Respondent：Andrew

 

 

 

1. What made you to start playing the Horizon franchise?

　

I remember watching the Horizon Zero Dawn reveal trailer that was shown at E3 2015 and instantly being very intrigued and excited for the game. During my college years I mostly played sports games. But around the time of that E3 I had recently gotten back into single player games like Tomb Raider (2013) and started to be interested in new games. HZD was the game that really caught my attention. The mysterious world and the cool, tribal female protagonist made me interested. I knew I wanted to play this game when they showed Aloy hunting Grazers by shooting parts off their backs and then fighting the huge Thunderjaw with her bow and arrow and ropecaster. The combat looked so cool and I was very excited to play it since I saw that trailer.

 

 

2. How many hours did you play HZD/HFW?

 

HZD - 454

HFW – 460

 

 

 

3. Which one did you play first, HZD or HFW?

 

In February 2017 when HZD launched I had an Xbox One and didn't have a PS4. I was still very interested in HZD and was happy when it received great reviews. Eventually in September 2017 I bought a PS4 Pro and 4K TV and HZD was the first game I bought for PS4. I played HFW at midnight on launch night in February 2022

 

 

4. Did you completed HZD/HFW on Ultra Hard difficulty?

 

Yes on both. I usually only play games on Normal difficulty but I liked the challenge of playing Horizon on Ultra Hard

 

 

5. Did you get the platinum trophy in HZD/HFW?

 

Yes on both. HZD was my 2nd platinum trophy and I didn't get it until 2019. I got the HFW platinum in less than one month.

　

 

6. Which trophy was the hardest to get?

 

For HZD the hardest trophy was probably "Blazing Suns at all Grounds" and hardest trial was probably the "Sleight of Crate Trial" where you had to loot Shell-Walker crates while Stalkers and other machines attacked you. I remember being stressed and panicking during that trial.

For HFW the hardest trophy was probably "Defeated the Enduring". The Enduring was a very tough opponent and you really had to master the melee combat and use the environment to defeat her.

　

 

7. In which audio language do you play, your native language or English?　

 

My native language is English so I play in English. I would be interested in playing in Japanese but it's not included in my version of the game.

　

 

8. What made you to like Horizon franchise?　

 

Everything. The beautiful open world, interesting sci-fi story, and exciting ranged combat against the machines are things I absolutely love and that is the reason it's my favorite franchise of all time.

 

　

9. Which character/s do you like?

 

I like Aloy because she is a very strong and determined character who always tries to do the right thing and helps everyone she can. I also like her witty and sarcastic side. I also like how much of a badass she is and how cool she is when she fights.

I like Varl because he is brave and a great friend. He always does his best to help his friend Aloy even though he might not understand what is happening because he was raised as a Nora.

I think Sylens is a very interesting character because he is neither all good or all bad. He is very selfish in his pursuit of knowledge but not necessarily evil.

 

 

　

10. Which character/s do you dislike?

 

I dislike Resh and all the Nora who treated Aloy badly because she was an outcast. They also did a good job in making Ceo an easy character to hate.  I'm also not a big fan of Erend. I don't dislike him but he's not one of my favorites.

 

　

11. Which is your favourite episode in HZD?　

 

My favorite Main Quests in HZD are probably "Deep Secrets of the Earth" and "The Face of Extinction".

 

I love "Deep Secrets of the Earth" because we finally got to learn what Project Zero Dawn really was. The lore about the candidates arriving at the Zero Dawn facility and the choice they had to make was intriguing and terrifying. The cutscenes with "The Bad News" detailing The Faro Plague and "The Good News" detailing Zero Dawn were amazing. Learning about the origin of the machines and how the new world was made was mind blowing.

 

I love the final mission "The Face of Extinction" because it really feels like an epic final battle to save the world. First, we get a satisfying final battle with Helis and get to decide Aloy's last words to him before he dies. Then we blast waves of machines with an Oseram cannon and take out a Deathbringer at the Spire. I love when Aloy purges Hades by saying "Elisabet Sobeck, Alpha Prime" and the celebration that follows. But my favorite scene is when Aloy is riding a Strider to try to find Elisabet's home while an audio log of Elisbet talking to Gaia plays. This whole scene was so beautiful especially when Elisbet describes what she would have wanted in a daughter. Aloy finding her miniature globe and cherishing it was a perfect ending.

 

　

12. Which is you least favourite episode in HZD?

 

My least favorite Main Quest in HZD is probably "The Field of the Fallen". This is where the story kind of breaks off in two paths and investigating for Erend wasn't as interesting as finding out what happened to the Old World.

 

　

13. Which is your favourite Side Quests or Errands in HZD?　

 

My favorite Side Quests in HZD are probably "Sun and Shadow" and "Queen's Gambit".

 

I really liked "Sun and Shadow" because it was a human story about a girl who fell in love with her childhood friend and now they were separated by war. It was interesting because it was grounded in reality and the emotions were believable. I also like how Aloy encouraged Elida's father to check on her to make she was ok and not to do anything drastic.

 

I like "Queen's Gambit" because the whole plot of helping a child king escape the Shadow Carja was very interesting. Itamen was only a child but he was swept away by the Shadow Carja because of his blood and he didn't really have a choice. I like Vanasha as a character and there was some tough fights against big machines. The ending cutscene with them traveling across the lake in the boat was also excellent.

 

　

14. Which is your favourite episode in HFW?　

 

My favorite Main Quests in HFW are probably "Reach for the Stars" and "Faro's Tomb".

 

I liked the first quest "Reach for the Stars" because it was so amazing to be back in this world. Learning and feeling how the game felt to be played on PS5 and with the DualSense controller was so cool. I was happy to be back with one of my favorite characters Varl and learning more about Far Zenith was very interesting after reading about them in the data points in HZD. Climbing the tower and taking down the space shuttle on top of those Slitherfangs was an epic moment that I enjoyed. Then we got to fight the Slitherfang which was cool because it was huge and dangerous.

 

I liked "Faro's Tomb" because the atmosphere and lore was so creepy. The audio logs of the teenage girl made you understand what it was like to be trapped in the same bunker as Ted Faro. The Egyptian architecture and giant Ted Faro statue provided an amazing atmosphere for this mission. They did a great job making Ceo an easy character to hate when he made Aloy wear Elisbet's style of clothes and threatened to kill Alva. Aloy and Alva were almost being held hostage by Ceo and the Quen and you could feel the tension. Finally we learned about Ted Faro's got the fate he deserved and got to watch Ted's giant head crush Ceo during a thrilling escape sequence.　

 

 

15. Which is your least favourite episode in HFW?　

 

My least favorite Main Quest in HFW is "Gemini". It's not because it's a bad quest but only because of what happens to Varl at the end of it. I'm currently stuck on this quest on my current playthrough because I don't want to go through it again.

 

　

16. Which is your favourite Side Quests or Errands in HFW?　

 

My favorite Side Quests in HFW are probably "In the Fog" and "The Second Verse".

 

I like "In the Fog" because it tells a very real human story about a condition and how it affects people in this tribal world. This quest hit very close to home because my mom is struggling with dementia. I think it's important to tell these stories and I appreciate Guerrilla made it with so much care.

 

I like "The Second Verse" because it was cool to reboot the Land-Gods and learn about the different festivals and what they mean for the Utaru. The scene when Zo reboots all the Land-Gods and the Land-Gods and Utaru people start singing was beautiful.

 

I also really liked the addition of the Relic Ruin puzzles Gauntlet Runs.

　

 

17. Tell us your favourite line from HZD.

 

My favorite line from HZD is from Elisabet and Gaia's conversation during the final cutscene.  Gaia: "You often tell stories of your mother. But you are childless."

Elisabet: "I never had time. I guess it was for the best."

Gaia: "If you had had a child, Elisabet, what would you have wished for him or her?"

Elisabet: "I guess...I would have wanted her to be...curious, and willful...unstoppable, even...but with enough compassion to...heal the world...just a little bit"

 

The writing of this scene and performance by Ashly Burch is beautiful and so well done.

 

Another favorite exchange is between Aloy and Avad.

Aloy: "Quite a place you got here. You can almost see the little people below the mesa".

Avad: "You don't approve? Well, I have a secret for you. Neither do I. But we must be patient. Change won't come in single sunrise".

Aloy: "But will it happen at all, while men live in palaces?"

 

I really like this exchange because it shows how sharp and witty Aloy is. She believes all people are created equal and doesn't believe in traditions.

 

 

　

 

18. Tell us your least favourite line from HZD.

 

"Motherless chuff" -Resh

　

 

19. Tell us your favourite line from HFW.

 

One of my favorite lines is when Tilda reveals her real plan during the final mission.

 

Tilda “I loved Elisabet, more than you could ever know. And I let her stay behind to die with the rest of humanity- a mistake I have regretted for a thousand years. Now, she stands before me again. Not some inferior copy…but her best possible self. So I’m not asking-you’re coming with me. It may seem harsh now, but you’ll forgive me in a few centuries.”

 

This showed how delusional Tilda was in thinking that Aloy would ever go along with her plan and how cruel she was in treating Beta and planning to force Aloy to go with her. I especially like the line “you’ll forgive me in a few centuries” because she reveals that she planned to make Aloy immortal.

 

I like when Varl caught up with Aloy at Barren Light and says “Forget something back in Meridian?” and Aloy starts to explain by saying “Look, Varl” and Varl interrupts by saying “It doesn’t matter. Made it just in time.” I like this because it showed that Varl didn’t take it personally and really just wanted to help his friend.

 

Finally I reall liked this exchange between Aloy and Kotallo after What Was Lost

Aloy: “Well, I think it’s safe to say the new arm works fine.”

Kotallo: “Agreed.”

Aloy: “Then why are you taking it off?”

Kotallo: “This is what I am now. What I overcame. Anything else feels…wrong. Like a disguise. I’ll use the new arm when I need it. But the rest of the time, I will simply be myself.”

Aloy: “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

This was a really nice conversation because it showed Kotallo has accepted himself and what happened to him and Aloy is supporting him.

 

　

 

20. Tell us your least favourite line from HFW.

 

I didn’t like when Varl told Aloy he would shave his beard and all Aloy said was “Good.” I liked Varl’s beard and I felt Aloy was being too serious in that moment.

　

 

21. Do you ship anyone in Horizon franchise?

 

I thought Aloy and Varl had good chemistry in HZD and I thought Varl really liked Aloy when he said he would have come to Meridian just to see her one more time. In HFW I think Varl knew Aloy had to focus on her mission and he was happy to just be her loyal friend. In the third game I would like to see Aloy end up with Talanah because I think they are a good match or with Kotallo because it would make my friend kabeuchi_sasete happy.

　

 

22. Which is your favourite tribe?　

 

My favorite tribe is the Nora because they are primitive and live off the land and everyone supports each other. I don’t agree with all of their religious practices such as making Aloy an outcast or having to stay inside the Sacred Land but I do think making people who commit crimes an outcast is a fair punishment. I also like their reputation as fierce warriors. I also like the Utaru because they are mostly peaceful farmers but they will fight to protect themselves.

　

 

23. Which is your least favourite tribe?　

 

My least favorite tribe is the Oseram. It seems like they are always talking about working with steel and drinking ale. I still want to learn more about them but they aren’t that interesting to me.

　

 

24. Which is your favourite weapon?　

 

My favorite weapon is the classic Hunter Bow because it is fast and accurate and feels so good to use. I also like Slings because I think it’s cool to use a Slingshot with different types of bombs.

　

 

25. Which is your least favourite weapon?

 

My least favorite is probably the Tripcaster because it doesn’t fit my gameplay style.

　

 

26. Which damage type do you like to use?　

 

My favorite damage type to use is freeze because it’s very effective and I love the cracking sound the machines make when you hit them with arrows when they are frozen.

　

 

27. What is your favourite outifit?　

 

I like so many of them but my favorites from HZD are the Carja Blazon Elite and the Shadow Stalwart. My favorites from HFW are the Oseram Explorer and the Carja Stalker Elite

　

 

28. Which is your favourite place?　

 

My favorite places are the Old World city ruins like Devil’s Grief and Devil’s Thirst in HZD and San Francisco in HFW because they are so interesting to explore. I also really like Plainsong because the idea of creating a settlement in satellite dishes is really cool.

　

 

29. Which is your favourite Cauldron?

 

My favorite Cauldron is IOTA because it was so cool to see the Tallneck being made and ending up emerging from the Cauldron to a beautiful sunset was one of the most memorable moments of HFW. I think all of the Cauldrons in HFW were well designed and I was excited to find out about the Zelda easter eggs they put in.

　

 

30. Which is your favourite music?　

 

I really like all of the music in Horizon but my favorites in HZD are “Years of Training” and “The Good News.”

I like “Years of Training” because it’s an epic version of Aloy’s theme and it plays during the training montage. They way the music changes when Aloy turns into an adult is amazing. I like “The Good News” because it plays when we learn all about Project Zero Dawn from Elisabet and it fits perfectly.

My favorites in HFW are “The World on Her Shoulders” and “Restless as the Weald.” “The World on Her Shoulders” is the climbing song and I really like how it builds up as you climb higher. This was also the song that played leading into the State of Play for HFW. “Restless as the Weald” is a song that plays at the end of a few Side Quests and I really like how hopeful it sounds and I think it really added to those moments.

 

　

 

31. Which is your favourite machine?　

 

It’s hard to choose but I like really like the big machines like the Thunderjaw and Tremortusk because their design is awesome and they are so fun to fight.

　

 

32. Which is your least favourite machine?　

 

My least favorite machine is the Glinthawk in HZD and the Clamberjaw in HFW because they can be little annoying to fight with their elemental attacks.

　

 

33. Which machine part do you think is the hardest to collect?　

 

The hardest part for me was the Widemaw Tusk. When I first played I really wanted to upgrade my new blue bow but I didn’t know how to collect the part. It was frustrating at first but then I eventually learned how and it became easy.

　

 

34. Which pose do you use the most in the Photo Mode?　

 

My favorite pose is Proud because I usually like to take landscape shots with Aloy’s back facing the camera and her looking into the Horizon. I think Proud is the best pose for those types of shots.

　

 

35. Which facial expression do you use the most in the Photo Mode?　

 

My favorite expressions are Bright Eyes and Amused because they make Aloy look happy and mischievous.

　

 

36. Do you have any recommended place for the Photo Mode?　

 

No, not really. I usually use Photo Mode as I play the game naturally and something beautiful or interesting catches my eye. I do think the ruins of San Francisco are amazing because of the sense of scale of the buildings and details of nature overtaking it.

　

 

37. How do you enjoy playing the Horizon game?

 

I really enjoy all aspects of Horizon but the combat is what keeps me coming back to play over and over again. It’s my favorite combat system ever and it feels amazing to play especially with the DualSense controller.

 

　

38. How do you like to play the combat?

 

My favorite way to hunt machines is to shoot off the components with a hunter bow. I like upgrading the hunter bow to make it as strong as possible and triple notch arrows. I think it’s very fun to use because it’s fast and accurate to shoot. I also like exploiting machines’ weaknesses with elemental weapons.

My favorite way to take out rebel camps is to use stealth. I like sneaking around and using silent strike to see all of Aloy’s cool takedowns.

 

 

　

39. If you could to go to the world of Horizon, what would you want to do?　

 

If I could go to the world of Horizon I would want to look at all of the beautiful scenery especially at the Old World ruins. I would also want to try overriding and riding a Strider or even a Sunwing.

 

　

40. What character would you want to be in the world of Horizon?　

 

Maybe Varl because I would want to help Aloy complete her mission while also getting to explore new parts of the world and learn about things I didn’t dream were possible.

 

　

41. If you were to choose your partner from the Horizon franchise, who would it be?　

 

Aloy

 

　

42. Which tribe would you want to be in the world of Horizon?　

 

Nora

 

　

43. What kind of occupation would you want to do in the world of Horizon?　

 

I would like to be a machine hunter. Even though it’s dangerous I think it would be fun and exciting to hunt machines for parts and to protect settlements.

 

　

44. Did you buy any Horizon merchandise? What did you buy? How do you like it?　

 

Yes I have the Horizon Zero Dawn art book, first Horizon graphic novel comic, Tallneck water bottle, Aloy shadow stalwart funko pop, Erend funko pop, and Thunderjaw funko pop. I like all of it especially the art book because it’s really good quality and I also really enjoyed reading the comic.

 

　

45. Other than what you already have, what kind of merchandise do you want?　

 

I definitely want the Horizon Forbidden West art book and probably any funko pops for HFW if they make them. I’m also interested in getting the second graphic novel comic and the steelbook cases for HZD and HFW.

 

　

46. If the totally new spin-off were to be released, who would you like to be the protagonist?

 

I’m not sure, maybe Talanah’s new Thrush Milu

 

　

47. What kind of new episode do you want to see?

 

After the third game I hope Guerrilla will take a break from Horizon and make something new. Horizon was rumored to be planned for a trilogy so I think they will finish telling Aloy’s story in the third game. I can’t imagine the Horizon world without Aloy but maybe after a long time they can go back to the world of Horizon. I want to play Call of the Mountain eventually and even though I usually don’t play multiplayer games I’m interested to see what the Horizon multiplayer game will be like.

 

　

48. What do you expect from the sequel?　

 

I’m not sure what to expect other than we will be fighting Nemesis. My dream would be for it to take place in Japan. I think it would be amazing to explore the ruins of Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka and see places like Mount Fuji and other iconic Japanese landmarks. I’m not sure that will happen, but I think it’s possible because we know the Quen came from across the Pacific Ocean. I trust Guerrilla to continue to build off the first two games and make an amazing ending to the trilogy. During the ending scene I hope we finally get to see Aloy rest and enjoy her life after fighting so hard to save the world. Maybe we will get to see her settle down with a companion and maybe even a child.

 

　

49. What are good things you experienced since you became a Horizon fan?　

 

I started posting my Horizon Virtual Photography on Twitter a couple of years ago and it’s been so great to follow and interact with other Horizon fans there. Horizon has such an amazing community of passionate fans and everyone is so nice. It’s been great to interact with Horizon fans from all over the world and especially people from Japan. There are a lot of amazing and nice Japanese Horizon fans and it’s so cool being able to communicate easily through machine translation. I love seeing everyone’s VP, fan art, cosplay, and just people talking about how much they love Horizon. I also found some amazing people on YouTube and I really enjoyed watching them experience the games for the first time.

 

　

50. Did you enjoy answering the questions? Tell us your thoughts!

In addition to that, please feel free to write anything about Horizon!

 

Yes thank you Director kabeuchi_sasete for the amazing questions. I really enjoyed answering them and you did a great job selecting the questions. I think you covered everything. Thank you for being a really great person to follow on Twitter. Your curiosity and passion for the franchise is really amazing and I always look forward to seeing your thoughts and questions. I really admire your commitment to improving your drawing skills to make a Horizon manga. Keep up the great work and keep being yourself. I look forward to talking to you on Twitter

よろしくお願いします