Developer Guerrilla Games and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment have begun the long process of pre-release promotion for the upcoming PlayStation exclusive, Horizon Forbidden West. The PS4 and PS5 game was announced last year at the PlayStation 5 showcase, though very few details were revealed. Horizon Forbidden West still does not yet have a specific release date, but it has also not been delayed out of its 2021, at least for now.

With Forbidden West still targeting a holiday release later this year, some gameplay was finally shown off. The Horizon Forbidden West gameplay reveal didn't bring any particularly shocking news; the game looks to build in the core gameplay of its predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn, in which the protagonist, Aloy, explores a verdant, post-apocalyptic landscape home to hostile machine animals. There are some exciting new mechanics, though, and Guerrilla Games seems to have a concrete vision for how the series is expanding going forward.

Related: PlayStation Isn't Positive About Horizon Forbidden West's Release Date

Following the State of Play gameplay reveal, Guerrilla Games provided Game Informer with some more details on the demonstration, as well as some other things players can expect from Horizon Forbidden West. One significant change coming as an evolution from Zero Dawn is a renewed focus on the series' crafting system.

Crafting Weapons & Armor in Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West Alloy Bow and Arrow

The crafting in Horizon Zero Dawn was rather barebones. Quick crafting, which will also make a return in Forbidden West's weapon wheel, allowed players to create ammunition on the fly, and modifications could be attached to weapons and outfits from a separate menu. The same menu could be used to create other useful items as well, such as potions.

Horizon Forbidden West is expanding the crafting system by introducing a work bench where more significant upgrades can be made to equipment. Though the Forbidden West is an untamed frontier, Guerrilla has mentioned that multiple settlements can be visited by Aloy. According to game director Mathijs de Jonge, players will have to return to settlements in order to access a work bench. From there, weapons and outfits can be upgraded from materials gathered throughout the world. De Jonge mentioned that many items will have multiple upgrade tiers, which not only increase the items stats, but can also grant new skills or damage/ammo types, in the case of weapon upgrades.

No more information has been shared on the settlements just yet, but they will no doubt be major population centers like Meridian from Horizon Zero Dawn. The work bench seems to provide some utility to settlements outside of quest locations, and will be an integral part to Horizon Forbidden West's more elaborate crafting system.

Next: Horizon Forbidden West's Aloy Looks Different & Fans Are Divided Over It

Source: Game Informer