Horizon Zero Dawn took us to a future where humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction. Civilization is no primarily tribal in nature, and the cities and highways of our time sit in ruins. While the first game took place predominately in Colorado and Utah, the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, will take us, predictably, west.
What locations does Horizon Forbidden West take place in?
Aloy is forced to push west of the Sundom in Horizon Forbidden West. A plague that kills anything it infects, and vicious storms threaten to destroy what little territory humanity has left. This means Aloy will journey from her home in present-day Colorado across Utah and Nevada into California.
While we don’t know the full extent of Horizon Forbidden West’s list of locations yet, the gameplay demo shows one iconic place that Aloy will visit. The ruins of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco, California, are easy to discern. Where she’ll go from there, or at what point in the game she’ll arrive, is unknown at this time.
The environments in Forbidden West will be more varied than those found in Horizon Zero Dawn. Players can expect to explore ruins, deserts, forests, valleys, beaches, and mountains. Additionally, new to the game will be underwater exploration. In particular, a ruined city in a lake is mentioned. We’ll also likely meet more of the Utaru tribe whom the Carja enslaved until Avad became Sun-King. Many of them returned to their native village, Plainsong, and they may help (or harm) Aloy on her journey.
We’ll also likely see more of the carnage of the war against the Faro Plague. With big cities like Las Vegas, San Fransisco, and Los Angeles laying within the hypothetical map bounds of Horizon Forbidden West, it’s almost a given that we’ll be scouring those ruins for Old Ones’ technology.
