After a surprise State of Play announcement, Horizon: Forbidden West just had a 15 minute showcase providing players with a small taste of what's to come in the highly anticipated PS5/PS4 sequel to the original. Guerilla Games dived into the gameplay, world and then literally into the new underwater sections within the game. With the next generation of gaming well underway, Horizon: Forbidden West is already making a name for itself as one of the first titles to properly make a leap over what came out before.
Naturally, there is still much to learn about the game leading up to it's eventual release date sometime in 2021. The demo didn't really demonstrate too many details regarding the game's story, but as of now, it's clear that Aloy may not be the star of the show in this upcoming open world action game. The technical advancements within the PS5 architecture are being shown off in full force in this new preview, as sunlight cuts through trees and schools of fish dance around in the ocean in a mesmerizing fashion. The narrative is sure to be engaging in its own right, but the sensational graphics may be so stunning and leave players in too much of a trance to notice anything else.
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The PlayStation 4 was able to create some dazzling games in its lifetime, with Horizon: Zero Dawn being among the most graphically impressive offerings. Ramping up to a sequel, that will be available on new hardware no less, and eyes are on Guerilla to bring players that true "next gen experience." Bluepoint's Demon's Souls remake has already teased the possibilities of what Sony's new console can do, causing gamers imaginations to run wild at what games will look like over the coming years. General expectations were that Horizon: Forbidden West would have gorgeous graphics but even with that notion, the demo still managed to exceed many expectations.
After a brief introductory cutscene setting the stage for the action, the Horizon: Forbidden West gameplay showcase wastes no time jumping right in to what it has to show. Within mere moments of the camera pulling back, and Aloy beginning to move forward in a lush, vibrant forest setting, its very apparent that the PS5 is giving Guerilla more power to play with than ever before. The lighting and underwater effects were especially impressive, adding a whole new layer of immersion for players while exploring this devastated yet gorgeous post apocalyptic world.
Just having extremely detailed graphics is one thing, but it will become a one-trick pony without careful attention to art design and variety. Thankfully, Guerilla continues to be among the best in the business when it comes to guaranteeing its products will be a visual treat for the eyes. This is evident due to the wide range of locations that the player will explore in Horizon: Forbidden West. The demonstration on May 27 already showed off the new tropical jungle, underwater and beach areas present in the upcoming game. This isn't all, however, if gamers revisit the reveal trailer for Horizon: Forbidden West, there were a number of different locations teased. This includes snowy mountain areas like in The Frozen Wilds DLC expansion, murky swamps and dark sand caverns.
There is very likely far more to show off leading up to the eventual release for Horizon: Forbidden West, but based on the gameplay showcase, the environments are undoubtedly the star of the show. In an open world game, it is especially important for the world to feel alive and brimming with personality. Otherwise, its just an open space that is simply big for the sake of being big. Horizon: Zero Dawn was beautiful in its own right, but thanks to the advancements with the PS5, the sequel looks to push the envelope even further, and entrance players within one of the most fully realized game worlds created so far.
Horizon Forbidden West releases in 2021 for PS5 and PS4.
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