Players were finally able to take to the skies inHorizon: Forbidden West, and they may never want to touch the ground again. While it takes a bit of time before they can actually unlock the ability, flying inHorizon: Forbidden Westis worth the wait. The controls need a bit of work, but it is still great addition to the franchise – so much so that the third entry should take the concept of flight and run wild with it.
Flying is not unlocked until one ofHorizon: Forbidden West’sfinal story missions, and it does not play a huge role in the larger narrative. It is vital for finishing some side missions, but Aloy initially only uses it asa means to take out Regalla’s army. It feels like a fun mechanic that was added as an afterthought, but the third game has the chance to make flight an integral part of the narrative.
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Horizon 3 Could Introduce a Skybound Tribe
At the end ofHorizon: Forbidden West, Aloy has the power of flight and her allies are preparing for the fight against Nemesis.The fight against Nemesiswill most likely be the focus ofHorizon 3, and it seems like Aloy will need all the help that she can get. There is no reason she will just forget about the power of flight, and it would be compelling to learn that she isn’t the only one on Earth that knows how to ride flying machines. Flight should be an integral part ofHorizon 3’sstory, and there are many ways that could happen.
One of the ways that Guerrilla could make flight integral to the plot ofHorizon 3is if it introduced a skybound tribe of humans. Aloy does not know what tribes exist outside the areas she has explored, and that leaves a vast world where anything is possible. While it may seem a bit far-fetched that there is a group of people who spend their daysflying across the skies on Sunwings, crazier things have happened in theHorizonfranchise.
A skybound civilization would be very different from all theHorizontribes that Aloy has met, and it could lead to some interesting new story threads. This tribe would most likely live high up on mountaintops, and they would use all sorts of different flying machines during their day-to-day operations. They may use the flow of the wind to their advantage, and would probably know various flying tricks that they could teach Aloy. Their soldiers would also be skybound, and that could lead to the introduction of flight combat, serving asHorizon’sversion ofthe Na’vi fromAvatar.
Flight Needs to be Expanded in Horizon 3
Aloy has shared a lot of knowledge about ancient technology with her allies, and she could grant them flight as well. They will need to use every resource at their disposal ifthey want any chance at beating Nemesis inHorizon 3, and that means they may want to know how to fly. Every single one of her allies could be riding a Sunwing into battle, and it could be glorious.Horizon: Forbidden West’sflight is also limited to one type of machine, butHorizon 3could expand the roster a bit. Players could tame three different ground mounts, and they should be allowed to tame more than one flying mount.
There are numerous flying machines out there in the wild, and it would be pretty cool if Aloy was able to fly across the skies on them. Glinthawks and Skydrifters seem like perfect additions to the roster, and Guerrilla could create brand-new ones as well. Guerrilla opened the floodgates when it introduced flying to the franchise, and it needs to expand it greatly in the third entry. Not only do the controls need to feel more natural, but flying should feel likean important part of Aloy’s fight against Nemesis. This fight will be her greatest challenge, and the power of flight should be one of her most valuable tools.
Horizon: Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5
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