‘Horizon Zero Dawn’; ‘Studio Ghibli’ And ‘Aliens’ Inspiration For Heroine

“Horizon Zero Dawn” is set for release in early 2017, but fans who are eagerly awaiting the post-apocalyptic PS4-exclusive are rabid for more details. VentureBeat sat down with the title’s lead writer, John Gonzales to talk about the game and its lead character.

Apparently, Gonzales was a relatively new addition to the company and only joined three years ago. He says that the game is set over 1,000 years into the future where mankind has been usurped as the dominant species and replaced by gigantic machines resembling dinosaurs. This is standard information that the public is already aware of, along with the fact that the main protagonist is a tribal, female outcast named “Aloy.”

Armed with a high-tech bow, “Aloy’s” mission is not only to hunt mechanical behemoths for precious resources but also to understand why her world is the way it is. VentureBeat paid particular attention to how “Aloy” has joined an increasing number of female protagonists in video games.

When Gonzales was asked what he and “Guerilla Games” wanted to achieve with the title, he pointed to the beautiful, lush world and amazing story potential.

“What’s going on behind this world?” he said. “How do you end up with this unusual combination of elements where you have these awe-inspiring mechanical beasts and all this really lush nature, but with humans living in a tribal, more primitive state? That presented a puzzle that I wanted to figure out.”

Gonzales also cited inspirations for their main character “Aloy,” drawing from the strong female leads by the legendary Japanese animation maker “Studio Ghibli” and even from “Ellen Ripley” from the “Aliens” franchise. Gonzales did emphasize that they weren’t going for a female character from the very start. Instead, “Aloy” came to be as a result of story development and world-building; she just naturally fit in.

Based on gameplay footage and hands-on experience by numerous sources, it seems “Horizon Zero Dawn” is a promising new entry in the industry. Kotaku even pointed out a useful innovation by the game to help make tracking down items much easier.