Summary
One year ago, Guerilla Games releasedBurning Shores, the expansion forHorizon Forbidden West. With 2024 likely to be a quiet year for the franchise compared to previous years, it makesBurning Shoreseven more of a must-play forHorizon Forbidden Westfans so that they can fill the hole left by the franchise spending some time on the shelf.
Horizon Forbidden West’sBurning Shorestakes Aloy to Los Angeles, now known in theHorizonfranchise as the Burning Shores. In the Burning Shores, she discovers many new things that help set the stage forHorizon 3and meets new characters that become integral to her story. As such, it’s worth appreciating on its one-year anniversary, with the DLC undoubtedly being worthy of a playthrough for those who haven’t experienced it before.
Perfect for PC Players of Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden Westwas recently released on PC and with it came the expansionBurning Shores.Burning Shoresis certainly a perfect addition for PC players, as the expansion ties right into the main story ofHorizon Forbidden West, and as such, new players can jump right into it once they finish the main story. Its plot consists of Aloy discovering that there is one member ofthe Far Zenith known as Walter Londrathat is still alive, with her going on a hunt to track him down. In doing so, she eventually discovers he might have a way of defeating Nemesis, the AI that is on a path to Earth and is intent on destroying all life.
Not only does the expansion seamlessly tie into the main story, but it also features a brand-new area called the Burning Shores (also known as Los Angeles). It features new weapons, enemies, side quests, and characters, such asHorizon Forbidden West’s Seyka, who becomes quite an important figure in Aloy’s life.
Burning Shores is Integral to Aloy’s Personal Story
Any fan of Aloy would be wise to play the expansion, as the aforementioned Seyka is likely to have a major role in the story going forward. Seyka is part ofthe Quen tribeand joins Aloy for the story ofBurning Shores. Seyka is essentially the catalyst of an important character development for Aloy, which is learning to embrace her feelings for someone.
Aloy has always struggled to allow people into her life, never seeing the point in letting people help her, forming friendships, or falling in love. InHorizon Forbidden West, Aloy starts to learn to embrace the help and friendships of others, albeit reluctantly. With Seyka, Aloy finally allows herself to embrace her romantic feelings for someone - although the game does provide the option for Aloy to deny her feelings for Seyka if players don’t wish to go down that route.
Burning Shores Sets the Stage for Horizon 3 in Several Ways
Horizon Forbidden West’sBurning Shorescertainly sets the stage forHorizon 3in more ways than one, with the primary one being the way in which the expansion prepares Aloy and her team to possibly defeat Nemesis. The ending sees Aloy and Sylens discussing the weapons found on Walter Londra’s list of potential ways to defeat Nemesis, setting up some off-screen gathering for Aloy or a potential goal forHorizon 3’s story.
There is another thing that may potentially be an important element inHorizon 3, and that’s the player’s choice that determinesAloy and Seyka’s relationship. Hopefully, Guerrilla Games will be able to address this significant decision inHorizon 3in a way that honors the respective choices players can make, but beyond that, introducing romance inBurning Shoresimplies it will be a possibility in the next game, perhaps with options other than Seyka. AlthoughHorizon 3is still a long way off, the stepping stones provided byBurning Shorescertainly makes the expansion a must-play for anyHorizonfan, with its importance remaining clear an entire year after its initial release.
