Horizon Zero Dawndid well in encouraging players to explore the world. Players who travel far and wide can collect everything from regional armor sets for Aloy to Vantage Points, with recordings from the days of the distant apocalypse. Between fast travel and a wide array of mountable machines, Aloy also has no shortage of ways to expedite her journeys. Now,Horizon Forbidden Westpromises uncharted territory and a new roster of machines that Aloy can ride. In other words, all signs indicate thatHorizon Forbidden Westplayers will have just as much reason to mount up and hit the road as they did inHorizon Zero Dawn.
It’s great to see the sequel living up to the spirit of the firstHorizongame, but every sequel must expand in both big and small ways to help the franchise find its ultimate direction. One small but significant way thatHorizon Forbidden Westcould change has to do with mounts. Although armor lets playerscustomize Aloy’s appearance to some degree, there’s no way to customize mounts inHorizon Zero Dawn.Ideally,Horizon Forbidden Westwill change that, letting players modify the machines that they override with the help of Aloy’s spear.
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Horizon Zero Dawn’s Momentary Mounts
Lots of open world games feature a mount system in one way or another. Whether it’sRed Dead RedemptionorThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,players often have some way to pick up a trusty steed that’ll make travel easier.Horizon Zero Dawnlets Aloy ride machines like Broadheads, Striders, and Chargers in the same way once she learns to override them. While these machines play the part of steeds, however, they aren’t treated the same way mechanically. UnlikeBreath of the Wild’s Stables, for instance, Aloy has no way of boarding overridden machines and picking them up again later when she needs them.
That’s becauseHorizon Zero Dawn’s mounts are inherently designed to be temporary and expendable. Until players get the right skill, overrides don’t last forever. What’s more, most of the machines Aloy can mount are pretty fragile, which is certainly a drawnback consideringhow dangerous someHorizon Zero Dawnmachines are. Mounted machines are bound to get caught in the heat of battle and destroyed. Rather than trying to preserve one mount forever, players are encouraged to simply pick up a new mount from a nearby herd of Striders or Broadheads whenever needed.
While this model of mounts is practical and logical forHorizon Zero Dawn’s world, it has drawnbacks too. A major part of the fun ofHorizon Zero Dawnis the player’s power to customize Aloy through the armor she wears, the weapons she wields, the skills she has, andthe Flashpoints that represent her personality-driven choices. In spite of all that player freedom,Horizon Zero Dawndoesn’t let players customize the mechanics or aesthetics of mounts. IdeallyHorizon Forbidden Westwill find a way to let players customize mounts, perhaps with the help of presets implanted within Aloy’s spear.
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Mount Customization in Horizon Forbidden West
It would be difficult to justify a series of NPCs that help Aloy customize her mounts, but considering how much Aloy has achieved on her own, she could certainly find a way to tweak her spear’s override function in a way that allows her to customize mounts. From the player’s perspective, this would probably look a lot like weapon modifications: Somewhere inHorizon Forbidden West’s menu, players could install special part and devices into the override module on Aloy’s spear. Once they’re installed,any mount that Aloy overridescould automatically receive the installed custom features.
Mounts could get all kinds of mechanical benefits from a customization system. For instance, a modifier that increases a mount’s speed could make them even more useful for traversingHorizon Forbidden West’s unfamiliar landscape. The game could also provide players with upgrades that boost the mount’s maximum health and resistance to certain damage types, increasing their survivability in dangerous environments. Extending the lifespan of intentionally short-lived machines might seem counterintuitive, but players would definitely appreciate mitigating the hassle of capturing a new mount every time their old mount dies, especially when there aren’t mountable machine herds nearby.
Of course, ifHorizon Forbidden Westadds mechanical mount customization, it should let players decorate their steeds too. Aloy may not have time to put a colorful saddle and bridle on every machine she rides, but there could still be ways to revamp the machine’s look. Overriding machines in both games covers them in glowing blue wires, butwith a little customization inHorizon Forbidden West,players might get to change that shade of blue to whatever color they like. The machine’s eyes, batteries, and other glowing parts could be recolored this way too, and some modifications could even lightly remodel the machine to the player’s liking.
A New Objective on the Horizon
Customizing mounts would be about more than increasing the value of the mounts themselves; it’d also giveHorizon Forbidden Westplayers a new objective to pursue. As many interesting collectibles asHorizon Zero Dawnhad,Horizon Forbidden Westwould be wise to introduce some new ones that are unique to its setting, and mount mods seem like a great collectible to introduce. It’s worth noting thatcertainHorizon Zero Dawncollectiblesare a little region-specific anyhow, so equipment that tweaks mounts could take the place of items like Banuk Figures that may not appear in the Forbidden West.
So far,Horizon Forbidden Westis served well by Guerrilla Games' eagerness to add new features to the franchise.The Pullcaster looks like an exciting toolfor navigating and interacting with Aloy’s environment, while Valor Surges operate as both valuable skill tree capstones and explosive additions toHorizon Forbidden West’s combat. Hopefully Guerrilla Games has thought about how it can upgrade the mount system in the process of expandingHorizon Forbidden West.The system may have worked inHorizon Zero Dawn,but there’s still ways to make mounts more appealing. If players can put a little personal touch on even the most fleeting mounts, then they’ll feel much more encouraged to saddle up on the regular.
Horizon Forbidden Westreleases Jul 19, 2025, for PS4 and PS5.
