After Tallnecks returned in some new and interesting ways in Horizon Forbidden West, the next Horizon game should look to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for tricks it could pull with this key mechanic. First introduced in Horizon Zero Dawn as an integral feature allowing players to obtain in-game maps and get a literal lay of the land, the Tallnecks arguably stood out most for their size, striking appearance, and overall passivity compared to other machines. As a result, though their return in Horizon Forbidden West was virtually guaranteed, developer Guerrilla Games endeavored to provide new Tallneck challenges for the sequel.
However, since Forbidden West‘s ending teased an all-but-confirmed third Horizon game missing only its subtitle, the likelihood of Tallnecks making another comeback in Horizon 3 seems just as certain as the game itself. Therefore, Guerrilla Games might want to look to other games that had been in a similar position, such as Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, where a necessary mechanic such as obtaining maps needed to be reworked to keep things fresh for players. By adopting like-minded strategies and building on Horizon‘s existing mechanics, Horizon 3 could offer players a refreshed take on its third generation of Tallnecks.
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Horizon Forbidden West Upped The Ante With Its Tallnecks
Even before Forbidden West was announced, it was potentially Zero Dawn‘s Frozen Wilds DLC that first explored new ideas for revealing map regions, as players had to initially repair the Frostfigure’s Tallneck before overriding it. Since the Forbidden West sequel would repeat this feature, this DLC could have helped influence new Tallneck puzzles players had to solve, such as anchoring the Stillsands’ Tallneck or using flying mounts to reach The Shining Wasteland’s Tallneck. Players were even given insight into how Tallnecks were created via Forbidden West‘s IOTA Cauldron, which was required as part of its Salt Bite region reveal.
While Forbidden West experimented with the original Tallneck concept from Zero Dawn, such as removing anything for players to climb or making them inaccessible until new abilities were acquired, this could now be a problem for Horizon 3. After Forbidden West set a high bar for Horizon 3 with its Tallnecks, the third game must ensure it pushes the envelope on this key feature in even newer ways. But to avoid the risk of rehashing old puzzles seen in Zero Dawn or Foridden West and their respective DLCs, Horizon 3 could borrow from games like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that overcame a similar issue.
Horizon 3 Should Take Inspiration From Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Skyview Towers
Replacing the Sheikah Towers from Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduced Skyview Towers, its near-identical alternative for unlocking maps, albeit with a few new quirks. In addition to launching players into the sky, players needed to navigate Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘s new features like its Ultrahand and enemy camps before accessing various towers. With a similar approach to its next generation of Tallnecks, the prospective threequel could use its features and abilities to create new ways of finding Horizon‘s peaceful Tallnecks and overriding them to reveal in-game regions.
Horizon 3 Has The Potential To Take Tallnecks Even Further
Between Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘s approach and the likelihood that Horizon 3 will improve upon existing or introduce all-new mechanics, several features from Zero Dawn and Forbidden West could be ideal springboards for future Tallneck challenges. For example, should underwater exploration return in Horizon 3, Forbidden West‘s Tallneck at Landfall could help inspire another underwater puzzle or the mystery behind Salt Bite’s Tallneck could be reworked for another Tallneck’s absence on the in-game map. With these and other ideas listed below exploring Horizon‘s existing setting and features, Horizon 3 has the potential for a much-needed refresh with its Tallnecks.
- A sunken Tallneck located deep underwater.
- A decapitated Tallneck with its missing head hidden elsewhere in-game.
- A Rebel Camp or Outpost built around a Tallneck’s path.
- A one-off aggressive Tallneck that players must fight before overriding.
Action-Adventure
Open-World
- Released
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March 21, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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PlayStation PC LLC