Mass Effect 2. Holy shit was this game basically Mass Effect 2. From its focus on recruiting and preparing a team for a final rush against a big bad enemy, to the aesthetics of the Zeniths to its final reveal of an enemy that is more or less just the Reapers.

Now don't get me wrong, I like Mass Effect 2, so this is not entirely a criticism. I would also say that one major aspect of Mass Effect that is missing is its focus on dialog choice and morality, though Forbidden West does give you a couple important binary choices that influence the story. I don't really know why they do the "brain/heart/fist" dialog choice thing, which crops up like three times in the game, has zero impact outside those specific choices, and just makes me wish I had more control over Aloy's choices and personality, but to be fair Aloy is a better formed and more relatable character than Shepard so there are some advantages.

And of course Horizon's combat is way better than Mass Effect's and its crafting system is more refined etc... It's not a clone but it does seem heavily inspired.

But at its core this is basically the Mass Effect 2 story crossed with a little bit of Mass Effect 1. There are even more parallels in the cycles of the reapers and the fact that Gaia rebooted multiple times. The way that the different tribes line up with the Mass Effect species, The constant scanning of planets. Okay we've learned at least a few things in game design since the early 2010s.

I know I'm not the first person to draw this comparison but it seems pretty conscious to me. From the fact that spectres look like reapers in some ways to the fact that they're called spectres, which seems like a pretty obvious homage. It really came through strongly to me as the game came together. Modern Humanity is like the Protheans, having left ruins and facilities that future humanity relies on. The base is a lot like the Normandy except it doesn't move. Sylens compares to the illusive man, including both being played by famous actors, though obviously Sylens is a more active character with more give and take.

I don't know. This blog is a little all over the place but it really stood out strongly to me by the end of the game and none of my friends have played it yet (and the one friend I know who is planning on playing it never played Mass Effect.)

I guess what I'm saying is that just like Aloy I am lonely and misunderstood. Unlike Aloy AND Shepard I am not trying to recruit anyone for a suicide mission, I just want you to read my terrible blog.

for what it's worth, i came to more or less the same conclusion. i'll spare you the bother of having to read my verbose post-game ramblings (though they're easy to find if you snoop these forums)- but looking back i saw this bit-

and to say nothing of the game's quality- the structural similarities are striking. also i seem to recall Nextlander Vinny saying something similar during one of their podcasts.

and i'd also note (since you made mention of it in your post)- it dawned on me during my HFW playthrough that i fully prefer a legitimate characterization vs. a player avatar. hindsight being 20/20- that HAS to be a significant factor in what made the starchild subplot in ME3 such a hard sell (hokey dream sequences notwithstanding).

@mellotronrules: I think that both Aloy and Shepard have their advantages and disadvantages. I connected more with Shepard on an emotional level because I shaped him, but Aloy's story is more coherent and obviously she has a much stronger character arc and a better connection to the other characters because the plot is so linear and determined. In the end I preferred Mass Effect's approach because it was cool to be able to choose to be a dick sometimes and you felt like your choices had meaning, while in Forbidden West the two major choices you get to make just determine which one of two side characters does basically the same thing as clan leader and gives you a chance to spend a little time with Regalla before she beefs it, which frustrated me because I liked her and would have preferred a longer arc with her or at least room for her in the DLC or sequel.

Any way I am looking forward to the DLC expansion. I played Frozen WIlds right before I started Forbidden West and really enjoyed that mini campaign, so by April I should be ready to dip in to this world again. Thanks for reading.

@bigsocrates: yes agreed on Regalla needing more time. that was a great performance that felt a little shortchanged.

one of the really excellent things HFW does is frame dialogue sequences using more sophisticated cinematography/animation for more engaging storytelling- and particular that conversation near the end where Regalla is conveying her motivation for working with Aloy while sharpening her sword is fantastic.

and yes- Guerilla did a great job on Frozen Wilds, so hopes are high for a similar thing with Burning Shores!

That conversation with Angela Bassett later on was something else. Was enthralled the entire time. I think I might have to make time to play this again. Really curious where they go with the next one! I can't imagine Aloy ever having enough technical prowess to take on the next challenge but who knows.

@rorie: The conversation with Regalla was amazing and made me wish she was a major character in the game instead of just a tertiary antagonist.

Aloy herself is probably not the technical person to take down Nemesis but she has Gaia, Beta and Sylens on her side, and that's a pretty formidable trio. Plus I have a feeling that at least some Zeniths might be alive. My recollection is that they don't actually check Tilda's corpse to make sure it's dead and these were powerful immortal beings. Regardless we didn't see all the Zeniths die on camera so some might still be out there, even if just on the ship.

Aloy does the leading with leadership stuff and the hard physical lifting. But with Gaia, Beta, and Sylens they've got a pretty strong tech team, especially if you throw some Zeniths in.

There's DLC coming soon, as well as a VR game, so you might want to replay either before the DLC or get to that first. I definitely think it's one of the best games I've played in the last few years and easily among my favorite PS5 games. And it is stunningly beautiful. Probably the first 9th gen game I've played where I said "yeah, that's next gen, the PS4 even Pro couldn't do this justice." though of course there is a PS4 version (though not for the DLC apparently.)

ya know ... i never thought about that at all when playing forbidden west , but when you put in on 'paper' like this ....yeah i can definately see it ... that said as much as i loved the first horizon game i'll say this entry was just flat out not as good mechanically as that fiirst and the padding is just way too much ....while mass effect 2 was just different and better in other aspects but weaker in others ......... all that said i'm interested in how horizon 3 is gonna end up after that ending.

Just finished the game, and I also saw the Mass Effect 2 influence. Even the ending cliffhanger foreshadowing Horizon 3 is a lot like the ending of Mass Effect 2. With that said, like Mass Effect 2, I think Forbidden West was a better game than the original Horizon which I also thought was a great game like the original Mass Effect. Hopefully, the game did well enough for Guerilla Games to eventually make the final game in the trilogy some years from now.

@av_gamer: I agree that the second Horizon is better than the first, although I think that much like with Mass Effect 2 vs 1 there are aspects of Horizon 1 that were better. I definitely think that combat felt more savage and impactful in Horizon 1, and I think that the worldbuilding was better, especially the modern day stuff. Part of that is because with 2 there was no mystery or big reveal (I guess the Zeniths sort of count) but I think the other part of it is just that a large portion of the game's story is about Aloy teaching other people about the world rather than learning about it herself.

Given that PSVR2 launched with a Horizon tie-in game, that they're talking about remaking the first game, and that there's DLC coming for the sequel soon I'd be pretty surprised if this is the end of the series. I would really love to see another game in the series too, but right now I'm looking forward to the DLC a lot.

I've let too many things get in the way of this game lately that I'm still not even halfway through but I look forward to returning to this thread when I do.

I'm still a little surprised that Sony is giving it away on PS Extra already. I know there is upcoming DLC and and that VR game they want to push. I suspect this will be an interesting test bed for Sony. No doubt they will be watching closely what kind of engagement it gets and how many of those folks end up purchasing DLC. I'm a little torn though since I wouldn't usually buy DLC for a game I don't own.. The game has already sold over 10 mil. copies apparently so maybe its not seeing a ton more traffic in the store. I keep trying to push the first one on my Steam friends lol.