Horizon Forbidden West’sDLC, The Burning Shores, sends Aloy off to the ruined archipelago of Los Angeles to pursue a Zenith threat who escaped the final confrontation in the base game. This factor explains why the DLC occurs after the main game, serving as an epilogue forHorizon Forbidden West. The antagonist in question, Walter Londra, is a compelling DLC villain since he stands out more than the previous Zeniths.
Far Zenith is a think tank group of the richest and, in some cases, the brightest minds of the 21st century, who were determined to colonize the stars to ensure the wealthiest of humanity survived. Their return toHorizon Forbidden Westis set into motion when the failed digital mind upload of their consciousnesses, amAI called Nemesis, gained sentience and destroyed their colony, pursuing the survivors across the stars. This driving force motivates their actions and plans for survivability while leaving the tribes of Earth to the mercy of Nemesis.
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Far Zenith Antagonists of Horizon Forbidden West
With three figureheads leading the Zenith charge (Gerard, Erik, and Tilda), there were opportunities to explore the similar and competing ideologies of these antagonists. However, the leaderGerard is underutilized as a main antagonist, relegated to barking orders and floating menacingly. His leadership and actions over the Zeniths could have been examined more prominently as a primary antagonist, especially with Tilda so quick to turn on him.
Erik is displayed in a one-dimensional way; he likes to kill. Whether it be in VR or reality, Erik’s character embraces violence and the fear associated with it. While the player’s emotional responses to Erik are heightened since he killsVarl, an integral and beloved character, his personality isn’t genuinely explored past his love of murder. He’s even mentioned to Aloy by Alva regarding how the Quen view him through their limited knowledge. Rather than play out that dichotomy in some fashion, Aloy quickly reminds Alva he’s just a killer.
Tilda is the most fleshed-out Zenith of the base game and serves as the final antagonist fight, but much ofTilda’s intrigue stems from her relationship with Elisabet, not so much from who Tilda is. It could have been interesting to see her duplicitousness nature explored further before the attack on the Zenith base. As someone who groomed Beta but prefers Aloy, her antagonism could have come from psychologically manipulating these two clones of Elisabet to ultimately determine who to invest in; the strong-headed Aloy inclined to resist her, or the already groomed Beta, who she could manipulate easier.
Walter Londra is a More Personable and Fearsome Antagonist
With Burning Shores featuring another Zenith threat,Walter Londra, Londra must be more fleshed out than his base game counterparts. In this, Guerrilla Games succeed, mainly due to how Londra’s past is revealed through datapoints and audio logs. Many of these are in the confines of main quests. They showcase an intriguing, egomaniacal celebrity with an investment in outer space and near-Earth asteroids, caring little for those who helped him achieve his dreams and successes.
Furthermore, Londra’s past love story involving his wife Evelyn, her affair, and his feelings regarding that and those in his entourage that he saw as devoted to him all highlight his actions involving the Quen in the Burning Shores. Even his relationship with his AI assistant, Nova, receives an arc that sees the AI embracing suicidal thoughts as a result of his personality and his constant insistence she lowers her empathy matrix.
Londra is shown to have a range as an antagonist. Sure, he’s diabolical, but he’s also charming, funny, and snarky, despite these other qualities. Even when recognizing errors in his plans, he has an almost humorous drive to acknowledge it but to weather on anyway. This is exemplified in the fact that he convinced a group ofQuen, the most technologically advanced tribe, to form a cult of adoration for him in addition to the MSP. As antagonists go, Londra is compelling and intriguing, and he is ultimately what was needed for the Burning Shores DLC.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5, andBurning Shoresis available exclusively for PS5.
