Horizon 3's biggest story challenge is already obvious

After the end of Horizon Forbidden West saw Far Zenith's defeat and established the looming threat for the next game, the third horizon The game may run into a problem in the characterization and portrayal of this potential antagonist. Between Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel, Horizon Forbidden WestGuerrilla Games has demonstrated its ability to build mystery and intrigue around its antagonists, resulting in groundbreaking revelations for the series' evolving story. However, with the villain of horizonThe third game has already been announced Forbidden WestAt the height of “Guerrilla,” there could be some work to do when it comes to doing the same for “Nemesis.”

Although Zero dawn And Forbidden west Although they have introduced a number of villains in their main stories and DLC expansions, each game has cultivated and centered their respective stories around a main antagonist. But while players were able to uncover the secret behind Hades and Zero dawn's faulty terraforming AI or the revelation of Far Zenith's survival and return to Earth in Forbidden West, horizonThe third game of has already revealed its antagonist, Nemesis. Unless Guerrilla plans further last minute reveals for its third and possibly final installment horizon game in a trilogy, Horizon 3 faces a major challenge for the story of Nemesis.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered could put more pressure on Horizon 3 to actually fix a problem

The upcoming game Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered could inspire Guerrilla Games to improve a series feature for the inevitable Horizon 3.

Horizon Forbidden West sets the stage for Nemesis Horizon 3

During the high-stakes finale of Horizon Forbidden WestIt is revealed that Far Zenith did not intend to recreate Earth in their own image, but instead to escape to another planet, with Tilda van der Meer explaining to Aloy and Beta that they were fleeing something called “Nemesis”. Tilda further explains that Nemesis is an attempt by the Far Zeniths to achieve digital transcendence through cloned or copied minds. The following quote from Tilda during Forbidden WestThe reveal details who – or what – Nemesis is and why she turned against Far Zenith.

Nemesis was, in this regard, a failed experiment that was abandoned – but never extinguished. A vast database of our memories, emotions and prejudices left to silence…

On a related note, the actual Far Zeniths appear to all be dead after this Forbidden Westtheir digital and possibly insane digital copies are on their way to Earth, seemingly seeking revenge. Depending on how Guerrilla intends to portray Far Zenith's copied heads as part of Nemesis, this could have significant implications Horizon 3The story and gameplay evolve, but knowing this reveal before the third game removes the intrigue behind the character. Plus, Hephaestus is still free afterward Forbidden West, Horizon 3 could struggle to balance its narrative between two or possibly more rogue AIs.

Horizon's best antagonists were characterized by mystery and motivation

A Horus attacks the Burning Shores in Horizon 2's DLC

Every horizon The game had an interesting selection of primary and secondary antagonists that helped shape and advance its stories. In Zero dawnthe mystery behind Hades and Gaia's larger terraforming AI provided intrigue throughout the game until its final reveal, and the morally gray characterization of Tilda in Forbidden West made them just as interesting as Sylens and even a counterpart to them. However, the theorized potential for Tilda's return does exist Horizon 3 Good news for her as a deuteragonist is that Nemesis may not hold the same mystery or intrigue as the previous games' antagonists.

For example, Tilda has already explained how Nemesis was created and why it comes to Earth, so players already know what to expect Horizon 3are the main antagonists of the game and its story. Even so, Guerrilla could still salvage Nemesis' character by perhaps humanizing the rogue AI, especially if Horizon 3 gives the character a distinctive voice and personality, similar to Hades, in his final moments Forbidden West. Given that Nemesis was supposedly created from Far Zenith's memories, emotions and prejudices, Horizon 3 could capitalize on this humanity and allow players to empathize with Nemesis until the end of the game. Still, it won't be easy to make Nemesis as interesting as someone like Tilda, as its backstory coupled with its AI nature currently makes it seem like a faceless, one-dimensional doomsday threat.