The world of Horizon is continuing to grow. While the mainline games of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West tell the story of Aloy, there's a new adventure coming in this vibrant universe. At CES 2022, Sony revealed Horizon Call of the Mountain, a game being built for PlayStation VR2, or PS VR2.
This is actually the first game ever revealed for the new virtual reality system, as well as the first game from PlayStation Studios announced for PSVR 2. It's a big shift in a lot of ways, from the protagonist to the style of gameplay. At the same time, there's plenty that'll be familiar to eager-eyed fans, meaning it could end up being one of the best PS5 games available. Here's everything we know about Horizon Call of the Mountain so far.
What is Horizon Call of the Mountain?
Horizon Call of the Mountain is the newest game in the Horizon series, which currently consists of Horizon Zero Dawn on PlayStation and PC and Horizon Forbidden West on PlayStation. Unlike these past titles, Horizon Call of the Mountain is not a third-person action role-playing game. Instead, it's a first-person game, fitting the nature of being a VR game. Horizon Call of the Mountain is being built for PS VR2, which is Sony's new virtual reality platform for PS5.
The game has players step into the shoes of a new character, instead of Aloy, protagonist of the prior two games. We hear a woman's voice in the first trailer for the game, a voice that seems to be the new character, though her name wasn't revealed in this initial outing. Guerrilla Games confirms that players will actually get to meet Aloy in the game, alongside other new and returning characters.
Horizon Call of the West uses the new PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers. Unlike the Move controllers used with the original PlayStation VR, the Sense controllers feature the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, so they can be used to create more realistic sensations, aiding the overall VR experience. Haptic feedback can emulate the pattering of raindrop or brushing through foilage, while the adaptive triggers can mimick the tension of drawing a bowstring.
Horizon Call of the Mountain: Trailers
You can check out the reveal trailer for Horizon Call of the Mountain from CES 2022 below.
While quite brief, the trailer does establish the first person viewpoint of the game. It also shows the characters rowing down a stream underneath a towering Tallneck, one of the most iconic machines in the series and one of the many machines in Horizon Forbidden West.
At least one environment in the game is a lush jungle dense with overgrowth. Considering that we know Aloy will make an appearance, it's possible that Horizon Call of the Mountain is set in the same location as Horizon Forbidden West, though this isn't confirmed right now.
Later, Sony shared another trailer for the game at the June 2022 PlayStation State of Play. This trailer was more in-depth, providing a look at some of the gameplay, with the first-person perspective of the protagonist as they move through the world, fighting machines and navigating treacherous climbs.
This gameplay trailer revealed that the protagonist is named Ryas, a former member of the Shadow Carja who is going on a path of redemption. Ryas is skilled at climbing and archery, which is critical for surviving the various machines that dwell on the mountain.
Horizon Call of the Mountain: From Guerrilla Games and Firesprite
Unlike Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, which were primarily developed by Dutch studio Guerrilla Games, Horizon Call of the Mountain is being co-developed. Guerrilla Games and Firesprite are sharing the development of the game for PS VR2.
Firesprite is one of the newer additions to PlayStation Studios, being acquired in 2021 alongside teams like Finnish studio Housemarque and Texas-based Bluepoint Games. The U.K.-based team at Firesprite has experience working in VR, so it makes sense that this studio would be collaborating with Guerrilla Games in order to bring the world of Horizon into VR.
Is Horizon Call of the Mountain coming to PS4 or PC?
Horizon Call of the Mountain is not coming to PS4, as it won't be compatible with the original PlayStation VR. By developing the game solely for PS5 VR, the teams at Guerrilla Games and Firesprite aren't being held back in pushing the visuals and mechanics of the game as far as possible. This also allows the game to take full advantage of the PS5's internal ultra-fast SSD, which seriously reduces or even eliminates loading times.
The first game in the setting, Horizon Zero Dawn, was ported to PC in 2020, three years after it first launched on PS4. Right now, no PC version of Horizon Call of the Mountain has been announced, though it is possible that PSVR 2 is made compatible with PC at some point. If this happens, it's then theoretically possible that we could see Horizon Call of the Mountain come to PC. For now though, it's only going to be available on PS VR2 through PS5.
When is Horizon Call of the Mountain's release date?
Horizon Call of the Mountain does not have a release date or a release window right now. Guerrilla Games notes in the announcement post on PlayStation Blog that more will be shared "soon" and that "we'll soon be journeying back out into the wilds," implying the game isn't super-early in development.
As such, it's possible that Horizon Call of the Mountain is going to launch later in 2022, but we'll have to wait and see. The ongoing pandemic has continued to result in slower game development, meaning many games continue to be delayed.
It's also worth noting that right now, PS VR2 as a whole does not have a release date or release window. We'll be sure to keep you posted and will provide updates when any release dates are announced.
