Software:Horizon Call of the Mountain

Short description: 2023 video game

Horizon Call of the Mountain
Developer(s)	Guerrilla Games Firesprite
Publisher(s)	Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director(s)	Alex Barnes
Composer(s)	Alistair Kerley Frankie Harper
Series	Horizon
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)	PlayStation 5
Release	22 February 2023
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Horizon Call of the Mountain is a 2023 action-adventure video game developed by Guerrilla Games and Firesprite and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. A spin-off of the Horizon series, the game was released as a launch title for the PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset on 22 February 2023.

Gameplay

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. 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 analog 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. 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.

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. The world features tactile interactivity; the player physically opens crates and baskets to scavenge resources, plays virtual musical instruments, uses painting spots, and throws environmental objects off cliffsides. 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 dodges attacks by physically leaning or executing quick controller inputs. The developers emphasised the massive scale of the machines through the hardware, using headset and controller haptic feedback to simulate the ground shaking as enemies move.

The primary weapon is a bow, 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. 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. To recover health, the player picks up and consumes 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. The player crafts specialised ammunition through a tactile interface, physically manipulating and assembling gathered components in real time. Outside the action elements of the main campaign, the title includes a cinematic "Machine Safari" mode. This passive, guided river tour allows the player to observe the prominent machines of the franchise in naturalistic, non-combat scenarios, serving as an accessible introduction to virtual reality for non-players.

Story

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 machine aggression. Ryas reluctantly agrees and is briefly guided by the huntress Aloy before she departs on her own journey.

Scaling the treacherous 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, formidable machine. After destroying 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 towering machines with the lures and send them marching towards the Carja capital of Meridian, which would draw a devastating 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. 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.

Development

Horizon Call of the Mountain was co-developed by Guerrilla Games and Firesprite. The game was officially announced during Sony's Consumer Electronics Show press conference in January 2022 and was released as a launch title for the PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset on 22 February 2023. 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. 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.

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-quarters combat. 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. 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. Alistair Kerley composed the game's original score, adapting the franchise's established musical themes to fit the more personal journey of Ryas.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 79/100 Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 8/10 Game Informer 6.75/10 GameSpot 7/10 GamesRadar+ IGN 7/10 Push Square 7/10 VG247

Horizon Call of the Mountain received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

Many reviewers said that it is a great showcase for the PS VR2, and a "must-have" title. The visuals and the vistas were especially well received. The climbing gameplay was also said to be "intuitive", although a bit tiring at times. Many enjoyed the combat, and praised its suitability for VR, while others have found it limited.

While criticizing how some portions felt like a tech demo, IGN praised the visuals and haptics for adding to the experience, "It’s a real showcase for the PS VR2 right off the bat, with huge spectacle blending with small detail". UploadVR liked the use of real-time physics during climbing sections, "There’s even an accurate sense of bouncy tension to letting go of a rope and grabbing it again mid-air, reminiscent of the satisfying physical interactions seen in Boneworks or The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners". On the other hand, Game Informer felt Horizon overelied on climbing, making parts of the game a slog, "It just isn’t fun to perform, even if it does work".

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.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Year	Ceremony	Category	Result	Ref.
2023	Golden Joystick Awards	Best VR Game	Won
	The Game Awards 2023	Best VR/AR Game	Nominated
2024	13th New York Game Awards	Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game	Nominated
	27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards	Immersive Reality Game of the Year	Nominated
		Immersive Reality Technical Achievement	Won
	20th British Academy Games Awards	Technical Achievement	Nominated

External links

• Official website