Horizon Forbidden West is on the horizon. We’re less than a month away from the much-anticipated sequel hitting PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles. And with so little time left, this new trailer is the perfect way to get caught up on Forbidden West’s story. If you’re looking to head into Forbidden West without any spoilers, best leave this trailer alone for now.
The lands have been infected by a red plague that’s destroying the crops and making the tribes sick. To find a cure, Aloy must travel to the Forbidden West to the ruins of old San Francisco. There she meets warring tribes and rampaging robots that seem to have fallen under the power of a mysterious figure leading a rebel tribe in a destructive war.
Regalla, the leader of the rebel tribe, apparently answers to a “higher power” that’s heavily implied to be Sylens. The founder of the eclipse once allied with Aloy to discover the truth behind the Old Ones and the technology they left behind. Now armed with that knowledge, Sylens has granted Regalla control over the machines for some dark purpose.
For Aloy, the solution to the plague is “broken and scattered,” which likely means exploring the Forbidden West. She won’t be alone as both Erend and Varl show up to help her in her journey. New allies from the Oseram, Utaru, and Tenakth tribes will also join Aloy to sop both the plague that ravages the land and Regalla who ravages its peoples.
Forbidden West's narrative director, Benjamin McCaw, recently said that Aloy will spend a lot less time alone in the sequel. "The big focus, though, that we wanted to change from the first game to the second," said McCaw, "is that you get to spend more time with key characters." And it won't just be key characters--secondary characters from side quests will also reappear later in the story, depending on what Aloy does.
Horizon Forbidden West arrives on PlayStation consoles on February 18.