Horizon Forbidden West State of Play Gameplay Sees Aloy Paragliding Away from Mammoth Attacks

PlayStation and Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Forbidden West State of Play presentation packed in 14 minutes of gameplay that highlighted some of the sequel’s newest additions. The presentation consisted of a lengthy video of gameplay captured entirely on PlayStation 5, along with a more specific breakdown from some of the team at Guerrilla.

Today’s filling gameplay demonstration highlighted three specific parts of what Guerrilla is offering later this year: new-gen visuals, new gameplay mechanics, and vastly different locations to explore. Aloy finds herself making her way through lush jungles and beaches littered with destructible ruins as she sneaks past velociraptor-like enemies patrolling the area. Underwater sections are shown off in the footage too and seem to have their own nooks and crannies to look through.

Guerrilla has included a sort of grappling hook for players to help navigate the terrain, but the real highlight might be the paraglider that seems to be inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Utilizing the glider for travel seems to be a crucial part of the gameplay in Horizon Forbidden West, especially as Aloy uses it to dodge attacks from a mammoth mounted by members of an enemy faction.

Other new tools make an appearance too, including a sort of adhesive ammunition that can be used to keep foes stumbling in place. Aloy’s ranged attacks have been upgraded in their own right, but Guerrilla puts an even greater focus on how melee combat has evolved in Horizon Forbidden West. See some of the ways you’ll be able to tame, take down, and trip up enemies in the State of Play gameplay below.

One notable omission from today’s State of Play gameplay presentation was a release date for Horizon Forbidden West. Guerrilla took to the PlayStation.Blog to comment on the game’s progress, though.

“We don’t have an exact release date yet, but development is on track and we’ll have an update for you very soon,” Guerrilla narrative director Ben McCaw said.

PlayStation has been adamant that its Horizon sequel will make it into the hands of fans before 2021 came to a close. If Guerrilla intends to make that release window, it will have to make some sort of announcement in the next few months.