Although the isekai aspects of Forspoken are largely unique, other parts of the game actually feel fairly familiar. That’s because the game seems to have a lot in common with Horizon Zero Dawn. Guerrilla Games’ acclaimed RPG may occupy an entirely different setting and genre from Forspoken, but the talented young women that lead their stories share a lot of notable experiences. By the end of Forspoken, Frey will probably have led a very different life from Aloy overall, but it’s still interesting to see how Guerrilla Games and Luminous Productions have executed different takes on similar narratives.
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Comparing Forspoken and Horizon Zero Dawn
Both Forspoken and Horizon Zero Dawn star young women with extraordinary talents who are outcasts in a strange place. Aloy was once banished from the Nora tribe, and even as she cooperates with them, she explores places that she had never before imagined. Frey is also something of an outcast on the streets of New York City, and still struggles to find her place once she’s in Athia. Regardless of their outsider nature, they’re also both incredibly talented, with Frey easily wielding potent magic, while Aloy possesses a natural skill for hunting and studying machines. Frey seems poised to grapple with her power and her place in society, much like Aloy does throughout Horizon Zero Dawn.
Beyond their personal lives, Frey and Aloy find themselves in many similar situations. Both Frey and Aloy battle corrupted creatures, with Frey facing magically twisted beings while Aloy hunts mechanically maddened machines. Each character also takes advice from a disembodied voice. The mysterious amoral researcher Sylens may make physical appearances, but he still spends most of the game speaking to Aloy through her focus, while Frey’s companion Cuff appears to be a speaking accessory. Some dialogue in Forspoken also apparently suggests that Cuff knows something about Frey’s mother, meaning she may end up searching for a maternal figure just like how Aloy searches for Elisabet Sobeck.
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Forspoken’s Story Will Still Stand Out
Forspoken and Horizon Zero Dawn clearly have a lot of ideas in common, but that’s not a bad thing. If anything, it’s fascinating to see how two similar stories have evolved in entirely different story genres with highly disparate gameplay. Forspoken’s story is bound to end in very different places from Horizon Zero Dawn, even if it starts somewhere familiar. Forspoken also won’t play anything like Horizon Zero Dawn thanks to its magic, meaning it’ll still be totally distinct from Guerrilla Games’ title. In the end, odds are good that these games will be cousins, rather than twins.
Luminous Productions could still reveal a lot of new story details between now and Forspoken’s October release date, either making it more or less similar to Horizon Zero Dawn. Either way, it’ll be good to learn more about where Frey’s journey takes her and what kind of impact she might have on the land of Athia. Aloy becomes an icon for saving Horizon Zero Dawn’s many peoples from certain destruction, but Frey could end up leading an entirely different life from her PlayStation peer. It all depends on what the Forspoken franchise’s future holds.
Forspoken releases October 11, 2022 for PC and PS5.
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