During Thursday's State of Play event, Sony and Guerrilla Games revealed 14 minutes of gameplay from Horizon Forbidden West. There were a ton of exciting elements revealed, including some amazing new combat and traversal tools Aloy will have at her disposal, but the biggest narrative reveal was a bit unexpected.

The gameplay trailer began with Aloy assisting a fallen Oseram man and asking for her friend Erend. That name should be familiar to anyone who has played Horizon Zero Dawn; Erend was one of the major characters in the first game. Apart from Sylens, who appears to be an antagonist in Horizon Forbidden West, Erend is the only returning character fans have seen in Forbidden West footage so far. In such a drastically different landscape, it's nice to know that Aloy will have some familiar faces by her side. But in Erend's case, his appearance in Horizon Forbidden West could be a major part of the story.

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At the conclusion of Horizon Zero Dawn, Erend was one of the allies that helped her take down the final Deathbringer in Meridian. It's pretty clear that Erend stayed in the city afterward. He was promoted to be the captain of Sun King Avad's vanguard in place of his late sister Ersa, so he probably wasn't able to take a lot of time off for adventuring with Aloy.

It's clear in the gameplay trailer that Erend and Aloy have been working together, to the point that Aloy sent him out to find a mysterious piece of technology that will help her on her quest. Aloy isn't the type to stay in one place if she can help it, but this does imply that she stayed in Meridian after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn rather than returning to the Nora Sacred Lands. At the very least, she used Meridian as her home base and kept her friends close. In addition to Erend, that means it's likely she stayed close with her other Meridian-based friends including Avad and Talanah.

Some eagle-eyed fans have also pointed out that Erend is wearing a Focus in the Forbidden West gameplay trailer, a device that was crucial to the plot of the first game. Aloy's focus is what allows her to analyze enemy weaknesses from a distance, track their paths, and highlight objects of interest. It's a powerful tool from the Old World reserved for special characters and plot points, so it's very interesting to see Erend wearing one.

There are a few different places where one can obtain a Focus, but it's unlikely that Erend has one just for fun. Considering Aloy is one of the only people who know how to use a Focus, it's very possible she helped him find it and taught him how to use it effectively. Aloy could have spent some time learning more about the device herself; Sylens would sometimes communicate with her through his Focus, and it would be helpful if Aloy learned some of the same tricks. That could be the main reason behind Erend's focus.

A lot of fans have been asking for romance options for Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West. Nearly everyone flirted with her in Zero Dawn, but every time, Aloy shot them down. That is, everyone except for Erend. When players first meet Erend in Mother's Heart, he seems brash and crude, but he's obviously attracted to Aloy from the get-go. She doesn't return the sentiment and is more than a little put off, but Erend redeems himself from that initial first impression and ultimately becomes one of Aloy's most trusted confidants.

Erend is Aloy's connection to get into Meridian, and in turn, she helps him locate his lost sister Ersa. It's also apparent that Erend struggles with a drinking problem, but towards the end of the story he becomes determined to turn his life around. He makes a particularly touching comment to Aloy at the end, telling her that when he first saw her, he thought she was just a pretty girl. Later, he realized that he was lucky to have even one moment of her time. Aloy replies that she will always have a moment for him- maybe even two.

It's not much, but it's the closest anyone has ever gotten to Aloy in a romantic sense. Erend obviously has feelings for her and in the end, it seems possible that Aloy might come to reciprocate those feelings. It's clear they kept their relationship strong up until the events of Forbidden West. It wouldn't be out of character for Aloy to keep Erend in the friend zone, but if they've grown even closer (or grow closer during Forbidden West), that relationship could take a new turn.

A lot of fans do ship Aloy and Erend together, and they would make a great couple. Erend respects Aloy and her independence while Aloy trusts him more than anyone else- a fact made even more clear by the gameplay trailer. Erend is also a lot more playful than Aloy, who tends to take things very seriously, so it would be nice to have him around more often to lighten the mood every now and then. Given that Aloy traveled on her own for the vast majority of Zero Dawn, it would be nice to see more in the way of companions as well.

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Because Aloy is venturing out so far away from her homeland in Forbidden West, a lot of players have been wondering if any of the same characters will be returning. The reveal trailer for Forbidden West showed Sylens, Aloy's guide throughout part of Zero Dawn, but when he and Aloy meet again it's unlikely to be on friendly terms.

Other than Sylens, the other character that will most likely be returning is Talanah, the Sun Hawk from the Hunter's Lodge. Talanah has been featured in the Horizon Zero Dawn comic series and was in some promotional artwork for Forbidden West, but the scope of her role is unknown and players have yet to see her in in-game footage.

That makes Erend the only friendly character that's 100% confirmed to return in Forbidden West, and that's important. Fans want to see new characters, but Forbidden West should also build upon the relationships and character development that were established in the first game. Horizon Zero Dawn isn't known for having incredibly fleshed-out side characters because most of them encounter Aloy only briefly, but Erend is the rare exception to that.

Erend had one of the best character arcs in Horizon Zero Dawn. With Aloy's help and support, he went from being a crude drunk to being the captain of Sun King Avad's vanguard, an enormous honor and responsibility. Erend struggles with self-acceptance and constantly feels like he isn't good enough, but Aloy helps him get his life back on track. Apart from Rost, it's probably Aloy's most meaningful relationship in the game, and Forbidden West is right to build on that foundation.

Horizon Forbidden West is scheduled to release for the PS4 and PS5 in 2021.

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