| Horizon Hunters Gathering | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Horizon Hunters Gathering is a new tactical co-op for 3 players. Read on to learn about its gameplay and story details.
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Horizon Hunters Gathering Gameplay
Horizon Hunters Gathering is a third-person co-op action game for PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam) where up to three players team up to take down waves of machines and bosses from the Horizon universe. Notable monsters featured in the reveal trailer include the Shellwalker, a well-known loot-goblin from the original games, and Plowhorns, a machine resembling a tusked boar.
While details remain limited beyond the gameplay reveal and official blog post, Horizon Hunters Gathering allows players to select from a roster of unique heroes from different tribes across the Horizon universe. Players can even choose Aloy’s Oseram friend, Erend, who comes equipped with a large hammer. Other characters are still unnamed, but each has distinct weapons, including scythes, rocket-powered hammers, and the classic bow and arrows.
The core gameplay loop of Horizon Hunters Gathering is often compared by gamers to Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, where players progress through missions, defeat monsters, and customize and upgrade their gear in the game’s Hunters Gathering Hub.
So far, two game modes have been confirmed: Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent. According to the official PlayStation Blog, Machine Incursion is a “high-intensity, wave-based mission” where players face continuous waves of machines and culminates in a major boss fight. Cauldron Descent is a “longer, multi-stage challenge” that sends the squad through randomly generated rooms and chambers. Like a roguelite, each stage features different machine encounters and environmental challenges, and hidden areas offer opportunities to unlock powerful loot for observant players.
Horizon Hunters Gathering Story Plot
The plot of Horizon Hunters Gathering centers on a group of elite Hunters defending the world of Horizon from machine threats following the events of Horizon: Forbidden West, the series’ major sequel. The game features heroes from different tribes, including the Oseram, Carja, and Banuk, among others.
Guerilla Games has also confirmed that, although Horizon Hunters Gathering is a multiplayer game, it includes a dedicated narrative campaign that is fully canonical within the Horizon universe. According to the official PlayStation Blog, each Hunter "has their own motivations, personal struggles, and backstory," that players can explore while playing the game.
As Sony’s latest live-service title after Helldivers 2, the narrative content is designed to evolve over time. This means the story, and potentially new monsters and machines to hunt will not stop at launch, but will continue to expand through post-launch updates.
Horizon Hunters Gathering Similar Games
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Monster Hunter Wilds Action, Multiplayer |
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ARC Raiders Third-Person Shooter, Multiplayer |
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Marathon First-Person Shooter, Multiplayer |
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Horizon Steel Frontiers MMO |
