Horizon Hunters Gathering is Guerrilla’s new co-op action game

Guerrilla Games has announced their long-awaited Horizon Zero Dawn multiplayer spin-off, revealing Horizon Hunters Gathering for PS5 and PC. You can sign up here to take part in playtests in the near future.

While the game title might look like a What Three Words to help a breakdown service find you off a road a bit north of Gettysburg (in Ohio, not the famous one), the Hunters Gathering refers to the characters, the very best hunters from across the lands, who are banding together to fight back against roving hordes of corrupted machines.

The first thing you’ll notice is the much more cartoony art style and animation, and that’s very intentional, per studio director Jan-Bart van Beek.  “Horizon Hunters Gathering is a very dynamic co-op action game. We’ve tuned the combat so that it works really well with a team of Hunters, and we believe that works best when supported by an art style that really matches that energy.”

Some of the eccentricities of the animated reveal trailer are naturally toned down for the actual gameplay, but there’s plenty of zippy special abilities and things that still break from the more grounded tone and feel of Aloy’s original adventures. I reckon there will be a lot of people disappointed that it’s not the same visual style as the single player games.

Playable in teams of up to three, you’ll have to try and find a good team composition for the mission ahead, and embrace certain character dynamics. Two game modes were revealed. Machine Incursion is where you head out, grab some upgrades and then take on waves of machines pouring from underground gateways on the path to a major boss battle. You’ll be pushed toward the finale by a battle royale-style shrinking cloud. Then there’s Cauldron Descent, which is a longer mission, going through multiple stages with puzzles and battles along the way, and with hidden doors to scope out.

After missions, you’ll return to the Hunters Gathering social hub to chill and prep for the next run, upgrading gear and weapons and your progress. It’s a familiar structure to something like Monster Hunter, though the missions do have a different tone to them.

Close playtests will be starting soon through the PlayStation Beta Program for both PS5 and PC, with a limited roster of three characters to choose from.

Source: PS Blog

Tags: Horizon Forbidden West, Horizon Hunters Gathering, Horizon Zero Dawn