Horizon 3: HEPHAESTUS’ Shocking Redemption Arc Looms

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Considering the storyline of Horizon Forbidden West, one character in particular might undergo a redemption arc instead of serving as the secondary antagonist for a third consecutive game. While Horizon Zero Dawn’s main narrative largely revolved around HADES as the initial rogue AI, HEPHAESTUS has been subtly causing trouble throughout the series as the second AI gone astray, manufacturing dangerous machines. Despite Aloy’s first encounter with HEPHAESTUS during the Frozen Wilds DLC of Horizon Zero Dawn, this rogue AI persisted in its antagonistic role in Horizon Forbidden West.

Although capturing HEPHAESTUS was an initial key objective in the early stages of Horizon Forbidden West, the emergence of Far Zenith as the primary antagonist means that HEPHAESTUS remains at large for a possible third Horizon game. Guerrilla Games might wish to steer clear of repeatedly using the same approach with HEPHAESTUS in the third installment, given that Forbidden West demonstrated why capturing this rogue AI remains extremely challenging. Furthermore, with Forbidden West hinting at Nemesis as the main antagonist for the next game, it could be advantageous to introduce a twist with HEPHAESTUS in Horizon 3.

Horizon 3 Can’t Just Rinse and Repeat HEPHAESTUS’ Subplot Again

In the role of designing and manufacturing the machines necessary for GAIA’s terraforming project on Earth, HEPHAESTUS is considered one of Horizon’s most formidable AIs, much like HADES who went rogue before Zero Dawn. Though its continuous production of dangerous machines throughout the Horizon series has made it a persistent threat, HEPHAESTUS has also been instrumental to the games’ narrative, as portrayed in Forbidden West where both Aloy and Far Zenith acknowledged the AI’s untapped potential. However, with its antagonistic roles in the first two games, there is a risk that HEPHAESTUS may slip into the repetitive background villain role in Horizon 3.

In the final stages of Forbidden West, although HEPHAESTUS was taken captive, Aloy had no choice but to liberate the AI from Far Zenith’s grip to gain an advantage against them. This event, combined with conversations between Aloy and Sylens suggesting that HEPHAESTUS will break free again and possibly grow stronger using data from APOLLO, strongly indicates that HEPHAESTUS will resurface in Horizon 3. If true, this development would provide Guerrilla Games with a reason to introduce new machine creatures inspired by animals into Horizon 3. However, it leaves several unanswered questions about the HEPHAESTUS storyline.

Horizon Forbidden West Set Specific Limits For Horizon 3’s HEPHAESTUS

As a gamer, I’m pondering over one key question regarding Horizon 3: How will Horizon 3 manage the constraints set by Forbidden West when it comes to capturing HEPHAESTUS? In the main quest “GEMINI” of Forbidden West, we learned that HEPHAESTUS doesn’t wish to reunite with GAIA. Instead, it needs a Cauldron with two compatible cores so its two AIs can link directly and keep it from slipping back into the network.

While these constraints in Forbidden West might have been just to show how significant and tough capturing HEPHAESTUS would be, they’ve unintentionally made the task for Horizon 3’s version of HEPHAESTUS even more challenging.

Redeeming HEPHAESTUS Could Be Key To Horizon 3’s Story

As a gamer, I’d prefer if Horizon 3 didn’t repeat the same HEPHAESTUS subplot again. Instead, if Nemesis turns out to be the main antagonist, the game could opt for something fresh. Rather than aiming to reclaim HEPHAESTUS for a second time, Horizon 3 could offer a redemption arc for this character. Aloy might try to persuade HEPHAESTUS, much like she did with Gaia’s other subordinate functions. By teaming up against our common foe or curing the AI of its madness, Horizon 3 could use HEPHAESTUS’ redemption as a hint for how Nemesis might also find peace, freeing it from the torment Far Zenith inflicted upon it.

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2025-04-21 06:04