

With that being said, it’s not as far-fetched a concept as it might seem to have Los Angeles broken apart into mini island ruins of rubble, water, and lava. The presence of raging lava alongside crystal clear waters, and explorable location points broken apart into multiple islands that can either be sailed to or flown to, initially make it feel more inspired by Hawaii than anything else. As unrealistic as it is to see the remnants of the Hollywood sign surrounded by the biggest of Horizon’s machine baddies, the massive Horus (also known as a Metal Devil), there’s something compelling about the scenery of Burning Shores. Through Burning Shores, we find out that the rest of the Quen similarly shipwrecked in another large coastal California city, Los Angeles. Exploring the ruins of Los Angeles © Guerrilla Games What happened to the other Quen remained a mystery until the Burning Shores DLC. It’s revealed through Alva that the Quen ended up being shipwrecked there after a catastrophic storm, and were ultimately separated from the rest of their crew. In Forbidden West, we first meet the Quen in the ruins of San Francisco alongside standout companion character Alva, a Diviner with a thirst for knowledge and a charming, bubbly personality you can’t help but love. One the Quen hoped would lead to information that might help with issues they’ve been experiencing back home like flooding, drought, and crop failure. As a result, it wasn’t given nearly the sort of attention it deserved, both as a technical achievement for Guerrilla Games and its Decima Engine, and as a poignant follow-up to the “good start, but needs to dig a bit deeper” narrative groundwork laid with Horizon Zero Dawn.Īmong the more interesting plot threads introduced in Forbidden West are those tied to the mysterious Quen who aren’t from Horizon’s post-apocalyptic American landscape, but who instead sailed to it from a far-off land as part of a massive expedition. Horizon Forbidden West had the misfortune of releasing last year alongside the highly anticipated, award-winning Elden Ring.
