The Horizon franchise has been quite creative with its collectibles in the past, whether they come in the form of the metal flowers in Zero Dawn or the Black Boxes of Forbidden West. Artwork-themed collectibles would ensure the next entry in the series also has high-quality collectibles. This is an important part of any open-world game, as well-crafted collectibles can expand on a game’s lore while giving players more reasons to explore.

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In Horizon Forbidden West, players encounter a group of humans from outer space called the Far Zeniths. They have fled from the colony which has been destroyed by Nemesis, and they plan on creating a new home for themselves. Though the Far Zeniths are adversaries of Aloy and her friends who want to save Earth instead of seeking new planets, for a brief moment, Aloy befriends a Far Zenith member named Tilda van der Meer. She grows to be an important character, as players learn that she was once in a relationship with Dr. Elisabet Sobeck.

She loves art, especially artwork that comes from the Netherlands which is her country of origin. When players explore her mansion, they find plenty of art from the Old Ones, and they come from Dutch painters such as Han van Meegeren and sculptors such as Adriaen de Vries. Art is an important part of Tilda’s life, as she made her riches by creating software capable of detecting art forgeries. Unfortunately, despite the beauty Tilda is surrounded by, she fails to see the beauty of the planet, and she is unable to understand that Earth is worth saving. Consequently, Aloy and Tilda’s camaraderie does not last long when they realize that their goals will never align.

The Horizon franchise has toyed with the idea of collectibles themed around art from the Old Ones. In Horizon Zero Dawn, players can collect metal flowers that contain poetry from real-world artists. Future Horizon games can expand on this idea in ways that draw on some of the strengths of Tilda’s art gallery. The gallery is useful because it gives gamers a taste of the art produced in Tilda’s home country. Similarly, Aloy could find other pieces of artwork that bring more countries around the world into Horizon’s narrative. The franchise has done a good job thus far of integrating elements from cultures around the world, and art collectibles from different countries continue this trend.

The Horizon franchise will have a few chances to introduce new collectibles in the near future. In 2023, gamers can look forward to the Burning Shores DLC which will have Aloy visiting Los Angeles. Though it has yet to be confirmed by Guerrilla Games, there is also likely to be a Horizon Forbidden West follow-up, as the game ended on a cliffhanger. This game certainly won’t be coming in 2023, although the VR game Horizon Call of the Mountain will be. As a launch title for the PSVR2, it has a lot of eyes on it, so it must impress gamers.

Horizon Forbidden West is available on PS4 and PS5.

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