Summary
Horizonis set in the 31st century on a post-apocalyptic Earth where the planet is teeming with robotic animals and primitive tribes. The game shows glimpses of what life was like before the apocalypse through a device called the Focus. The Focus is howHorizonprotagonist Aloy learns about the past, and in the first game, she discovers a woman from the 21st century known as Elisabet Sobeck. Players learn about Elisabet through holograms and audio logs that Aloy finds.
At the end of the expansion forHorizon Forbidden WestcalledBurning Shores, Aloy discovers that the primary villain ofBurning ShoresWalter Londra theorized that the weapons created by certain companies in the 21st century could be capable ofdefeatingHorizon’s antagonist Nemesis. Nemesis is an AI created by the Far Zeniths that went rogue and was responsible for the Derangement before the events ofHorizon Zero Dawn. It is very likely that Elisabet Sobeck will appear inHorizon 3considering how she is a prominent figure for Aloy. However, there is one gameplay element that could advance Elisabet’s legacy beyond simply listening to audio logs and watching holograms of her, and that would be to play as her.
Who is Elisabet Sobeck?
Creator of Gaia and Founder of Project Zero Dawn
A thousand years before the events ofZero Dawnthere was a swarm of military-grade robots created by Faro Automated Solutions which had a catastrophic glitch in their systems that caused them to begin consuming all life on Earth. That is until American scientist Elisabet Sobeck devised a plan that would allow life on Earth to return via an AI called Gaia, andElisabet dubbed the plan Project Zero Dawn.
Aloy’s Mother
Although Elisabet is not Aloy’s mother, she is the genetic template that Gaia used to create Aloy. InHorizon Zero Dawn, she is determined to find out who her mother is sinceAloy’s tribe, the Nora, outcasts all children who are motherless. This drives Aloy to seek out her mother, only to discover that she does not have a mother and that she is a clone of Elisabet Sobeck. Aloy’s guide Sylens tells her that in a way Elisabet is her mother because she is a clone of her.
How Fans Could Play as Elisabet Sobeck
Prologue Sequence
A sequence at the beginning of the game could work perfectly.Horizongames use the prologue as a tutorial for players while having it set the story of the game. Perhaps Aloy is traversing a ruin in which Elisabet had once been and when the game is not teaching the player the mechanics, Gaia could be telling a story of when Elisabet was in the ruins. Gaia telling Aloy a story about Elisabet would be a perfect opportunity to allow players to play as her.
Theoretically, Elisabet could have had a meeting with the boss of one of the companies that created the weapons thatWalter Londratheorized could defeat Nemesis. If Elisabet did have encounters with those companies, then a prologue sequence in which the players could see through her eyes and take control would be an intriguing starting point for the game.
Holograms
Aloy is always finding audio logs and holograms from the Old World, and the player would see her watching the holograms. When it comes to a hologram of Elisabet Sobeck, players could instead view the events of Elisabet through a flashback, and temporarily take control of her. This could give players more of a connection to Elisabet and add a new level of depth and storytelling to the game.
Why this Gameplay Element would be Perfect for Horizon 3
Having a prologue or flashbacks where players play as Elisabet included in the game would add a new side to theHorizonfranchise and would certainly help players create a better connection to her because players don’t interact with her in the same way as Aloy does. It would also be perfect by adding more depth to the story and allowing players to experiencethe Time of Ashes, as well as advancing Elisabet’s legacy even further.
