The state of the nextHorizongame is a huge mystery right now. It’s been confirmed that developer Guerrilla Games is currently developing the project, but it’s unclear how far alongHorizon 3truly is at the moment. There has yet to even be an official name revealed. Hopefully, within the next year, Guerrilla Games will have something to showcase, but only time will tell.
Until then,Horizon 3is fertile soil for speculation, and the longer the wait continues, the more theories and rumors will surface. One of the biggest questions regardingHorizon 3is how much it will evolve from its predecessor. Naturally, withForbidden Westbeing a sequel, the game enhanced many of the features found inZero Dawn, but when it comes to difficulty,Horizon 3may want to keep things a little more static.
Horizon 3 Could Benefit From Keep Forbidden West’s Level of Difficulty
Of course, difficulty is subjective, but there were a significant number of players who foundForbidden Westfar more difficult compared to the first game. It’s definitely not abnormal for sequels to be more intense than their predecessors, but some fans found the differences betweenZero DawnandForbidden Westdaunting. The Machines inForbidden Westare more relentless, but beyond that, combat mechanics and crafting in general are more complex, andHorizon 3may want to avoid taking this any further.
The Pros of Keeping Horizon 3’s Difficulty the Same as Forbidden West’s
The biggest pro of not increasing the difficulty and complexity is that more casual players will still feel comfortable playing the game.AfterForbidden West, this portion of the fan base has certain expectations, and adding too many layers to its combat mechanics alongside even more powerful Machines would quickly cause a lot of gamers to put down their controllers. Of course, there are plenty of fans who enjoy the increasing complexity, but many prefer a more casual experience that still presents a decent amount of challenge, just not too much.
TheHorizonfranchisefeatures difficulty options, but when considering the more complex approach ofForbidden West, playing the sequel can still be frustrating for some players. Sticking withForbidden West’s balance still brings plenty of intricate mechanics to the more hardcore fans, while also presenting options for those who are more invested in the story.
Horizon: Forbidden Westfeatures six difficulty options; Story, Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, and Ultra Hard.
Horizon 3’s Difficulty Staying the Same Has One Major Con
With this beingthe third chapter inHorizon, it’s expected to be Aloy’s hardest challenge yet, and increasing the difficulty would be one of the best ways to help get that across. If the combat balance is the same asForbidden West’s, it may be hard for some players to actually believe that Aloy is being brought to her absolute limit. Of course, Guerrilla Games could find a way to drive this home without increasing difficulty, but it’s unsure what method would be the ideal route.
The Machines inForbidden Westare more relentless, but beyond that, combat mechanics and crafting in general are more complex.
Guerrilla Games Has Big Ambitions for the Horizon Franchise
Horizon 3isn’t the only game tied to the franchise in the works. Guerrilla Games is also hard at work on anonlineHorizonspin-offthat is just as mysterious as its mainline counterpart. There’s no telling when Guerrilla Games will be ready to reveal the first teasers for bothHorizon 3and the online spin-off, but there will hopefully be news sometime later this year. The Game Awards could be a great place to make an official announcement, but that may be wishful thinking right now, since both are potentially a few years away.
