Guerrilla Games has provided a closer look at the Waterwing in the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC. This flying bird machine is one of the main reasons why the DLC was never developed for the PS4. The Waterwing allows Aloy to not only soar through the sky but also dive deep into the water. Both features require an immense amount of performance in order to scale the world around the player.
According to Guerrilla Games, the world around Aloy in the upcoming DLC is a lot more dense than the Forbidden West. Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, especially settlements and ruins, are now highly detailed and full of activity. This requires a lot of processing power.
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There’s also a new boss battle in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores which sees Aloy take on a Horus. That fight alone required specific hardware to create.
But back to the Waterwing. Now that Aloy can fly higher than before, Guerrilla Games had to create a new cloud system for her to explore. The studio used voxel technology to help create dense and dynamic clouds depending on the altitude Aloy is flying at. Clouds will also feature lightning and explorable areas such as tunnels and caves. The studio says there are other surprises in store.
As for the water areas, the Waterwing allows Aloy to quickly dive from the air into the water and the entire world around her has to be rendered all while this is taking place. As Aloy dives into the sea, this landscape appears. All of this wasn’t possible with the power of the PS4.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is set to launch on 16 April for PS5. Take a look at the gameplay footage below showcasing the Waterwing in action.
Meet The Machines!
The Waterwing is a medium-sized flying machine that can dive deep underwater. It is highly maneuverable and, when disturbed, is an unrelenting foe.
Get ready to take the plunge with this epic new machine in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores! pic.twitter.com/ZjqNJJoRfD
— Guerrilla (@Guerrilla) March 30, 2023
