Horizon Forbidden West: Language and Representation

 Language

Introduction

Read this review of Horizon Forbidden West in the Financial Times (should be non-paywalled but you can read the text of article here if needed). Answer the following questions:

1) Why does Guerrilla Games have 'a serious case of bad timing'? 

Guerrilla Games have 'a serious case of bad timing' as when they released the first ever Horizon Zero Dawn it was overshadowed by Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which launched a week later and turned out to be an all-time gaming great. Now just as it delivers an excellent sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, another phenomenon arrives on its heels to suck away all the oxygen, Elden Ring. 

2) What is the narrative for the original game Horizon Zero Dawn? 

The narrative for the original game Horizon Zero Dawn is that the games take place a thousand years after rampaging machines have wiped out most of humanity. Survivors have clustered into tribal communities who view relics of technology as objects of either suspicion or religious reverence. The dramas of warring clans are narrated alongside the tale of how our world came to ruin. Guerrilla struck gold with flame-haired heroine Aloy, who balances grit and tenderness as one of the most memorable new characters of its console generation.

3) How is the central character Aloy described? 

The central character Aloy is described as the flame-haired heroine, who balances grit and tenderness as one of the most memorable new characters of its console generation.

4) What is the narrative and setting for sequel Horizon Forbidden West?

The narrative and setting for sequel Horizon Forbidden West is set in a post-apocalyptic future version of USA following extinction events caused by a robotic swarm.  

5) What does the review say about animation and graphics?

The reviews say about the animation and graphics of HFW is:

 "eye-popping flex of the PS5’s muscles, with graphics so beautiful that I have often found myself halting the adventure just to gawp at the landscape, whether dust clouds careening across the desert or forest leaves quivering in the breeze."

"Never before have I seen a game character (Aloy) communicate subtext so convincingly by tightening their jaw or subtly shifting their gaze."

6) What do we learn about the gameplay and activities in Horizon Forbidden West? 

What we learn about the gameplay and activities in HFW is that it offers robust, satisfying combat beneath its good looks. Aloy’s movement feels ultra-fluid as she deftly transitions between sliding, climbing and making use of new tools such as a grappling hook and para glider. Each fight with a robot enemy is tense and exciting, demanding that players think like a hunter by analysing opponents’ behaviours, deploying traps and elemental attacks to gain the upper hand. Minor irritations from Zero Dawn have been resolved, allowing you to make better use of stealth and melee weapons or manage resources more easily.

Close textual analysis

Watch the trailer for Horizon Forbidden West:

Answer the following questions:

1) How is the narrative, character and setting introduced in the trailer?

The narrative, character and setting that is introduced in this trailer is that it is set in a post-apocalyptic time where civilisation is underwater and wrecked and all that is left is people scattered across the land of San Francisco.  The main character we are introduced to in the game is a dominant female called Aloy who has a mission to save the people as she wants to stop the rise of these robotic animals and creatures and their path of destruction. 

2) How is the game's open world / sandbox genre shown in the trailer? 

The game's open world is shown in the trailer through Aloy exploring various amounts of different locations within the game at once. This is because we see Aloy exploring the deep depths of underwater exploring the underwater cities of what once used to be civilisation. We then see a scene where she is climbing mountains with picks axes trying to get to the top and then we see another scene of her exploring out the tropical forest where her and her alliance of people reside in protecting themselves from harm. This shows that the game has various different locations to interact with and explore giving players an unlimited space to play around in and explore. 

3) What representations can you find in the trailer? 

Representations that I can find within the trailer are reinforcing the stereotype of how women are seen in video games. This is because in HFW we see that the main lead protagonist is a female who is in charge as we can see she is the one who is fighting and defending herself against the enemies showing how she does not need a male character with her in the game to help her out. Another representation I have noticed is the lack of males shown within the trailer. This can show that the stereotype of males being the dominant and main charterers in video games is being reinforced and challenged through the representation of Aloy as we see her doing the action and fighting without no male character present with her showing that she is no weak female lady who needs a male by her side to protect her creating that 'damsel in distress' role for her but she is well and capable enough to look after her own self. In additon to this, the use of the dialogue given in this game when Aloy says "This is mine and my mission alone..." connotes that Aloy wants to go about and finish this by herself which can reinforce the idea of females in video games and can create links to other dominant female characters like Tomb Raider and how Lara Croft and Aloy share the same similarities but for two different games. 

AQA recommends watching the following gameplay trailer in their CSP booklet:

Watch the gameplay video and answer the following questions:

1) How does the game use media language to communicate ideas about narrative and genre?

The game uses media language to communicate ideas about narrative and genres such as action happening straight away when the game begins. This shows that players need to be sharp and quick when playing this game as action and violence begins as soon as the game loads up. The narrative in this video that is shown is Aloy trying to rescue her friend Erend which proves to be quite challenging and intense but she succeeds. 

2) What representations of people, places or groups can you find in the gameplay video?

Representations of people and places we see is Aloy going through a lot of abandoned derelict buildings trying to escape from the Raiders and going underwater as well. In addition to this we can see a use of different coloured people within the game such as in the beginning we see Aloy helping a black person and trying to help them get back onto their feet. This can show that this game is trying to be multicultural and focus on other ethnicity and groups of people around the world so it can appeal to players more when playing HFW.  

3) What audience pleasures are suggested by this gameplay trailer?

Audience pleasures that can be suggested from this game play trailer are:

Personal Identity - positioned as the protagonist playing as Aloy's avatar. 

Diversion/Escapism - playing a video game that helps pass time by as it is an open world game with limitless possibilities. 

Personal Relationships - development of Aloy 'is she successful in saving the world?' 

Narrative and genre

Read this excellent Den of Geek article that addresses elements of narrative and genre. You can find the article text here if the link is blocked. Answer the following questions: 

1) Read the opening to the article. How can we apply Steve Neale's genre theory to Horizon Forbidden West? 

We can apply Steve Neale's repetition of genre theory for HFW is that the game has some sort of 'formula' that it follows from Horizon Zero Dawn. 

2) How many copies did the Horizon Zero Dawn sell and why did this influence the design of the sequel?

Horizon Zero Dawn has reportedly now sold over 20 million copies, and this influenced the design of the sequel as they wanted to reach a wider audience with their game by creating a sequel to it HFW. HFW was also created for the PS5 as well to help boost sales. 

3) How does the article criticise the story in Horizon Forbidden West? 

The problem is that Forbidden West spends a bit too much time letting a small army of side characters spout what sometimes feels like an endless amount of exposition. There are fantastic side characters and side quests in this game, but Forbidden West’s reliance on extended dialog sequences starts to wear you down relatively early into this massive adventure. 

4) What do we learn about the gameplay? 

We learn about the game play of Horizon Zero Dawn and HFW is that Zero Dawn is with its compelling “hunting” combat system (which often tasked you with taking down massive robotic creatures while scavenging for invaluable supplies used to make traps, medicine, and other vital resources) is made that much better in Forbidden West thanks to the intelligent additions of an expanded “stash” system that eliminates so much of the frustration of needing to constantly gather and manage resources.

5) What is the article's overall summary of the game?

The article's overall summary of the game is that open world games such as Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima don't need to revolutionise the genre but rather find ways to make the entire concept feel fresh again by using that genre’s conventions to support ambitious artistic ideas that would crumble under their own weight if they weren’t supported by such a tested structure. Forbidden West sometimes sticks to a beaten path, but it goes further than so many other games in this genre and manages to plant a new signpost that I can only hope Guerrilla Games and other developers aspire to reach and surpass in the future. 

Representations

Race representations in Horizon Forbidden West

Read this fascinating Polygon feature on why Horizon Forbidden West isn't post-racial and answer the following questions: 

1) How does Horizon Forbidden West use narrative to create a fully diverse cast of characters?

Horizon Forbidden West uses narrative to create a fully diverse cast of characters is through the narrative as after human civilisation was fully wiped out by a plague of self-replicating machines, a terraforming AI named GAIA rebuilt life on Earth, with the genetic diversity of humanity, but without the history and societal structures that underpinned racism in the 21st century. It’s a clever narrative move to let the developers pack the game with people of all skin colours, a fact that has been routinely lauded as progressive by some critics and gamers.

2) What is orientalism? 

Orientalism is a type of racism in which “the West” — generally understood as Europe and North America — projects savagery and beauty onto “the East,” or the Orient. 

3) How does the article suggest orientalism applies to Horizon Forbidden West? 

Orientalism is embedded at the core of Forbidden West’s narrative of exploring exotic lands. Protagonist Aloy’s Orient is the “Forbidden West” itself: the present-day southwestern U.S. and California, filled as they are with foreign tribes, religions, and customs. In this morass, Aloy is both an explorer and a (white) savior. Only she understands what is at stake in the world, and she has to spend time in the petty politics of a bunch of tribes in order to convince them that the problems she’s facing are more severe than theirs.

4) Who is the player encouraged to identify with in the game and how does this influence how representations are constructed?  

Players are encouraged to identify with in the game the locations Aloy goes to such as the “Golden Pagoda”. The pagoda doesn’t actually exist in present-day Las Vegas. However, it could be named and designed after a famous restaurant in Los Angeles’ old Chinatown, which was once called the Golden Pagoda. The whole mission brings you face to face with a gratuitous smattering of imagery that you might find in an American Chinese restaurant. There is, particularly, a lot of red: a red dragon hanging from the ceiling, red lanterns, and red decorative knots. The mission concludes with a gigantic light show, and a neon dragon flying at Aloy and the three white male excavators she had previously helped. 

5) Finally, what did the writer of the article (an Asian American) feel when playing the game?

When I played Horizon Forbidden West, the game asked me to identify with Aloy and support her mission to save the planet. But to progress in the game, I ended up role-playing different kinds of cultural violence, including Orientalism, which founds and fuels a lot of the racism I experience as an Asian American. Even though Aloy’s world is supposedly post-racial, its developers still repeat Orientalist tropes in their design choices, which paint Asian cultures, and therefore people, as perpetually foreign, mysterious, and threatening.

Gender and videogames

Focusing on Aloy and the representation of women in videogames, read this Forbes feature on the topic. Answer the following questions:

1) What is the debate regarding Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West? 

The debate regarding Aloy is that Guerilla Games went out of its way to make Aloy a more “normal” heroine, not looking like “a Victoria Secret model.” And yet this has sparked a debate about whether Aloy is actually “hot” or not. 

2) What examples are provided of other female characters and representations in videogames?

Other examples that are provided for female characters and representations in videogames is Bayonetta regarding whether her unapologetic sexuality was empowering or degrading (most seemed to land on empowering). Lara Croft, star of Tomb Raider, has been the poster child for this entire issue in gaming, and again, shows that this is a complicated issue. While it’s true that Croft’s original design was sexualized in a way to appeal to young men, it’s also true that she’s a part of gaming history and a great female protagonist in her own right. 

3) What are the issues facing the videogame industry in terms of gender?  

The issues regarding the videogames industry in terms of gender is Moving into present day, what’s become clear is that there is room for all types of female characters in games. That includes anime women of Genshin Impact (ironically, a game which Aloy appears as a guest star), it includes Bayonetta, Lady Dimitrescu and Chun-Li. It includes Kassandra, Aloy and Ellie and Abby from The Last of Us. Reducing all these women in all these games to “Is she too sexy? Is she not sexy enough?” does a disservice to the entire concept of women in games. PlayStation is facing gender discrimination claims currently over how women are presented within the video games which helps support Mulvey's male gaze theory.