Horizon Call of the Mountain

Summarize Fact Check

Horizon Call of the Mountain is an action-adventure game played from a first-person perspective, designed specifically to use the hardware features of the PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset.^[1][2] The player controls Ryas, a former soldier and master climber, who navigates a world populated by hostile, animalistic machines. To accommodate different virtual reality comfort levels, the game offers multiple movement schemes. The player explores the environment using standard analogue stick controls or a gesture-based system that requires them to swing their arms physically to simulate walking. Traversal relies on the headset's motion controllers to simulate extensive mountain climbing. The player reaches for and grips handholds, vines, and ropes, while the physics engine provides a realistic sense of tension and weight when grabbing or releasing lines mid-air.^[3] As the narrative progresses, the player acquires tools such as twin pickaxes for scaling ice walls and a grappling hook to swing across chasms, which they select through a virtual menu on the character's hand.^[1][4]

While the overall environmental design is linear, it features moments of divergence that lead to different encounters. The player can replay these branching paths and instantly return to previous areas from a central hub to find hidden collectibles.^[2][4] The world features tactile interactivity; the player can physically open crates and baskets to scavenge resources, play virtual musical instruments, use painting spots, and throw environmental objects off cliffsides.^[2][5] The game confines combat encounters to designated arenas, transitioning the free-roaming movement to a locked track that allows the player to move side-to-side in a circle around the enemy. Operating on this fixed track, the player can dodge attacks by physically leaning or executing quick controller inputs. The developers emphasised the scale of the machines through the hardware, using headset and controller haptic feedback to simulate the ground shaking as enemies move.^[1]

The primary weapon is a bow and arrow, which requires the player to reach over their shoulder physically to draw and nock arrows from a virtual quiver. The headset's eye-tracking technology augments this system by providing a subtle aim assist based on the player's focal point; the technology is also used to navigate menus and select options.^[5] Alongside the bow, the player eventually unlocks additional weapons, such as a slingshot that fires explosives. By striking specific weak points on enemy machines, the player dislodges destructible armour plates to deal increased damage.^[2][6] To recover health, the player can pick up and consume food items scattered throughout the environment. The game minimises on-screen interfaces, instead placing health and status indicators directly on the character's virtual hand. Outside the action elements of the main campaign, Call of the Mountain includes a cinematic "Machine Safari" mode, which is a passive, guided river tour that allows the player to observe the machines in naturalistic, non-combat scenarios, serving as an accessible introduction to virtual reality.^[1]

Ryas, a disgraced former Shadow Carja rebel, is released from prison by the Carja spymaster Marad. Marad explains that the machines surrounding a local settlement have become highly aggressive. Ryas's older brother, Urid, recently disappeared while investigating the cause of the attacks. Marad offers Ryas a full pardon in exchange for locating Urid and uncovering the source of the machines' aggression. Ryas reluctantly agrees and is briefly guided by the huntress Aloy before she departs on her own journey.

Scaling the local peaks, Ryas repairs an ancient elevator to reach the summit, where he discovers a trail left by Urid. He follows the clues to an ancient ruin and is forced to battle a large machine. After defeating it, Ryas shuts down a transmitter that was broadcasting a signal to enrage and lure the local machines. He finds further evidence that Urid has continued his pursuit into a neighbouring territory. Upon reporting his success to Marad, Ryas receives his pardon and chooses to continue the search for his brother. He eventually tracks Urid down and discovers he is hunting Asera, a rogue engineer who developed the lures to weaponise the machines against the Carja. Refusing assistance, Urid sabotages Ryas's transport to continue the hunt alone. Ryas is forced to find an alternate route, but both brothers are ultimately captured by Asera. Working together, they manage to escape, though Urid is severely wounded in the process.

Taking over the pursuit, Ryas discovers Asera's overarching plot: she intends to load machines with the lures and send them marching towards the Carja capital of Meridian, which would draw an army of hostile machines directly into the city. Ryas intercepts the convoy and thwarts the attack. During the final confrontation, Asera is left dangling from a cliffside; refusing to accept help from a Carja, she drops to her apparent death.^[a] With the threat neutralised, Ryas earns his brother's respect. Marad decides to keep the conspiracy hidden and grants Ryas a new identity, allowing him to travel freely, though he warns that he may call upon Ryas's services again in the future.

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Horizon Call of the Mountain was co-developed by Guerrilla Games and Firesprite. The two studios began collaborating on the project alongside the development of the mainline entry, Horizon Forbidden West (2022).^[7] Unlike the mainline entries in the franchise, which run on Guerrilla's proprietary Decima engine, the team developed Call of the Mountain using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4. Studio director Jan-Bart van Beek stated that the team built the game from the ground up to showcase the specific hardware capabilities of the PlayStation VR2. To achieve high visual fidelity without sacrificing performance, developers used the headset's eye-tracking in conjunction with foveated rendering, which dynamically focused the console's processing power to render extreme detail strictly where the player was looking.^[8] The developers sought to create an experience that would appeal to both virtual reality veterans and newcomers, playtesting extensively to balance the physical intensity of the mechanics. They included numerous accessibility features, such as the ability to disable falling and activate automated arrow loading, to prevent players from becoming overwhelmed.^[9] For instance, because some team members experienced motion sickness with traditional analogue stick movement, the developers conceptualised the gesture-based "arm-swinger" traversal scheme as a more comfortable alternative.^[10]

Transitioning the franchise to a first-person virtual reality perspective required significant adjustments to the game's presentation and mechanics. Studio animation director Richard Oud explained that the team had to remodel and reanimate the machines; the new viewpoint drastically altered the players' perception of scale, meaning machine attacks and behaviours had to be redesigned to ensure they remained readable and fair during close combat.^[9] To mitigate the risk of frustrating players during combat, the development team focused on implementing highly intuitive weapon controls that allowed for quick hand swapping and easy ammunition selection.^[11] Narrative director Ben McCaw emphasised that the shift also impacted storytelling, noting that the developers built the experience "from the ground up for VR". To maximise immersion and take advantage of the headset's capabilities, the team opted to create a new protagonist, Ryas, whose perspective offered an ideal viewpoint for the game's sweeping vistas and towering machines.^[12] Choreographed cinematic moments, such as a large machine walking directly over the player, were designed to occur naturally within the immediate field of view to sell the massive scale of the world.^[13]

When designing the virtual reality interactions, the team focused on highly tactile mechanics. Developers highlighted the creation of the "Grabcaster" tool, noting that the physical gestures required to cast and retract a grappling hook translated naturally to the motion controllers.^[14] Complex traversal tools were introduced gradually to ensure players felt they were scaling ever-taller peaks without being overwhelmed by immediate complication.^[11] The team used eye-tracking to allow non-player characters to maintain eye contact with the player. Van Beek added that the system was tuned to have characters eventually shift their gaze to ensure interactions remained natural rather than "creepy".^[15] Furthermore, haptic feedback within both the controllers and the headset itself was used to give a "sensory boost" to environmental interactions and to convey the heavy impact of large machines walking nearby.^[15] Alistair Kerley and Frankie Harper composed the game's original score, adapting the franchise's established musical themes to fit the more personal journey of Ryas.^[9][16]

The game was officially announced during Sony's Consumer Electronics Show press conference in January 2022.^[17] A gameplay trailer providing an extended look at the climbing mechanics and combat encounters later debuted during a PlayStation State of Play broadcast in June 2022.^[18] On 6 February 2023, Guerrilla Games confirmed that the game had "gone gold", indicating that development had concluded and the game was ready for manufacturing.^[19] Horizon Call of the Mountain was released as a launch title for the PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset on 22 February 2023. In addition to its standalone release, the game was also made available as an official hardware bundle paired directly with the headset.^[20]

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Critical response

Horizon Call of the Mountain received "generally favourable" reception according to the review aggregator website Metacritic,^[21] and according to OpenCritic, 78% of critics recommended the game.^[22] Reviewers broadly agreed that the title served as a highly effective technical showcase for the launch of the PlayStation VR2 hardware,^[3][25] with Video Games Chronicle labelling it a "killer app" for the headset.^[4] However, opinions varied regarding its depth as a standalone game; several critics characterised the experience as too heavily constrained by its linearity, arguing it felt more reminiscent of a technical demonstration rather than a fully fleshed-out entry in the franchise.^[1][27]

The game's visual presentation and environmental design were frequently commended as standout features.^[1][2][25] Reviews from Sam Loveridge of GamesRadar+ and Dan Silver of The Telegraph praised the sweeping vistas and highly detailed environments as an exceptional demonstration of the new virtual reality hardware.^[2][25] Critics observed that the transition to a first-person perspective effectively conveyed the massive scale of the franchise's robotic machines. IGN's Simon Cardy highlighted the seamless blend of huge spectacle and fine detail, an assessment shared by other critics, who respectively deemed the world a "visual feast" and a spectacular introduction to the headset.^[1][3][5]

Critics generally viewed the game's narrative as functional but secondary to its visual spectacle. Reactions to the new protagonist, Ryas, were mixed; Tamoor Hussain of GameSpot praised him as an engaging player stand-in and a capable guide for exploring the world,^[6] whereas Ian Higton of Eurogamer criticised his internal monologue as uninteresting.^[5] Cardy described the overall story as serviceable, adding that Ryas's dialogue was limited enough to let the player experience the world without distraction.^[1] The appearances of familiar franchise characters, most notably Aloy, were positively received; critics highlighted the highly detailed animations and naturalistic interactions for bringing them to life in VR.^[2][5] Additionally, reviewers frequently commended the title's extensive suite of accessibility and comfort options. Critics observed that features such as customisable movement schemes, vignetting, and the option to disable falling effectively mitigated motion sickness, making the physically intensive mechanics approachable for a wider range of players.^[1][3]

Reactions to the core climbing mechanics were mixed, often dependent on individual player comfort and expectations. Reviewers described the traversal as intuitive and physically engaging;^[3][28] Henry Stockdale of UploadVR specifically praised the real-time physics for providing an accurate sense of bouncy tension during rope interactions.^[3] Conversely, several writers criticised the heavy reliance on these mechanics for negatively impacting pacing.^[1][23][26] Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer described the extensive climbing as tedious and unenjoyable,^[23] while VG247's Tom Orry wrote that it dominated the runtime, though he felt the views compensated for the repetition.^[26] The combat sequences drew similarly varied responses. Hussain praised the virtual reality adaptation of the bow mechanics, citing their responsiveness and engaging nature.^[6] Conversely, the decision to restrict fights to locked circular tracks and isolated arenas was heavily criticised; Sammy Barker of Push Square wrote that this approach made the combat loop feel limited and restrictive compared to the freedom offered by the main series.^[24]

Sales

Horizon Call of the Mountain sold 6,027 physical units during its first week of release in Japan, making it the 16th best-selling retail game in the country.^[29]

Accolades

Horizon Call of the Mountain received multiple awards and nominations for its virtual reality design and technical achievements. In 2023, the game won Best VR Game at the Golden Joystick Awards,^[30] and received a nomination for Best VR/AR Game at The Game Awards 2023.^[31] The following year, it won Immersive Reality Technical Achievement at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, where it was also nominated for Immersive Reality Game of the Year.^[32] Additionally, the game received nominations for the Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game at the New York Game Awards and for Technical Achievement at the 20th British Academy Games Awards.^[33][34]