with some multiplayer options built-in down the line as well, including player vs. player. It's an ambitious task but the team at Sony can likely pull it off, as they have been trialing a co-op option for years.