Horizon Forbidden West will feature better side quests than the original
Straying from the main quest will also offer better rewards than before
Horizon Forbidden West will offer better side quest rewards than in the original game.
The new details come from a special Game Informer preview, which offered up a slew of new details on the world of Horizon Forbidden West. One point that immediately jumped out was the promise of better side quest rewards as well as generally more interesting side content throughout the sequel.
"There’s a lot more variety in that sense - a more sense of accomplishment that you actually get something cool in return for doing these quests," Forbidden West game director Mathijs de Jonge. "That was another part where we felt like we had some room for improvement. So you get a cool weapon or you get a cool outfit, something that’s really useful for your next quest or activity."
The pledge of a better sense of accomplishment and greater rewards from completing side quests in Horizon Forbidden West is surely good news to those eagerly anticipating Guerrilla's sequel. It's also a nice sign that you'll get something from side quests that immediately benefits Aloy, but de Jonge also says your protagonist won't be on her own as much in this game; "the big focus that we wanted to change from the first game to the second, is that you just get to spend more time with key characters. Not just for characters that you meet along the main quest, but also certain side quest characters; they don't just go away after one quest."
It's been a long road to Horizon Forbidden West, as we approach five years since the original game launched in 2017. The end is finally in sight for fans of Horizon though, as Forbidden West is scheduled to launch next month on February 18, bringing Aloy to the brand new Forbidden lands of the west for a new adventure. There's even a brand new PSVR 2-exclusive game set in the world of Horizon in the works, but it's not actually starring Aloy.
Head over to our upcoming PS5 games guide for a full look at the rest of the year for Sony's new-gen console.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.