5 things you might have missed in the new Horizon Forbidden West trailer

A new Horizon Forbidden West story trailer has dropped, and with it comes a ton of information that gamers may have missed. It’s as full of information as humanly possible, so sometimes players and fans alike may miss little details.

In an exclusive video by Eurogamer, a great deal of information was revealed about Horizon Forbidden West through the latest story trailer, courtesy of writers Ben McCaw and Annie Kitain. There’s a lot to talk about, so here are some of the biggest talking points about Horizon Forbidden West from the latest story trailer.

Gaia is still around in Horizon Forbidden West

Gaia is back, more as a guide than anything (Image via Guerilla Games)

That’s right, the hyper-powerful AI from Horizon Zero Dawn appears to be around in some form or another. It could be a backup copy of the original, or perhaps someone has restored Gaia to working order. Annie Kitain would not explain further, only confirming that Gaia is returning, and will help Aloy fight the blight.

According to the writers, Gaia is going to serve as a sort of guide, and her gown isn’t decorated with the various elements that she controlled in Horizon Zero Dawn. This could mean she no longer has control of the old ones’ technology, but one thing is clear - Gaia is back.

Who is the futuristic Tilda?

Nobody is dressed quite like Tilda (Image via Guerilla Games)

Tilda, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, was also revealed in the story trailer. She appears similar to the old ones, and she might be a survivor of the Odyssey Space Colony Project. Her attire is not only futuristic in design, it’s immaculate. There’s a bit of distortion on her, meaning she could be an AI or some other form of hologram.

The design of her gear is unique to her, which leads to speculation that she’s from further still in the future. In the first appearance of Tilda, she had a table in the background with a white tablecloth on it, as if she was expecting Aloy to show up.

According to Kitain, she’s a mysterious, complicated woman and has a connection to the ancient past. She’s wrapped in riddles and mysteries, and the writers are excited for players to meet her and learn more about her.

A new tribe appears

In Horizon Forbidden West, a new tribe lurks. Alva apparently belongs to this tribe, and they’re the strangers from beyond the shore, searching for answers, like Aloy. They’ve been mentioned before, in a previous trailer, to boot. There isn’t much known about them yet, but it’s hypothesized that they are involved in research or knowledge.

Aloy experiences character growth and newfound pressure

There are more pressures and threats than ever (Image via Guerilla Games)

Aloy appears to have matured in the trailer, but with growth comes pressure. Her tone of voice in the trailer itself makes it sound like she’s clearly matured. Kitain says that Aloy is trying to live up to Elizabeth’s example. The pressure and threats are really piling up, and it’s up to Aloy to realize that she can’t handle it all by herself.

This is important for growth for Aloy as a character. As she comes to understand, she will have to rely on her allies more if success is going to be had. The writers said they want Aloy to stay true to the original character, so she’s still strong and independent, but the pressure of the expectations upon her will bring major character growth for Aloy.

It has to be difficult to be a clone of a genius. That person would have the same potential for greatness, and squandering it would be seen as a major disappointment.

The Tenakth return

One of the major themes in Horizon Forbidden West is separating truth from misconception/fiction. In Horizon Zero Dawn, the Tenakth warrior was featured in just one encounter. This leads to the Tenakth being incredibly mysterious. Not much was known about them as a people, though the Carja labeled them as cannibals, savage and bloodthirsty.

Just because the Carja says it, that doesn’t make it true. Not everything they say is reliable, and during the course of the story, some of these misconceptions should be put to bed. That means this tribe may not be what players expect of them, and that subversion of expectation should be genuinely interesting.

There’s a great deal of potential depth in this tribe and it sounds like it will help shape and develop the overall theme of the story.

Horizon Forbidden West launches on February 18, 2022, and there’s still so much to know. Players will surely have plenty of secrets to discover, and stories to unravel as Aloy’s next adventure kicks off.