Guerrilla Games has been drip-feeding information about Horizon Forbidden West as we approach the game’s February 18 release on the PS4 and PS5. The developer has said a lot about what makes the sequel “better” than Horizon Zero Dawn in an extensive interview with Game Informer, but two things stick out: more engaging side quests and a minimalist HUD.
How Horizon Forbidden West side quests will improve over the original
Guerrilla Games claims to have added more engaging side quests to Forbidden West that offer rewards worth your time. “There’s a lot more variety in that sense – a more sense of accomplishment that you actually get something cool in return for doing these quests,” game director Mathijs de Jonge said. “That was another part where we felt like we had some room for improvement. So you get a cool weapon or you get a cool outfit, something that’s really useful for your next quest or activity.”
Following the story and side quests will be made easier by a HUD that isn’t as cluttered as the one in Zero Dawn. De Jonge revealed that Forbidden West will have a minimalist HUD activated by default and all players have to do is swipe up on the touchpad for more information. That should make it easier to follow all the objectives should players choose to engage with the side content as well.
Opinion: Horizon Forbidden West side quest improvements are welcome
Zarmena writes… Zero Dawn‘s side quests were mostly short and sweet, but they didn’t compel players to venture off the beaten track unless they were chasing 100 percent completion or the coveted Platinum trophy. That said, I sincerely hope the side quests don’t end up being anything like the ones seen in recent Ubisoft games; forced fetch quests that punish players for not completing them.
In other news, there’s a Horizon PSVR 2 game in the works but since the device is only compatible with PS5, don’t expect a cross-gen release.
