The map in Horizon: Forbidden West will feature different tribes, each with their unique attitudes and culture.

Forbidden West’s predecessor, Zero Dawn, introduced us to an incredible open world full of challenges, threats and objectives in 2017, providing hours of fun. But Guerrilla is looking to go much further with the sequel, and after showing us the character of Aloy, they’re now detailing the aspects that make the game’s world a living and wholly believable place.

These details can be found on the PlayStation website and nicely summarise the behaviour and attitudes of the various NPCs in the world that will help immerse players in the game. During Aloy’s western adventure, he will encounter several settlements whose inhabitants will have different manners depending on their culture, according to Espen Sogn, Guerrilla’s lead ‘living world’ designer:

“You should be able to identify which tribe you’re looking at from a distance.”

“Just look at how they carry a bucket of water: the strong Tenakth carrying it over his shoulder, the peaceful Utaru holding it to his body, and the dexterous Oseram carrying it in his hand”.

However, Guerrilla wants to present a truly living world, so the game moves away from classic video game conventions where characters act mechanically and repetitively to forge a whole daily life around themselves, further reinforcing the sense of existing in a diverse universe: “The person who used to stand in front of a forge now interacts with everything around him – moving materials, leaning against a wall, drinking from his cup, talking to his friends, and simply going about his daily life”.

With all this said, the developer has put a lot of effort into creating the NPCs in Horizon: Forbidden West. As Sogn puts it, “In this system, you can create rules like reactions, walking paths and other animations. There’s also the attitude system, which is responsible for defining personality. This means we can create individual inhabitants with their behaviour in the world”.

All of this will be evident from the very first moments of the game, as PlayStation explains that these traits are already present in Aloy’s first destination, Squeaky Chain. It’s a bustling settlement, where the aforementioned daily lives of each character will be felt both in their profession and in their free time.

Unsurprisingly, however, the tribes and towns that Aloy encounters on her journey will not only represent the world of Guerrilla but will have particular relevance to her adventure as a huntress. As such, they will be the places where she will be able to expand and upgrade her equipment and craft new items and weapons to help her earn bonuses.

“If you choose the right gear to enhance the right skills, your power will be limitless. Plus, you’ll be able to switch weapons and gear in an instant. So you can switch from one tactic to another whenever you want,” explains Sogn. After all, Aloy’s new enemies will require quick situational awareness and powerful reactions, forcing a change in strategy for all players.

Horizon: Forbidden West will thus present us with a vast world on 18 February 2022, full of activity and diverse NPCs that will pleasantly infuse the pixels with vitality.

Source: Playstation.blog