With the sequel to Guerrilla Games’Horizon: Zero Dawnbeing scouted to appear at thePS5 reveal event, players have been quick to wonder what the next game will bring. However, for most players, it seems that co-op/multiplayer is the one feature that fans want to see more than any other additions to the upcoming sequel.
Exactly what the multiplayer inHorizon: Zero Dawn 2could look like is still up for debate, but for the most part, players aren’t looking at specifics and are instead looking to join the hunt with their friends. Additionally, adding multiplayer to a game that is built with a strong, story based single player experience in mind can be a mixed bag, especially if the new feature clashes with established features
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Unfortunately, with thePS5 reveal event delayed, it will likely be a little longer before players get a real look at what Guerrilla Games and Sony are planning with the future ofHorizon: Zero Dawn. As a result, fans are left to speculate on what the extent of the multiplayer will be, from simply joining together with friends to hunt down the game’s massive machines together or full war efforts under different factions. This really comes down to what aspects of the game people focused on in the original as well as what they enjoy most from the combat and gameplay of the sequel.
Learning From other Franchises
Multiplayer is nothing new at this point, but maintaining a community of players online nowadays requires developers to focus on either the co-operative or competitive gameplay from the ground up. Games likeCall of Duty: Modern WarfareandDestinyhave single player campaigns, which can also be played multiplayer, but the focus when building both games was clearly the multiplayer.Horizon: Zero Dawn,on the other hand, is built more likeMass EffectorZelda: Breath of the Wild, with a single player story dominating the development of gameplay instead of multiplayer.
Mass Effectmay be a strong contender for comparing what aHorizon: Zero Dawnmultiplayer might look like, especially when considering the online gameplay that appeared inMass Effect 3and returned forMass Effect: Andromeda. The multiplayer ofMass Effect 3is actually a strong example of how not to introduce the feature into an otherwise single player, story driven game, with this mode being required for unlocking certain endings in the main game. That being said,Guerrilla Gamesdoes have a bit of a history with some incredible multiplayer modes within a number of games in the past.
Guerrilla Games' History With Multiplayer
Whilemultiplayer inHorizon: Zero Dawn 2is still only a rumor and speculation, seeing as how the game itself hasn’t even been formally announced yet, some past games from Guerrilla Games may give insight into what going online can look like. For one, the developer’s flagship series during the PS3 era,Killzone, had a standard muliplayer experience that players would expect from an FPS title. However, what made this series, and the PS4’sKillzone: Shadow Fall, stand out was the way that the game combined the typical genre and enhanced on it with by blending sci-fi elements into gameplay mechanics.
Similarly, some campaigns and downloadable game modes in theKillzoneseries were also available, giving players with a greater fondness for PvE elements a chance to still play with friends. Considering how wellKillzone: Shadow Fallstill holds upas a PS4 launch title, even as the PS5 prepares to release, Guerrilla Games clearly knew what it was doing when it came to making a successful FPS complete with compelling multiplayer. As a result, players can likely rest assured that ifHorizon: Zero Dawn 2is brought online, it will likely be in a way that reflects the company’s previous quality.
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Multiplayer Hunts
This is likely what most players are thinking of when they imaginea multiplayerHorizon: Zero Dawn 2; a group of three or four hunters running out into the wilds, with bows and traps readied as they hunt down and dismantle a machine as a team. Many players are most likely imagining aMonster Hunter: Worldstyled fight, where going up against one creature can last from thirty minutes to an hour. However, if this is the case, and teams of hunters are heading out, this will likely require a complete balancing shift for the multiplayer, to verify that players aren’t overpowered in a group against the mechanical monsters.
What may be the best bet, is to actually limit each player to one weapon at a time, instead of letting players cycle through a massive array of weapons and equipment that they usually are allowed to use as Aloy. Instead, players should be forced to choose a role they will play as they jump into a match and play out the encounters like an asymmetric multiplayer title, but with an AI controlled monster. This will leave players to choose between trap masters, high damage classes, trackers, medics, and any other jobs that might best contribute to a successful hunt.
Clan Wars
Probably not what most players think of when they imagineHorizon: Zero Dawn 2’s rumored multiplayer, but fighting against human enemies does actually make up a considerable amount of the original game. So it stands to reason that the plan for a multiplayer mode may come in the form of a more standard Team Deathmatch formula, with players taking on the rolls of the different factions fromHorizon: Zero Dawn. This would of course be completely reliant on the future story of the series, however, the Carja, Nora, and Oseram could always to begin warring with each other again, or the multiplayer could look into the game’s unexplored history.
With Guerrilla Games looking to eventually make aHorizon: Zero Dawntrilogy, the somewhat shaky allegiances made between the main factions may begin to dwindle as conflicts arise. There are a few ways that this could play out, with players either choosing which faction they want to play as and help take a lead in the war effort, or for the chosen team to be left up to chance or chosen from match to match. Taking this a step further by making warzones and large scale battles, similar to what players experience in theStar Wars: Battlefrontseries, this could be a unique type of multiplayer for the developer and tie in perfectly forHorizon: Zero Dawn’s story.
Horizon: Zero Dawnis available now for PS4, with a PC version set to release Summer 2020.
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