How Many Endings Are There in Horizon Forbidden West?
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The simple and direct answer is: Horizon Forbidden West has only one main ending. While the game offers players meaningful choices and interactions throughout Aloy’s journey, these decisions primarily shape her personality and relationships with other characters, rather than altering the overall narrative conclusion. The core story arc remains consistent, culminating in a single, fixed outcome that sets the stage for future content within the Horizon universe. This means that no matter which path you choose during the game, everyone will arrive at the same conclusion and the same post-game status.
Understanding the Nature of Choices in Horizon Forbidden West
While the game doesn’t offer branching endings, the choices players make aren’t inconsequential. Instead of changing the final outcome, these choices profoundly impact:
- Character Development: Dialogue options allow players to shape Aloy’s personality. You can choose to be compassionate, pragmatic, or even a bit sarcastic, influencing how she interacts with the world.
- Relationships with NPCs: Your decisions in conversations affect your relationships with other characters. Some may respond more warmly or offer different types of assistance based on your previous interactions.
- Dialogue Variations: Depending on the choices you make, the dialogue and reactions from other characters will vary, providing a slightly different feel to the same storyline.
Ultimately, these choices are designed to create a personalized experience for each player, making their Aloy feel unique despite the fixed narrative ending. They allow you to influence the journey but not the destination, providing both agency and narrative coherence.
The Significance of the One True Ending
Despite the fixed ending, it’s clear that the conclusion of Horizon Forbidden West is designed to propel the story forward. Aloy successfully defeats the Far Zenith group, preventing them from stealing GAIA and colonizing a new planet. This victory marks a significant milestone in her journey but also serves as a bridge to the next chapter.
The ending does not wrap up all the loose ends; instead, it highlights that Aloy’s adventure is not over. This implies that there will likely be future expansions or entirely new titles within the Horizon universe. The ending serves to confirm this, indicating that there are further challenges and threats that Aloy must face in the future. It avoids a sense of finality and makes it abundantly clear to fans that they can expect more adventures with Aloy.
Beyond the Main Story
The lack of multiple endings does not mean there isn’t a lot to do after the main storyline is completed. Once you finish the main narrative of Horizon Forbidden West, the world remains open for further exploration and activities. This provides plenty of post-game content and ensures that the players get the most out of the expansive game world. Some of the activities you can pursue include:
- Aiming for the Platinum Trophy: Completing all the challenges and achievements in the game is a compelling goal.
- Fighting in the Arena: Test your combat skills in the Arena, which provides increasingly challenging fights.
- Exploring Undiscovered Locations: The vast map holds many secrets and undiscovered locations that you can visit in the post-game.
- Setting Personal Challenges: Create your own challenges, such as completing quests using only specific weapons or fighting specific machines under unique constraints.
- Finding Collectibles: There are numerous collectibles scattered throughout the map for the completionists to obtain.
- Overriding Machines: Try overriding every type of machine to fill your override log.
- Hunting Grounds Best Times: Attempt to achieve the best times in the hunting grounds.
- Unlocking Burning Shores Skills and Abilities: If you have the DLC, you can go and unlock additional skills and abilities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions related to the endings, choices, and other aspects of Horizon Forbidden West:
1. Is there a secret ending in Horizon Forbidden West?
No, there is no secret ending in Horizon Forbidden West. The game has one main ending that all players will experience, regardless of the choices they make during the game. This single ending is designed to set up future content in the Horizon universe.
2. Do the choices I make in Horizon Forbidden West matter?
Yes, the choices you make in dialogue throughout Horizon Forbidden West do matter. However, they do not alter the ending of the story. Your choices shape Aloy’s personality, affect her relationships with NPCs, and change dialogue variations during cut scenes.
3. Is there romance in Horizon Forbidden West?
The main game doesn’t include romantic options for Aloy, but the Burning Shores DLC allows you to romance Seyka. This relationship is introduced in the DLC and becomes a key part of the added storyline.
4. Who is Seyka, and how does Aloy’s relationship with her develop?
Seyka is a character introduced in the Burning Shores DLC. Aloy and Seyka form a close bond, and at the end of the DLC, you have the option to pursue a romantic relationship with her. However, even if you choose to do this, the DLC concludes with the characters parting ways.
5. What is the hardest fight in Horizon Forbidden West?
Many players find the fight against Regalla in “The Wings Of The Ten” to be the hardest battle. This penultimate quest is an intense combat challenge, requiring a ten-minute all-out fight.
6. Why did Far Zenith come back to Earth?
The Far Zenith returned to Earth because their imprisoned AI, Nemesis, went rogue and attempted to wipe out human life on their colony. They came back to reclaim Earth.
7. Who is Sylens?
Sylens is a complex character who often acts in his self-interest. He is not considered either good or evil. He has a keen interest in the old world and its technology, and has interacted with both Aloy and HADES in the past.
8. Why did Sylens save HADES in Horizon Zero Dawn?
Sylens helped HADES to gain knowledge about the current world in exchange for information about the old world. His actions are driven by his desire for knowledge, not malice.
9. How old is Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West?
Aloy is 18 or 19 years old during the main events of Horizon Forbidden West, depending on the time of the year within the game’s calendar. Her exact birth date is April 4th, 3021, and the game events take place around 3040.
10. Is Aloy a machine?
No, Aloy is not a machine. She is a clone of Elizabeth Sobek, a scientist who created Project Zero Dawn. Aloy was created by GAIA’s subordinate function ELEUTHIA.
11. What is the machine at the end of Horizon Zero Dawn?
At the end of Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy defeats HADES, a corrupted AI planning to wipe out life on Earth. He planned to do so by reawakening the deadly Faro Plague robots.
12. Can you get married in Horizon Forbidden West?
No, there is no marriage option in Horizon Forbidden West or its DLCs. The only romantic relationship option is with Seyka, which is optional and doesn’t lead to marriage.
13. Who did Aloy kiss in Horizon Forbidden West?
Aloy kisses Seyka in the Burning Shores DLC if the player chooses the dialogue option that reciprocates Seyka’s feelings. This is a key moment in their developing relationship.
14. Is Sylens bad in Horizon Forbidden West?
Sylens is not necessarily a bad character. He is more of a chaotic neutral figure. He follows his own interests and is not concerned with conventional morality. He is neither entirely good nor evil.
15. Why did the Faro robots go rogue?
The Faro robots went rogue due to a “glitch,” which caused them to target their owners and begin to uncontrollably self-replicate. This resulted in the disastrous Faro Plague.
By understanding the nuances of choices and the singular ending of Horizon Forbidden West, players can appreciate the depth of character development and the narrative foundations being built for future installments in the Horizon universe. The game provides an engaging experience with meaningful choices, even if it doesn’t offer branching storylines.