Horizon Forbidden West has been sitting in my backlog almost as long as I’ve owned my PlayStation 5. I had such a great time playing the original (Horizon Zero Dawn), that I have been waiting for the right moment to really give this game my full attention. 

Every time I told myself I would start Horizon Forbidden West some bright, new, and shiny game came along and skipped the line — mostly in the form of a review code for an upcoming release. There’s also the added hesitation since Horizon Forbidden West is a sequel. Sometimes it’s more enticing to explore a whole new world over one you’ve already visited in a previous game.

I recently finished Gary Whitta’s latest novel, Gundog. The story takes place in a dystopian future Earth where humans are either imprisoned in labor camps or on the run from the dangerous Mek — a race of brutal alien machines that have taken over Earth. The main character, Dakota Bregman, must follow a mysterious map in the hope of saving all of humanity.

Although there were no dinosaur robot machines in Gundog, a world littered with human-killing machines felt quite reminiscent of Aloy’s situation. In Gundog, the machines have taken over the world, while in Horizon the machines occupy the world — sending humanity back to tribal times. The Gundog itself is a mech which can be controlled by two humans. It was first used during humanity’s last stand versus the Mek. Both stories take place in what was once the United States.

These small familiarities ultimately inspired me to finally boot up Horizon Forbidden West and join Aloy on her next adventure. While reading through Gundog, the world was painted in my mind using the landscapes of Horizon as a backdrop. My mind had already taken me to this once familiar world.

New Horizons

It’s kind of funny how I’ve been trying to make myself play this game for a long time, but it took a novel in a semi-related world to get me back to it. This isn’t the first time I’ve been influenced by outside forces when picking which game to play next.

There was a time when I used to purchase EA Sports Madden every year. One year in college, I decided I would stop buying Madden every year. It only took watching a few minutes of pre-season football before I decided to drive to Best Buy with my roommate to purchase a copy of the latest Madden. I continued to purchase the new Madden for a couple years before I finally did take a long break.

I’ve also gone through phases where I’m burnt out on Marvel movies and the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). After recently watching all three Deadpool movies in one day, I’m in the mood to rewatch more MCU movies. I may even go back and do a marathon — as I have done many times in the past. There are also a few Marvel shows that I have yet to watch. A Marvel or Star Wars game will always get me in the mood to watch more from these franchises.

Every week after watching WWE Raw and Smackdown, I’m inspired to play more WWE 2K. This is why so many games are trying to be more than just video games. They are trying to build brands. Horizon has even partnered with LEGO for sets, and now an upcoming LEGO Horizon Adventures. Many games have become shows, Cuphead, The Last of Us, Fallout, and more are on the way.

I was brought back to the Horizon series by an unrelated story I read, but many people are finding familiar video game stories in shows, movies, and other places and playing the game after. I have played very little of a few Fallout games in the past, but watching the show made me want to create my own story in that world. Maybe I’ll move to Fallout 4 next, it’s been sitting on my PS5 ever since I watched the series on Amazon.

As a kid, watching certain things can make your imagination run wild. You start to “play” in that world. When you get older, games are a way to expand your imagination and jump into those same magical worlds — even real-world adventures.