Horizon 3’s SHOCKING Finale: Epic Boss Battles to End the Series

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Three years have passed since “Horizon Forbidden West” debuted in early 2022, gracing both PlayStation 4 and 5. Over this period, Guerrilla Games has rolled out additional content for “Horizon Forbidden West”, including the Burning Shores DLC expansion, a remaster of “Horizon Zero Dawn”, as well as two spin-offs – “Horizon Call of the Mountain” and “LEGO Horizon Adventures”.

Speculation about future Horizon multiplayer games from Guerrilla has been rife, but there’s been scant official word on Horizon 3. Many fans anticipate that it might conclude Aloy’s story, or even the series altogether. If this is indeed the end, Guerrilla could aim to include spectacular and awe-inspiring boss battles akin to the climactic fight in Burning Shores.

Horizon’s Varied Boss Battles Explained

In the sprawling, perilous world of Horizon, teeming with colossal machine-beasts and warring cults, I was eagerly anticipating epic boss battles ever since the game’s first unveiling in 2015. While Horizon Zero Dawn certainly had its share of challenging encounters with titans like Fireclaws, Stormbirds, and Thunderjaws, especially within Cauldrons, these weren’t traditional boss fights because you could frequently run into these beasts out in the wild. The main storyline boss battles were primarily against ancient machines, Corruptors and Deathbringers, but even they lost their luster by the game’s end due to their frequent appearances. Human boss battles were a letdown too, as most antagonists like Helis essentially functioned like common cult members, just with higher health and damage output.

In Horizon Forbidden West, there were encounters similar to boss fights, much like in Zero Dawn, but they were significantly enhanced. This enhancement is evident in the challenging confrontations with the nearly indestructible Far Zenith and their Specter drones, as well as the climactic battle against Tilda van der Meer inside the Specter Prime exoframe. Interestingly, Tilda appears only once in the game. Boss fights involving human opponents, such as Regalla, were also upgraded due to Forbidden West’s combat overhaul that introduced more melee combos and weapon variety. These improvements peaked in the epic, multi-phase battle against Far Zenith’s Walter Londra and his reactivated giant Horus. This battle was noteworthy because it could deploy Corruptors, forcing Aloy to navigate swimming, flying, and climbing on the colossal machine.

Boss Battles in Horizon Spin-Offs

As a devoted fan, I’ve noticed that each spin-off within the Horizon universe unfolds during the timeline of Zero Dawn. Horizon Call of the Mountain and LEGO Horizon Adventures specifically take place around the midpoint and overall storyline of Zero Dawn respectively. Given these settings and gameplay constraints, both Call of the Mountain and Adventures feature battles against machines that appear in Zero Dawn. For instance, most boss fights in Adventures revolve around confronting large machines found within Cauldrons, with a thrilling finale against a HADES-possessed Deathbringer. Conversely, Call of the Mountain offers virtual reality arenas where I face off against common machines from Zero Dawn.

Potential New Enthralling Boss Battles in Horizon 3

In light of the overwhelmingly positive feedback on Burning Shores’ Horus boss battle, Guerrilla Games might consider incorporating a few more challenging yet captivating encounters in Horizon 3. The next major Horizon title could potentially include another face-off against a Horus, considering the frequency of their remains found across the post-apocalyptic United States. Guerrilla Games could even follow the style of Power Rangers by introducing a sequence where Aloy gets to control a Horus in combat against another Horus or a similar colossal adversary. Although more Horus battles would be fun, it’s likely that future epic and thrilling boss fights will stem from incoming alien Nemesis and rogue HEPHAESTUS artificial intelligences rather than ancient artifacts.

In the closing stages of Forbidden West, it’s disclosed that HEPHAESTUS managed to break free, having obtained technology from Far Zenith, and that an AI named Nemesis, created by Far Zenith, was heading towards Earth with the intent to annihilate all life. As a result, it is expected that HEPHAESTUS and Nemesis will be the primary adversaries in Horizon 3, bringing along a collection of massive, hazardous machines designed for destruction. The machines created by Nemesis might resemble the Specters and Specter Prime due to their shared Far Zenith ancestry. However, Nemesis may arrive on Earth with a machine as large as a space station, posing an imminent threat to all life, potentially serving as the final boss encounter in the series. This confrontation could mirror the battle against Horus in Burning Shores but with an ominous, climactic sense of doom and ultimate showdown feel.

HEPHAESTUS’ Possible Hybrid Machines in Horizon 3

Instead of Nemesis’ alien devices, HEPHAESTUS might construct entirely novel machines in “Horizon Forbidden West,” combining the technology from Zero Dawn and Far Zenith. By incorporating Far Zenith’s nanotech structures and Zero Dawn’s animalistic designs, HEPHAESTUS could design colossal, monstrous machines with the primary objective of eradicating humanity. One such machine might be a dragon-like robot that Aloy will initially face on land before engaging it in the skies using a Sunwing or another tameable airborne machine. If “Horizon 3” unfolds near the coastal Quen Empire, as some fans speculate, another hybrid machine could be a gigantic kraken-like robot requiring Aloy to utilize new underwater and air combat techniques to defeat it.

In the Horizon series, all cauldrons were managed by the artificial intelligence known as HEPHAESTUS. Its role included creating machinery to sustain the surroundings as part of the Project Zero Dawn initiative.

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2025-04-24 18:22