Highlights
- On its one-year anniversary, the Burning Shores expansion for Horizon Forbidden West remains a must-play for fans, building off the main story seamlessly.
- The DLC introduces new characters like Seyka, setting the stage for Horizon 3 via Aloy’s character development and the start of a romantic storyline.
- With the expansion also teasing a new way for the heroes to prepare for the fight with Nemesis, on top of having fun gameplay that expands on everything the base game did well, Burning Shores is absolutely worth playing.
One year ago, Guerilla Games released Burning Shores, the expansion for Horizon Forbidden West. With 2024 likely to be a quiet year for the franchise compared to previous years, it makes Burning Shores even more of a must-play for Horizon Forbidden West fans so that they can fill the hole left by the franchise spending some time on the shelf.
Horizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores takes Aloy to Los Angeles, now known in the Horizon franchise as the Burning Shores. In the Burning Shores, she discovers many new things that help set the stage for Horizon 3 and meets new characters that become integral to her story. As such, it’s worth appreciating on its one-year anniversary, with the DLC undoubtedly being worthy of a playthrough for those who haven’t experienced it before.
Horizon 3’s Possible Expansion is a Given After Forbidden West
Horizon’s expansions provide engaging content, and they have one thing in common that could help predict a key part of a possible Horizon 3 expansion.
Why Horizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores is Still a Must-Play
Perfect for PC Players of Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West was recently released on PC and with it came the expansion Burning Shores. Burning Shores is certainly a perfect addition for PC players, as the expansion ties right into the main story of Horizon Forbidden West, and as such, new players can jump right into it once they finish the main story. Its plot consists of Aloy discovering that there is one member of the Far Zenith known as Walter Londra that is still alive, with her going on a hunt to track him down. In doing so, she eventually discovers he might have a way of defeating Nemesis, the AI that is on a path to Earth and is intent on destroying all life.
Not only does the expansion seamlessly tie into the main story, but it also features a brand-new area called the Burning Shores (also known as Los Angeles). It features new weapons, enemies, side quests, and characters, such as Horizon Forbidden West‘s Seyka, who becomes quite an important figure in Aloy’s life.
Burning Shores is Integral to Aloy’s Personal Story
Any fan of Aloy would be wise to play the expansion, as the aforementioned Seyka is likely to have a major role in the story going forward. Seyka is part of the Quen tribe and joins Aloy for the story of Burning Shores. Seyka is essentially the catalyst of an important character development for Aloy, which is learning to embrace her feelings for someone.
Aloy has always struggled to allow people into her life, never seeing the point in letting people help her, forming friendships, or falling in love. In Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy starts to learn to embrace the help and friendships of others, albeit reluctantly. With Seyka, Aloy finally allows herself to embrace her romantic feelings for someone – although the game does provide the option for Aloy to deny her feelings for Seyka if players don’t wish to go down that route.
Burning Shores Sets the Stage for Horizon 3 in Several Ways
Horizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores certainly sets the stage for Horizon 3 in more ways than one, with the primary one being the way in which the expansion prepares Aloy and her team to possibly defeat Nemesis. The ending sees Aloy and Sylens discussing the weapons found on Walter Londra’s list of potential ways to defeat Nemesis, setting up some off-screen gathering for Aloy or a potential goal for Horizon 3‘s story.
There is another thing that may potentially be an important element in Horizon 3, and that’s the player’s choice that determines Aloy and Seyka’s relationship. Hopefully, Guerrilla Games will be able to address this significant decision in Horizon 3 in a way that honors the respective choices players can make, but beyond that, introducing romance in Burning Shores implies it will be a possibility in the next game, perhaps with options other than Seyka. Although Horizon 3 is still a long way off, the stepping stones provided by Burning Shores certainly makes the expansion a must-play for any Horizon fan, with its importance remaining clear an entire year after its initial release.
Horizon Forbidden West
- Released
- February 18, 2022
- Engine
- Decima
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 29 Hours
- Metascore
- 88
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
