After the success of Guerilla Games' new IPHorizon Zero Dawnin 2017, the pressure was on for its sequel to top its well-received predecessor. The highly anticipatedHorizon Forbidden Westwas finally released in February this year, and the third-person action RPG was largely met with praise from fans. Everything was scaled up from the popularHorizon Zero Dawn, from the expansive setting and the storyline to the variety and scope of side missions on offer. These upgrades to the game’s systems, environments, and core mechanics helped to makeHorizon Forbidden Westa truly great game that has mostly matched fan expectations.
Amidst the changes that the franchise has undergone in order to makeHorizon Forbidden Westan improvement over the first game, players might be surprised to see how much it can resemble a Batman title. Both Bruce Wayne and Aloy are relentless in their pursuit of justice and the greater good, and tend to go it alone when it comes to saving the world from its various threats. With multiple elements like the new methods of traversal, the characterization of theresourceful and taciturn hunter Aloy, and the motivations of the villains throughout the game all being reminiscent of the caped crusader, a comparison seems inevitable.
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Getting Around The Map
Horizon Forbidden Westsaw a lot of changes from the first game, like new gameplay mechanics and the focus of its settings. While some locations and regions may have been familiar to players, the game also opened up brand-new areas for gamers to explore, like the tropical shores of San Francisco and areas of Nevada. From icy mountains and wide plains to lush beaches,Horizon Forbidden Weststrived to distinguish itself from its predecessorwith a much more expansive open-world. As well as the changing locations, the game also offered players new ways to traverse these vast environments, including underwater exploration and a wider variety of machine mounts for them to utilize throughout the game.
Another significant way thatAloy can explore her environment inHorizon Forbidden Westis through the use of a Shieldwing to glide around, offering gorgeous views of the world as well as easier travel options. The Pullcaster also allows Aloy to interact with her environment in different ways, and works as a grappling hook to help with her movement as well. The combination of the grappling hook-like tool and the glider, especially when used in tandem to launch Aloy into the air, is much like a lot of the movement featured in a Batman game. The ability to glide around a region to not only get a better look at the surroundings but to also aid in combat is a mechanic that has Gotham’s masked protector written all over it.
The Heroic Loner Stereotype
It’s not just the methods of getting around the different areas that link Aloy and the Dark Knight. Both characters have what could be described as troubled pasts, and despite other elements of their circumstances, they both fit the mold of an outsider. While Bruce Wayne may have a more privileged background,Aloy’s backstory as an outcastwho doesn’t quite belong but works to save everyone anyway is a mirror of Batman’s. Both have an element of loneliness to their portrayals, and shoulder the weight of the world without protest or requests for help. Each is determined to prove themselves, especially after losing parents (or a parental figure in Aloy’s case) – the grief of which is not soon forgotten and drives their need to save others.
As Aloy navigatesthe beautiful world ofHorizon Forbidden West, she encounters many tribes and people scattered throughout the troubled open world. These instances where the normally isolated hunter can demonstrate her humanity and create emotional moments within the narrative serve as a touching counterpart to her relatively unemotional persona and reserved demeanor. Batman is also usually depicted as largely uncommunicative and withdrawn, but that does not mean that there isn’t also a depth of feeling that finds its way to the surface every so often. Like Batman, Aloy is no stranger to adversity, but her determination and immense empathy drive her forward as she commits everything she has to her cause.
Both Aloy and Batman prefer to go it alone, epitomizing the lone wolf stereotype of a hero determined to fix everything themselves without the help of others. However, even the bravest heroes sometimes need some back-up. With Batman, this comes in the form of his Bat Family – an eclectic group of heroic crimefighters that occasionally even includes the mighty mutt Ace the Bat-Hound. For Aloy, there are characters that crop up to help her throughout the game,like the impressively mustached Erendand the Nora Brave Varl.
Known as ‘The World’s Greatest Detective,’ Batman has formidable deductive abilities as well as his mastery of more physical approaches to take down enemies. This marriage of brains and brawn in one crimefighting package is one of the reasons why Batman makes such a great comic book character, and adds more depth to his characterization than a purely power-based hero like Superman. Similarly,Aloy combines exceptional physical skill with powers of investigationthat would make even Batman proud. She manages to solve mysteries that are a thousand years old and unravels the history of the Old Ones and their crumbling ruins.
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The Portrayal Of Villains
DC is known for its memorable villains, with some of the most iconic comic book characters falling into this category. The best Batman/villain relationships exist in the gray area between moral and immoral, with the incorruptible caped crusader sometimes pursuing harsher than necessary means to restore order and crossing the line himself, while his enemies can sometimes redeem themselves despite their evil deeds. The greatest villains can even adopt the anti-hero moniker as well, with their actions and intentions occasionally erring on the side of good, despite the methods they might pursue.
InHorizon Forbidden West, some ofthe antagonists that Aloy comes up againsthave redemptive story arcs, overturning their previous violent actions with moments of self-sacrifice. Most of the human enemies that Aloy encounters don’t necessarily have the classic villain motivations to cause chaos and widespread destruction just for the sake of it – a lot of them come from a place of simply wanting the best for their tribes amidst mass ecological disasters not of their making. A more balanced and nuanced portrayal of various antagonistic characters not only makes for a better story, but also might remind players of the sometime-allies, sometime-villains in Batman storylines like Catwoman or Red Hood.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now for PS4 and PS5.
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