Since her fight against Eclipse and HADES ended after the finale of Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy has spent the six months before Horizon Forbidden West traveling the lands in search of a GAIA copy. The player quickly begins to realize that Aloy has been alone this entire time and she’s continued to live her isolated life, failing to keep contact with any friends she’d made during her journey.
Aloy is a lone wolf but Horizon Forbidden West introduces a place for her to finally call home. The Base is introduced during a major turning point in Aloy’s journey, and it makes everything feel much more alive. However, this is the first time Guerilla Games is introducing a hub of any kind into Aloy’s world, and there are still some things missing from the incredible addition.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
10 Love: The Extra Interactions With Beloved Characters
Arguably the best addition that comes with The Base is the way Aloy’s beloved friends move in and make the place their home. When Aloy discovers The Base with the help of Varl and Zo, the three immediately begin to move in and Varl only leaves to bring Erend back with him.
A few more companions join them along the way. Each person can be spoken to repeatedly for their views on certain subjects, events, and even major plot points. A little exclamation mark in a bubble will appear over their heads when they have something new to say, and they’re always worth listening to.
9 Could Be Improved: Secret Passageways Aren’t Meaningful Enough
As time goes on and more rooms open in The Base, players will discover some of these rooms have passageways that can only be accessed with certain tools or skills. It’s a fun little segway in a place that already has a lot of detail, but it feels like there’s a mystery setup that never quite reaches its potential.
Explained in audio datapoints, someone that worked on the facility put the secret rooms in for their own amusement. In what could’ve been a chance to create a side quest within The Base, it’s wasted on what only amounts to some shards and datapoint completion percentage.
8 Love: The Survey Drone Dome Views
A highly underrated feature of Forbidden West is the Survey Drone Dome where GAIA resides in The Base. When she approaches the console, GAIA tells Aloy that if she recovers the survey drones out wandering in the world, they can upload the data to the dome.
It’s not necessary for completion but the first drone that players collect will have them seeking more. The 360-degree views are breathtaking, allowing the player to witness the different environments in stunning detail, right from the safety of The Base.
7 Could Be Improved: More Use Of Aloy’s Skills
Games such as Assassin’s Creed and Tomb Raider have done brilliant jobs of making their hub areas interactive, with respective protagonists Desmond and Lara having an opportunity to show off their skills in safe environments. This is one area that Forbidden West falls gravely short in.
Aloy doesn’t use any of her skills in The Base, despite having an incredibly wide variety at her disposal. There isn’t even an area for her to test weapons or load-outs, or a place to practice some climbing for a small reward. While Aloy gets plenty of activity outside of The Base, adding a fun practice area or some secrets that require her specific skills would be appreciated.
6 Love: The Layout Evolves
As companions situate themselves in The Base, its decor and layout evolve. When Aloy first arrives, the sleeping quarters consist of multiple bed areas that all look the same, likely because no one had the chance to move in.
When Erend and Kotallo move in, however, they decorate their respective bunk with items from their homeland. Erend, befitting his personality, has plenty of bottles of alcohol lying around. Kotallo puts up a thick canvas sheet to give himself plenty of privacy. Not only does it make The Base feel alive, but it also shows the personality of Aloy’s friends.
5 Could Be Improved: Not Enough Companions
As The Base evolves in design, it only makes it more evident that there aren’t enough companions who move in and the majority of them are there from the beginning. Varl, Zo, and Erend make up over half of the residents, and all arrive not long after Aloy installs GAIA and makes the ruin habitable.
It’s a missed opportunity to not allow Aloy to amass a small army for herself. As seen in Zero Dawn, Aloy has a battalion of people who are willing to live and die by her side. To educate them all with foci, as she has done with Varl, would be a heart-warming moment of camaraderie.
4 Love: Aloy’s Room
A gentle touch in The Base that will have players tearing up is Aloy’s room. Having had no space of her own since losing Rost, it’s a bittersweet moment when GAIA tells Aloy over her focus that her companions believed that she would prefer her own space.
Around the room are items Aloy can interact with and comment on. She also discusses what’s happened so far in her journey. Much like Rost’s grave, these items give Aloy some introspection. In this room, players gain the best sense of how difficult Aloy’s journey has been.
3 Could Be Improved: No Space For A Mount
Many players can admit that they get attached to their mounts in video games, and Forbidden West is no exception. Now that Aloy doesn’t have to learn the Call Mount+ skill, players have access to their trusty mount at any point during Forbidden West but there’s nowhere for this machine to call home.
The idea is that Aloy overrides a different machine every time she needs one, but it still feels like a missed opportunity to not even have a mountable machine site just outside The Base. It could’ve even been man-made, with the companions having rounded some chargers into a pen for personal use.
2 Love: The Chest Full Of Goodies
After her first visit back to The Base, Zo tells Aloy that they’ve begun to collect resources for her, and she can conveniently access the stash whenever is convenient. This stash is different from others, as it gives Aloy resources rather than simply pulling from ones she’s previously collected. The stash somewhat counters the “protagonist must do everything” trope that most games use, showing that Aloy’s companions spend their time in the wilds trying to help her as much as possible.
It’s always a nice surprise to get some free resources. Luckily, it isn’t just cheap ridge-wood or rocks that the player can find. The stash contains weaves and rare resources and it’s always worth taking a look whenever it fills up.
1 Could Be Improved: More Subordinate Function Integration
Part of the main story in Forbidden West revolves around Aloy recovering three subordinate functions: AETHER, POSEIDON, and DEMETER. GAIA mentions that recovering each of them will improve her processing power. Each time, GAIA can open more doors in The Base because of it.
Unfortunately, that’s the only change. It would’ve been interesting to see an underwater area open when POSEIDON was recovered, Aloy swimming through it to reach them to speak. Or, for AETHER to allow Aloy to see what the weather was like outside. Even simple additions would’ve made a big difference after it was stressed so much that the functions would make a huge difference to GAIA.
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