News just broke about an ambitious MMORPG from Guerrilla Games and Sony’s acclaimed open-world IP, the Horizon series.
Titled ‘Horizon Steel Frontiers,’ this is Sony’s latest venture into online territory. Developed by NCSoft, creators of hit MMORPGs like Guild Wars and Lineage, Horizon Steel Frontiers will expand the Horizon adventure we’ve come to know by adding an extensive online mode where you can hang out with friends and strangers.
This will be a strong competitor to Capcom’s Monster Hunter formula. Why? Let’s find out.
Right off the bat, it’s clear that both games will have players fight against massive monsters. While Monster Hunter’s roster of beasts is made of flesh, Horizon’s creatures are covered in high-grade metals and complex machinery.
The first time I played Horizon Zero Dawn, I was already feeling that familiar monster-hunting formula I’ve come to love from Capcom’s hit franchise. I’ve always thought of the Horizon series as a ‘futuristic Monster Hunter clone’ with an unlimited Sony budget. The major difference was that it’s a single-player game with zero online interactions. Aloy was always doing things alone.
As I explored through its post-apocalyptic landscapes, I’ve always felt like there was more to be done with its gameplay in future titles, and co-op was part of my wishlists, especially for the imminent third entry. There were moments in-game that begged for it, like whenever I’m paired up with Lance Reddick’s Sylens during the game’s climactic moments.
There hasn’t been a strong competitor to the monster-hunting formula since games like Dauntless and God Eater failed to attract a wider market. As a result, it often led to their unfortunate shutdown. Capcom’s Monster Hunter is a beast of its own, and it has claimed the crown for more than two decades.
It looks like Horizon Steel Frontiers has a chance to nab it.
Now that a Horizon MMORPG has surfaced, it looks like my wishes are ‘partly’ coming true. Horizon Steel Frontiers looks like the 'Horizon' Monster Hunter game I’ve always wanted, and it looks so good, judging from the 10-minute demo we just witnessed.
Unlike the original Horizon games, Steel Frontiers is putting Aloy on the back burner in favor of a fresh player-made character. It still takes place in the same Horizon universe where man and machine co-exist in primal futurism.
The 10-minute trailer showcased what to expect from this MMORPG. You can see a bunch of other players hanging around the lobby, hunting machines together, and wielding futuristic yet prehistoric weaponry like the iconic bow and arrow.
If this game has an interesting roster of beasts to hunt, like a supercharged Thunderjaw or variants of a Stalker, it could rival that of Monster Hunter’s impressive catalog of creatures. We’ve already seen snippets of new mechanical monster types in the Steel Frontiers trailer, and I’m actually excited for more.
Personally, I’m itching to know what its gameplay loop would look like. Being an MMO, there’s always a grind that needs to be done. Monster Hunter has weapon crafting and materials gathering, same goes with the Horizon games. We will likely be hunting beasts and taking off their metallic parts to craft more powerful weapons and armors.
Horizon Steel Frontiers is coming to PC, iOS, and Android, but no release date is in sight. Oddly enough, despite being a Sony product, there’s no PlayStation 5 version confirmed yet. It might include gacha elements, but that remains unverified for now.
Personally, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on this game. If everything works well, Horizon Steel Frontiers might be the competition Capcom’s Monster Hunter needs.
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