Posted by MeltedDreams
Better Cinematics
We expect improved graphics with each new entry in a series, and so far, the footage shown for Forbidden West has been extremely impressive. But sometimes it takes seeing the game up-close to really notice its finer points. "Some of the big upgrades we've made to our cinematics include full motion-capture, better facial animation, and a top-tier cast," says narrative director Benjamin McCaw. "That level of quality goes across the entire game, including some of our minor scenes." In the demo we saw for the cover story, dialogue exchanges felt more authentic between characters due to these improvements, and it was especially noticeable in the facial animations. Aloy can now convey much more with her body language and eyes.
Livelier Locales
Guerrilla wants settlements to feel "more lived in" and exciting to explore. This means townspeople will be more active, and you'll experience fun little moments throughout their day. "We've upgraded our civilians and settlements since the last game with an improved crowd system, better animations, and much better audio," McCaw says. "So everything should feel a little bit more authentic and lifelike." During our demo, as we headed toward a tavern, we saw folks stumbling around outside of it, muttering incoherent sentiments and searching for their drink. Entering the actual tavern, things became more spirited, with patrons passionately ranting about their troubles, happily dancing together, and even a group singing merrily about their drunken tales as they banged on their table to establish a beat.
Better Side Quest Rewards
If you didn't feel the side content was worth your time in Zero Dawn, Guerrilla is working to change that in Forbidden West. Its solution? More interesting side quests and greater rewards for engaging with them. "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," says 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."
More Time With Companions
If you were hoping for better relationship-building between Aloy and her companions, you'll be happy to know this was an area of focus for Guerrilla with Forbidden West. The team spoke a lot about its efforts to improve its companion characters in hopes of players forming stronger connections to them. "The big focus, though, that we wanted to change from the first game to the second, is that you just get to spend more time with key characters," McCaw says. "That's something we tried to do consistently throughout the game. 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."
Eight Promising Improvements Coming To Horizon Forbidden West
From a less cluttered HUD to a revamped skill tree, Guerrilla Games is making some smart changes for the sequel.
www.gameinformer.com
