Guerrilla Games has elaborated on Horizon Forbidden West's new climbing system and entirely redesigned skill tree.
During an interview with Game Informer, game director Mathijs de Jonge and narrative director Benjamin McCaw explained some of the new systems showcased in the recently released gameplay trailer. One of the biggest additions to Horizon Forbidden West is the inclusion of a "free-climbing" system that allows Aloy to traverse any obstacle in her path. From the provided description, it sounds reminiscent of the climbing mechanic used in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild.
"Compared to the previous game, you are now completely free to climb anywhere," said de Jonge. "On any rocks, mountains or cliffs. We've really opened up the world and made it more inviting to explore." Speaking in a separate interview with IGN, de Jonge did clarify that climbing will be more limited within settlements but in the open world "you can climb anywhere."
de Jonge also explained Horizon Forbidden West's approach to the skill tree, joking that the system used in Horizon Zero Dawn has not been tweaked but "completely thrown out the window." According to de Jonge, the upcoming PlayStation exclusive will include "a whole new skill tree. Also visually, everything is new. We spent a lot of time making that more... giving more options to players... more cool options to play with. Which playstyles and how exactly it works, I think that's something we go into later when we can actually show it to you..."
Fans of the franchise who have been unable to acquire a PlayStation 5 will be pleased to know that a large chunk of the game's development was conducted on the PlayStation 4. "A lot of the development has taken place on the PlayStation 4 and a lot of playtesting is also done on PlayStation 4. So we are ensuring that the owners of that console have a great experience and that the game will look fantastic on that console."
Given the controversy that arose around the poor quality of Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the move to ensure the game performs well on older hardware is likely a tactical decision on behalf of Guerrilla Games.
Horizon Forbidden West currently doesn't a solid release date but based on the interview, the game is on track to release in 2021. Whether that goal is met remains to be seen.
Source: Game Informer
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