The machines in Horizon Zero Dawn were amazing, but Forbidden West has already expanded upon the existing catalog in a huge way. Many of the machines from Zero Dawn will be returning, but fans have already seen a total of ten new machines in the combined game footage and trailers. Guerrilla is probably keeping the best surprises hidden, which says a lot about the machines still to come. The new Forbidden West machines are diverse, however, there’s a huge focus on reptiles this time around and they look like they could be the showstoppers.
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Explaining All the Confirmed Reptilian Machines in Forbidden West
So far, fans have seen ten new machines that Aloy will encounter in the Forbidden West. Out of those ten, exactly half are modeled after reptiles. That’s not including the Snapmaw, a machine resembling an alligator that is confirmed to return. The new reptiles that have been shown are the Tideripper, Shellsnapper, Clawstrider, Sunwing, and an incredible-looking unnamed cobra.
The Tideripper is modeled after the plesiosaur, a long-necked marine dinosaur. The Tideripper looks a lot like Pokemon’s Lapras or the Loch Ness monster, both of which take similar inspiration, so that may have been the first thing to come to mind. Like the Snapmaw, the Tideripper will be able to attack Aloy underwater and was likely added specifically for that purpose. Underwater exploration is going to be a big part of Forbidden West, so there need to be some intimidating new machines underwater.
The Shellsnapper, which resembles a giant snapping turtle, was shown in the very first announcement trailer for Horizon Forbidden West. However, in that announcement trailer, the Shellsnapper looked somewhat passive and didn’t attack Aloy. Shellsnappers can lie dormant for weeks and become camouflaged by nature, but they’re also ferociously combative, which is fitting considering how dangerous snapping turtles can be. The Shellsnapper in the new gameplay trailer looks significantly more aggressive and is one of the most beautifully designed machines revealed so far. Despite being a turtle, the Shellsnapper is fast and can leap huge distances to attack.
The Clawstrider and Sunwing represent smaller machines Aloy will encounter in Forbidden West. The Clawstrider is confirmed to be one of the machines Aloy can ride and is resembles a velociraptor, a smaller but very intelligent type of dinosaur. Clawstriders are aggressive, observant, and seem like they attack in groups. The Sunwing keeps the dinosaur theme going strong, resembling the flying pterosaurs (a family of dinosaurs that includes the Pterodactyl). Sunwings are probably Forbidden West’s version of Zero Dawn’s Glinthawks.
Finally, the new Forbidden West gameplay trailer revealed an unnamed machine that looks like a massive cobra. Out of all the machines revealed so far, the cobra might be the most visually impressive so far. The smooth animation of the mechanical snake wrapping around a ruined tower is stunning, and it’s significantly different from any machine in the Horizon series so far. Cobras are known for their speed, and the attack range of this giant snake is probably insane, so this may be one of the most lethal machines in Forbidden West. In other words, bring it on.
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Horizon Forbidden West is Leaning into Its Dinosaur Reputation
With at least six reptilian machines confirmed to be appearing in Forbidden West, half of those are directly inspired by dinosaurs. Most Horizon Zero Dawn machines can point to a specific animal as their inspiration; for example, the Sawtooth resembles a tiger and the Corruptor looks a lot like a scorpion.
There are actually very few machines in Horizon Zero Dawn that were inspired by dinosaurs. Most were actually inspired by mammals, but that didn’t stop Horizon Zero Dawn from earning a reputation as an RPG where players fight robot dinosaurs. It’s half-true, with Thunderjaws being vaguely similar to a Tyrannosaurus Rex and Watchers somewhat resembling small theropod dinosaurs, but Forbidden West’s dinosaur inspiration is much clearer. It seems like Forbidden West has taken that association in stride by giving players some actual robotic dinosaurs to battle among some more current reptiles.
The location for Forbidden West also makes a lot of sense when it comes to the reptilian emphasis. Horizon Forbidden West takes place on the West Coast of the former United States, so Aloy will be spending a lot of time near the ocean or other bodies of water. A lot of reptiles typically live near bodies of water, such as alligators, snakes, and lizards, so that could be a reason why there are more of these types of machines. It’s a different environment, and different environments require different machines with unique contributions to the ecosystem.
Other Machines in Horizon Forbidden West
Even though reptiles are very well represented in Horizon Forbidden West, they aren’t the only impressive or intimidating machines Aloy will be facing. Some of the most challenging machines from Horizon Zero Dawn, including Ravagers, Stormbirds, and Thunderjaws will be making comebacks in Forbidden West, as they should, and there are plenty of new machines as well.
So far, players have seen the Bristleback, Burrower, Clamberjaw, an unnamed machine that resembles an armadillo, and the fearsome Tremortusk. With Horizon Forbidden West’s launch still a couple of months away, there’s ample time for Guerrilla to showcase even more machines, or just leave them as surprises. Curiosity has always been one of the biggest motivators in Horizon, and there’s nothing quite like encountering a new machine in the wild, so Guerrilla won’t want to spoil that for fans.
There’s definitely a lot to look forward to in Forbidden West, but so far it the reptilian machines are stealing the show. Out of all the machines, they feel more fresh and new, and they’ll bring fans’ dreams of fighting actual robot dinosaurs to life in ways Horizon Zero Dawn never did.
Horizon Forbidden West releases on February 18, 2022, for PS4 and PS5.
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