With the launch of Horizon Forbidden West just around the corner, Guerrilla Games are offering publications detailing different aspects of the world that we will travel with Aloy. On the last occasion, we were able to get to know the scenes and the tribes in a better way.
This time It is time to return to the enemies and especially the combat, with all the skills that we can deploy. Richard Oud, Animation Director for Guerrilla, explains how Aloy has improved in her abilities after previous adventures.
“For us, it was very important that the players felt that Aloy’s confidence and skills had improved over her adventures in Horizon Zero Dawn and The Frozen Wilds. She has gained a lot of experience, and we needed to reflect that in her animations. The goal was demonstrate that Aloy felt more comfortable moving around the environment, but without forgetting that she is still human, so she will not nail all the actions. The mechanics of the grapple illustrate this perfectly: despite being more agile and skilled, We will see that he will have to do a great physical effort on steep climbs. “
The AI of Aloy’s enemies and companions has been revised, so they “now move better on uneven terrain”, looking for shortcuts to get to the objective. That is why water will have a much greater importance than in Horizon Zero Dawn and there will be more amphibious machines, being able to enter and exit the water without problems.
Stealth will once again be the protagonist, since Aloy is a hunter. “You can evade combat by breaking their line of sight and sneaking [de los enemigos]. When the enemies realize that you are not where they expected, they will begin to search. Human enemies will collaborate to locate you, while the team leader issues orders and coordinates the search“details Arjen Beij, chief AI programmer.
In the sound section we will also have improvements for attacks, clearly distinguishing between melee attacks and those carried out at a distance. In the documentation and preparation work of each machine, we will see this aspect reflected:
“When the player alerts a machine, even if it is not deliberately, these noises will help to know what mode it is in. If a machine is at rest – it is not on alert – it will emit a much calmer, sporadic and natural noise, that will reflect the archetype of personality that we devised within the framework of its own sound design “
The Forbidden West relies on humans, who on many occasions can be more difficult to tackle than machines. “The idea was that combat against humans was as deep and challenging as against machines. Therefore, it was necessary to expand the combat system and add more variety in the encounters with human enemies around the world “, clarifies Richard.
One of the most spectacular attacks we saw during the extensive Horizon Forbidden West gameplay involved Aloy’s spear. Charles Perain, Combat Designer, explains what tricks keeps the faithful weapon of the protagonist.
“Resonator Blast rewards players for using spear combos; each time Aloy melee attacks, her spear’s resonator will accumulate energy. This energy can be used against the enemy, and will stay attached to them for a short time If you shoot an arrow at it before it disappears, you will deal a brutal amount of damage! This mechanic creates a powerful synergy between melee and ranged combat, and encourages players to switch from one to the other with fluency”
The variety of possibilities when it comes to fighting is one of the strengths that the study wanted to enhance. We will discover how all these systems work Starting February 18, 2022 on PS5 and PS4.
