Horizon Forbidden West’s Melee Combo System is a Diamond in the Rough

by

Horizon Forbidden West's Melee Combo System is a Diamond in the Rough

Highlights

  • Melee combat in Horizon Forbidden West is primarily designed for fighting human opponents, not large machines.
  • With the introduction of new skill trees, Aloy could learn combos and upgradeable valor surges for more powerful attacks, but melee combat can absolutely still be improved upon.
  • To enhance the melee system in future Horizon games, developers could add more diverse melee weapons and abilities.

As a seasoned Horizon adventurer with countless hours spent traversing post-apocalyptic landscapes and battling mechanical behemoths, I’ve grown to appreciate the intricate details that Guerrilla Games weaves into their masterpieces. The melee combat system in Horizon Forbidden West, while not initially apparent as a primary focus, has shown significant potential for improvement.

In the game Horizon Forbidden West, where colossal robot dinosaurs dominate, initially it might seem peculiar to defend oneself with melee weapons like spears. Although these weapons can offer some resistance against smaller machines like Burrowers, they are primarily designed for combating human adversaries. This approach towards melee has been consistent in the Horizon series, starting from Horizon Zero Dawn, and has evolved to provide a more complex fighting system in Forbidden West through an upgraded skill tree.

Horizon’s Martial Arts

In Horizon Zero Dawn, players initially engage in melee combat using a spear. This spear serves multiple purposes – it can inflict minor damage on machines or be used for stealth attacks against both humans and machines that are unaware of your presence. However, the spear is not particularly efficient at defeating large machines alone. Given their immense, razor-sharp teeth and claws, close combat with these machines can be quite perilous when armed only with a spear. As players progress through the game, they can enhance their Brave and Prowler skill trees to inflict greater damage with the spear, but there are no new spear techniques that can be learned in Zero Dawn.

In the game “Horizon Forbidden West”, the spear underwent significant alterations and enhancements, with the arrival of three distinct skill branches: Hunter, Infiltrator, and Warrior. These branches resemble combos in fighting games like Mortal Kombat, allowing Aloy to master new melee combinations for efficient enemy takedowns. One distinctive combo is the resonator blast; after physical attacks, it marks foes with an energy target that can be destroyed by firing a bow shot, triggering an energy explosion. Furthermore, this new skill tree brought about upgradeable valor surges, such as the radial blast, where Aloy could affix an overcharged module to the spear for a potent shockwave effect.

When I trigger Valor Surges in Horizon Forbidden West, a momentary invincibility shield envelops Aloy. This means I can confidently launch into melee attacks without the constant worry of being swiftly defeated.

Horizon 3’s Melee Potential

As a devoted fan, I appreciate the enhancements made to melee combat in Horizon Forbidden West, but I find myself rarely using the spear in most fights and instead opting for the bow to silently eliminate human adversaries or the blastslings to bring down machines. Although introducing combos was a step in the right direction, Guerrilla Games could take melee combat in the Horizon series to new heights in Horizon 3. A feasible way they can do this is by expanding the current melee system with additional combos and abilities, beyond what we saw in Forbidden West. One intriguing combo improvement could let Aloy perform an aerial slash/jump-off maneuver, allowing her to leap onto a sunwing after the attack or even stealthily strike an enemy from a sunwing, similar to the air assassinations seen in Assassin’s Creed.

In the potential expansion of Horizon 3’s narrative and missions, it may involve allies playing a greater role. This could lead to the discovery of fresh melee skills that allow players to collaborate with their allies for an enhanced ability to defeat large machines or clusters of enemies. This mechanism might resemble the combined attacks observed in Batman: Arkham Knight between Batman, Catwoman, and Robin. Boosting melee combination’s damage and impact area with the assistance of companions could make melee attacks more effective in typical combat situations while also fostering a stronger bond between players and both new and familiar allies beyond dialogue scenes.

New Melee Weapons in Horizon 3

In her journeys, Aloy is essentially armed with a full arsenal of long-range weapons, yet she chooses to wield her spear for close combat encounters. Although the spear serves multiple purposes like controlling machines and solving puzzles, it would be beneficial for Guerrilla Games to introduce additional melee weapons to enrich the combat experience and match the complexity of Aloy’s ranged arsenal. The game Horizon Forbidden West has already depicted various tribes and groups using swords and war hammers, so it is feasible to enable Aloy to employ these weapons in battle. These new weapons could offer distinctive advantages and disadvantages; for instance, swords might be more effective against humans, while hammers would excel against machines. Moreover, these new melee weapons can also contribute to solving fresh puzzles, such as hammers breaking down fragile walls.

Read More

2024-08-09 21:33