Fiction is bleeding into reality through an extremely detailed and accurate statue of one of Horizon Forbidden West's monsters that has appeared in London's Waterloo Station. The latest PlayStation exclusive has been making waves within the gaming community since its review embargo was lifted earlier this week, with several independent reviews and gaming outlets praising Horizon Forbidden West as a major improvement over the already well-received original.
Forbidden West continues the story of Aloy, a bow-and-arrow-wielding hero living in a post-apocalyptic land ruled by advanced robotic animals. These robots were invented by humans before Earth became uninhabitable and were created as part of a larger effort to restore the planet's biosphere. Hundreds of years after their creation, these creatures have turned hostile toward humans, and it is up to Aloy to either dispatch or tame any that she comes across in her journey. The original Horizon Zero Dawn introduced a series of iconic machines-- including the Broadhead, Glinthawk, and Lancehorn-- that are making their return in Forbidden West. Of course, as a sequel, Forbidden West is debuting several new machine types, of which the Clawstrider is one.
The dinosaur-like Clawstrider can be seen up close and personal for a limited time by fans located near Waterloo Station in London. The real-world crossover was promoted by the PlayStation UK Twitter earlier today and was accompanied by a cheeky Jurassic Park reference. According to the Twitter thread, this statue will remain in Waterloo Station until February 24.
This jaw-dropping statue is sure to boost visibility for the recently released game, which is already being promoted through just about every medium out there. Sony clearly has a lot of faith in this science-fiction, open-world action-adventure title, as well as a great deal of pride. Judging by Horizon Forbidden West's review scores and sales, this faith does not appear to be misplaced.
Of course, only time will tell just how Horizon Forbidden West is remembered in the greater landscape of video game history, but ambitious (and expensive) marketing efforts like this statue indicate that it will likely remain at the forefront of the gaming zeitgeist for quite some time. It will also be interesting to contrast Sony's marketing for this title with other highly anticipated exclusives such as God of War Ragnarok. Whatever the future holds for Horizon Forbidden West, it is clear that Sony's exclusive catalog is still going strong and is unlikely to slow down any time soon.
Horizon Forbidden West is currently available exclusively on PS4 and PS5.
Source: PlayStation UK/Twitter