Summary
Sony’s stable of first-party single-player exclusives is impressive at this point. Counting among its prestigious ranks is Guerrilla Games’Horizonfranchise. Though a relatively new IP starting in 2017, the first entry,Horizon Zero Dawn,quickly found itself in the conversation with PlayStation’s other heavy hitters, likeGod of War, Uncharted,andThe Last of Us. 2019’sHorizon Forbidden Westcemented its place in the PlayStation pantheon, and with that success, moreHorizonis on the horizon.
God of Warwas one of Sony’s earliest iconic series, and its evolution since has set the blueprint in many ways for its contemporaries, likeHorizon.Developer Santa Monica Studio took a big leap into the next-gen with both modernGoWgames, delivering must-play titles for fans. With arumoredGod of War Ragnarokhalf-sequelin the works, Guerrilla Games has an opportunity to similarly follow suit by providing aHorizonhalf-sequel to bridge the gap before the full-length followup toForbidden West.
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Why Horizon Forbidden West Should Get a Half-Sequel Like God of War Ragnarok’s Rumored One
The Rise of the AAA Half-Sequel
The idea of a half-sequel is a newer one in the AAA space, but has been a growing trend in recent years. While it may seem like these are just glorified DLC, there is a distinct difference that is being better delineated as more studios commit to them.Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Moralesis often pointed to as one of the earliest examples of a well-done half-sequel. It was the first draft of what would come to define the experience and what players could expect from one. As other studios took note of the elements that make for a good half-sequel, how best to incorporate their structure and components has been further iterated on.
Producing a half-sequel in between mainline entries grants a number of advantages to developers as well as fans. A quality half-sequel should be able to do any or all of these:
How Horizon Forbidden West Can Incorporate a Half-Sequel
Horizon Forbidden West’sendingleft the story on a massive cliffhanger, with the narrative stakes as high as possible. Before delving into the conclusion of the overarching plot, Guerrilla could use a half-sequel to buy time and build up further tension. AHorizonhalf-sequel has a variety of paths it could go down to achieve this. One possibility is to center it on a character other than main protagonist Aloy. It could instead focus on one of her close companions, serving as a connecting thread for a separate adventure that eventually ties intoHorizon 3’s bigger concerns.
AHorizonmultiplayer gameis in development, and although it’s not yet clear when it will be released, many signs point to it being beforeHorizon 3,which could influence what a hypothetical half-sequel would entail.
A possibleHorizonhalf-sequel would surely be welcomed by fans, and going in that direction would also be in keeping with what other studios in the same space have been increasingly gravitating toward. However, in light of how much ground Guerrilla already has in front of it to cover forHorizon, it needs to be mindful of not overextending itself and risk reducing the quality of its output. Nevertheless, if Guerrilla is able to balance its resources and provide fans with aHorizonhalf-sequel that is up to standards, it would go a long way toward sustaining the series' popularity and relevance in the AAA gaming world.
