A video has been uploaded to YouTube breaking down the similarities between the Horizon Forbidden West map and its real-world counterparts. Horizon Forbidden West is a huge game that many players might not finish, and part of that is due to its vast open world.
Horizon Forbidden West, which picks up where Horizon Zero Dawn left off, puts players in the shoes of Aloy as she journeys through the regions of the American West hundreds of years after the end of modern civilization. The game places a heavy emphasis on the scale and detail of its massive map, which features long expanses of dusty deserts, dense jungles, forests, mountain ranges, and verdant fields. Horizon Forbidden West’s geography, like that of its predecessor, is based on the real world, although several liberties have been taken with regard to certain landmarks and natural details, and Horizon Forbidden’s vision of the American West West is much wilder than most people know.
Although the world of Horizon Forbidden West is full of dangerous machines, it is surprisingly similar to the real world when it comes to its design. And now, YouTube channel ElAnalistaDeBits has highlighted these similarities in a recent video that juxtaposes various landmarks from Horizon Forbidden West with their real-world equivalents. Some of these places, like McWay Cove and the Bixby Creek Bridge, bear a strong resemblance to the West Coast historic sites that inspired them. The video also draws attention to certain famous buildings, such as the California Palace of Fine Arts, that have been altered by the passage of time in the world of Horizon Forbidden West.
Watching this video can be a somewhat unsettling experience for some viewers, as it can be surprising to see how famous monuments crumble or rest underwater as a result of aggressive changes in the environment. Horizon Forbidden West’s many enemy camps, hostile machines, and rusting rubble set the game apart from the real world, but its many recognizable landmarks are sure to elicit some sort of emotional response from those familiar with them. While some of these emotions may be positive, the fact that these once vibrant and noble places are falling apart may be unsettling for others.