Horizon Forbidden West: Language and Representation

Language:

Introduction:

1) Why does Guerrilla Games have 'a serious case of bad timing'?

The 2017 open-world role-playing game Horizon Zero Dawn was eclipsed by Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which came out a week later and ended up becoming one of the greatest video games ever made. Now, while it produces a fantastic follow-up, Horizon Forbidden West, another phenomenon, Elden Ring, appears on its heels to suck away all the oxygen. Sadly, Guerrilla is a group of excellent developers that have terrible timing.  

2) What is the narrative for the original game Horizon Zero Dawn?

The games are set a millennium after the majority of humanity was wiped off by rogue machines. The survivors have gathered into tribal tribes where technology artefacts are either revered or viewed with distrust. The story of how our planet came to an end is told with the dramas of warring clans. 

3) How is the central character Aloy described?

With flame-haired heroine Aloy, one of the console generation's most memorable new characters, Guerrilla hit gold. She strikes a balance between toughness and sensitivity.  

4) What is the narrative and setting for sequel Horizon Forbidden West?

Forbidden West invites players to Nevada and California with a new threat to civilization that, of course, only you can neutralise. The first game took place across a terraformed Colorado. The riddles around Aloy's identity were central to the last game, and it ended cleanly. The plot of the new game is less clear, but it cleverly tackles themes of climate calamity and the conceit of big tech thanks to a sophisticated writing and excellent voice acting, which features cameos from actors Angela Bassett and Carrie-Anne Moss.

5) What does the review say about animation and graphics?

With graphics so stunning that I frequently find myself stopping the adventure to marvel at the scenery, whether it be dust clouds careening over the desert or forest leaves quivering in the breeze, Forbidden West is the first really jaw-dropping test of the PS5's capabilities. Shaped like snakes, hippos, ferrets, rams, and pterodactyls, the robot opponents are brilliant examples of biomechanical clockwork, with electric cables serving as sinew and shining steel for ligaments. The character models are the most amazing.

6) What do we learn about the gameplay and activities in Horizon Forbidden West?

Beneath its attractive exterior, Forbidden West's gameplay delivers intense, rewarding combat. Aloy moves with such fluidity as she skillfully switches between sliding, climbing, and using new equipment like a paraglider and grappling hook. Every battle involving a robot enemy is intense and hard, requiring players to use elemental attacks, traps, and behaviour analysis to obtain the upper hand. With the minor annoyances from Zero Dawn fixed, you may now use melee and stealth weapons more effectively and manage resources more effortlessly. 

Close textual analysis:

1) How is narrative, character and setting introduced in the trailer?

• Alloy is riding on an animal 
• islands
• forests 
• birds eye view

2) How is the game's open world / sandbox genre shown in the trailer?

by demonstrating Alloy's exploration of many environments, such as the seas and secret tombs. 

3) What representations can you find in the trailer?

• Female (Alloy) : strong fighter, can do anything, independent  
• antagonist = evil

1) How does the game use media language to communicate ideas about narrative and genre?

The game's genre is indicated by media jargon, such as the environment, which is depicted as a "open world". The perspective on Alloy reveals the story.

2) What representations of people, places or groups can you find in the gameplay video?

A strong, self-reliant female lead character who can battle.

3) What audience pleasures are suggested by this gameplay trailer?

Diversion

Narrative and genre:

1) Read the opening to the article. How can we apply Steve Neale's genre theory to Horizon Forbidden West?

According to Neale, genres are occurrences of variation and repetition. This is applicable to Forbidden West and Zero Dawn, as both games seem remarkably similar to one another even after five years and the release of a new generation of console hardware.

2) How many copies did the Horizon Zero Dawn sell and why did this influence the design of the sequel?

Since Horizon Zero Dawn has allegedly sold more than 20 million copies, it's not like the franchise needed to alter all that much in order to appeal to a far larger audience. It's also not like Guerrilla Games was in a position to build this a true PS5 exclusive developed from the ground up to take advantage of that hardware, given the present scarcity of next-generation consoles and development difficulties brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. From a financial perspective, it makes perfect sense that Forbidden West follows the majority of the fundamental design choices made by its predecessor.

3) How does the article criticise the story in Horizon Forbidden West?

However, "better story" does not always equate to "more story." Like Zero Dawn, the universe and mythology of Forbidden West are among its best narrative assets.

The issue is that Forbidden West spends much too much time allowing a plethora of supporting characters to ramble on about what at times seems like an interminable amount of backstory. Although this game has some amazing side missions and characters, Forbidden West's dependence on lengthy dialogue scenes gets to you rather quickly in this expansive journey. 

4) What do we learn about the gameplay?

Forbidden West is made possible by the clever addition of an improved "stash" mechanism, which greatly reduces the aggravation of having to continuously acquire and manage supplies.

You now have more opportunities to feel completely free to approach the game's fighting and hunting sequences however you see fit thanks to Aloy's new traps and vastly more valuable spear skills. There's usually still a "best" way to handle an issue, but it's not always so clear-cut that there's no use in trying anything else. 

5) What is the article's overall summary of the game?

Games like Ghost of Tsushima and Forbidden West are examples of this new breed of open-world games that, rather than revolutionising the genre, find ways to breathe new life into the concept entirely by leveraging the conventions of that genre to support ambitious artistic concepts that, without such a well-tested framework, would fall apart under their own weight. Though it occasionally veers off course, Forbidden West surpasses a lot of other games in its genre and manages to set a new standard that I hope Guerrilla Games and other creators will eventually strive to meet.

Representations: 

1) How does Horizon Forbidden West use narrative to create a fully diverse cast of characters?

The decision to include a diverse cast of characters in the game is a deft storytelling device, and some critics and players have even gone so far as to call it progressive.

2) What is orientalism?

Orientalism is a type of racism in which “the West” — generally understood as Europe and North America — projects savagery and beauty onto “the East,” or the Orient.  

3) How does the article suggest orientalism applies to Horizon Forbidden West?

The central theme of Forbidden West's travelogue of far-off places is orientalism. The "Forbidden West," which is the modern-day southwestern United States and California, teeming with alien tribes, beliefs, and cultures, serves as protagonist Aloy's Orient. Aloy is both an explorer and a (white) saviour in this maze. 

4) Who is the player encouraged to identify with in the game and how does this influence how representations are constructed?

Expected to identify with Aloy and assist her in her efforts to preserve the environment.   

5) Finally, what did the writer of the article (an Asian American) feel when playing the game?

The author ultimately took on the role of many forms of cultural violence, such as Orientalism, which is largely responsible for the prejudice that Asian Americans face today. 

1) What is the debate regarding Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West?

Guerilla Games made a special effort to avoid having Aloy resemble "a Victoria Secret model" and instead make her a more "normal" heroine. However, this has led to a discussion about whether or not Aloy is genuinely "hot," which I think kind of misses the mark. It makes me think of that now-cringey question, "Is Hilary Swank hot?" We really shouldn't be having this talk in the first place; it's an office episode. 

2) What examples are provided of other female characters and representations in videogames?

The face of this whole problem in gaming has been Lara Croft, the protagonist of Tomb Raider, demonstrating once more how complex this is. Croft is a fantastic female protagonist in her own right and a part of gaming history, even though it's true that her original design was sexualized in an attempt to attract to young men.

3) What are the issues facing the videogame industry in terms of gender?

The game development industry faces immense challenges in keeping female employees and providing them with adequate treatment. It's true that some female characters have been totally developed through a masculine perspective. Furthermore, the argument is not resolving the actual problems these businesses are facing—PlayStation, for example, is currently the target of accusations of gender discrimination, which the piece omits.