Horizon Forbidden West recently had the right to a DLC, Burning Shores, and the latter is not unanimous because of a small detail that obviously pisses off some of the players without reason.
After many rumours, the Burning Shores DLC, which unlocks a whole new region of the Horizon Forbidden West universe, was finally released on April 19th. Aloy travels to what used to be Los Angeles in this new epic. Now a hostile and volcanic land, this new play area hides dark secrets. Puzzle that our beautiful Nora will have to solve on her journey, during which she will meet new characters and enemies even more dangerous than before. On paper, this DLC has everything to please, especially since it’s once again visually and artistically sublime. Except that some of the players absolutely cannot do something and the DLC pays a high price for it.
Horizon Forbidden West DLC is Destroyed, Here’s Why (SPOILER Alert)
The following part explains why some players are angry, which unfortunately reveals part of the ending of the DLC. you have been warned
It’s a “small” detail that was enough to set the web on fire and give those “disappointed fans” an excuse to pause the game on Metacritic. Full of bugs? Ridiculous lifespan for the price? A scam? No, none of that.
If players are currently angry, it’s because Aloy is having a romance with another woman. Amourette that you can show explicitly (or not) towards the end of the game by kissing the young woman who capsized (or almost) the heart of our dear Aloy.
It is therefore the heroine’s sexual and romantic orientation that poses the problem, and which, after some disastrous results, is sufficient to justify excessive behavior. We will not express our opinion on this.
At metacritical As such, the DLC is about to draw the wrath of hundreds of “fans” who weigh the total score down with no argument other than Aloy’s love affair with one of her henchmen. As a result, Burning Shores has a rating of about 3.0 for 189 positive reviews and more than 450 negative reviews. And it’s in free fall.
Check bombings, harassment… the sad reality of the web
This practice of “review bombing” that currently affects the DLC Horizon forbidden west, has unfortunately become common as soon as something does not please you. whether it’s a video game, a movie, a series… it doesn’t matter. And sometimes it is even accompanied by harassment.
Really big games like Hogwarts Legacy, The Last of Us Part 2, God of War Ragnarok or recently Resident Evil 4 Remake (especially Ada Wong’s voice actor) have all been attacked by one (or all) of these inappropriate netizen behaviors. “Fans” and “Players”. Luckily, these people ultimately represent only a tiny minority of the huge player community. The problem is that these people are extremely loud on the internet and such behavior can have serious consequences, especially when the attacks affect people and affect the developers or their work.
If the studios somehow manage to take action against harassment, companies like Metacritic or Steam in turn try to take action against unjustified review bombing. But as with anything on the web, it is very difficult to control without falling into overt censorship or angering honest and respectful users. Recently, Valve’s platform undertook a major cleanup and took radical steps to try to contain the problem. What that will bring in the long term remains to be seen.
What about respect if not?
