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Horizon Forbidden West borrows one of Breath of the Wild’s best mechanics

Sony showed off 14 minutes of gameplay for the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West during a State of Play event today, and the protagonist, Aloy, has a lot of new gadgets up her sleeve. Surprisingly, Sony and Guerrilla Games did not reveal the release date for the game, which was originally planned for a 2021 launch.

Horizon Forbidden West - State of Play Gameplay Reveal | PS5

The surprising omission leads to speculation that it has been delayed to next year possibly. Since we’re halfway through the year, it would have made sense for the game to get a release window if it’s still intended to launch before the end of 2021.

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In this new entry, the main character has access to a grappling hook, a diving mask to allow her to swim underwater, and a glider similar to the one in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The first entry, Horizon Zero Dawn, launched right around the same time as Breath of the Wild and because of that, many critics and fans couldn’t help but compare the two. After all, both are open-world action games with an emphasis on combat, exploration, and inventory management. One thing fans adored in Breath of the Wild was its gliding mechanic, which allows players to safely and quickly traverse the map from tall structures. Now, Horizon Forbidden West will utilize its own version of the glider.

The only thing Sony did reiterate is that Horizon Forbidden West is a PlayStation exclusive, coming to the PS4 and PS5. Guerrilla Games did say that more details would be revealed at a later time, so it’s possible we’ll get another update later this year.

Joseph Yaden
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…
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