“The massacre was on the beginning. Who did this to us? Who attacked the tribe,” says protagonist Aloy as she walks through a snowstorm to spot several dead allies on the ground, with red paint spread over their faces. “Praying won’t save us. We have to find the killers.”
Aloy is told that she will have to venture out of the “Sacred Land” in order to find those responsible, and we’re treated to a shot of a robotic pterodactyl flying over a region that has long been consumed by nature. Towers are completely rusted, covered almost completely in ivy and leaves. Elsewhere, Aloy rushes through rocky wilderness as an enormous, brontosaurus-like creature paces nearby.
“There’s a threat to us all. Men in masks — raising up ancient machines. And I’ve seen their leader,” Aloy says.
This leader appears to be doing his best Kratos impersonation, with his face resembling the ashy white complexion of God of War’s anti-hero.
Aloy watches as this insidious organization’s robots take control of helpless, smaller machines, with their “corruption” actually visible as a red smoke emanating from their bodies. Soon, we see an enormous, Metal Gear-like monstrosity that appears to be capable of destroying entire buildings. We’re sure it has a weakness, however, and a few shots from our powerful bow will likely be enough to damage its “core” and send it crashing to the ground.
Horizon: Zero Dawn is out on February 28 exclusively for PlayStation 4. Its cast includes Ashly Burch of Life is Strange, as well as Lance Reddick, who previously appeared in the Xbox console exclusive Quantum Break.
