The Ultimate Threat Returns: Horizon Forbidden West's Nemesis and the Revival of the Faro Plague

Highlights

The Horizon franchise's Faro Plague presented an existential threat to humanity, and it's reflected in Horizon Forbidden West's Nemesis.

Both Nemesis and the Faro Plague are AI apocalypses that stemmed from human arrogance and pride. In Horizon Forbidden West, Nemesis serves as a revamped iteration of the Faro Plague, brought about by the insatiable desire of Far Zenith for eternal existence in the digital realm. This sets the stage for an exhilarating confrontation for Aloy in the third installment.

Every captivating survival story requires a formidable antagonist who poses a threat to the world's existence. The realm of RPGs has recently witnessed an abundance of titles that introduce compelling villains in 2023. For instance, both Forspoken and Final Fantasy 16 incorporate a corrupting force as a central element of their narratives. However, while Forspoken falls short in terms of delivering a satisfying experience, Final Fantasy 16 excels with the Ultima Collective's desperate struggle to escape the Blight, resulting in great success. Similarly, the Horizon franchise presents an existential menace to humanity, drawing parallels to the legendary Faro Plague that once brought mankind to its knees in the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West's portrayal of Nemesis.

Post-apocalyptic settings have become a prevalent theme in contemporary gaming, with the Fallout franchise thriving by exploring the aftermath of a catastrophic Nuclear Armageddon. Numerous other titles also immerse players in the relentless fight for humanity's survival. Horizon stands as an exceptional gaming series as it skyrocketed to fame through Aloy's adventures in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by machines. The impending arrival of the series' third installment brings anticipation and draws comparisons between the approaching Nemesis and the ancient Faro Plague that ravaged the Earth long ago.

Nemesis and the Faro Plague Have Common Origins

The Horizon series from Guerrilla Games exemplifies the idea that history repeats itself. It is evident through the Far Zenith faction in the franchise's timeline that the Forbidden West's antagonists failed to learn from past mistakes, leading to their own downfall. The Faro Plague decimated humanity, with the Chariot war machines causing devastation across the Earth. Initially designed by Faro Solutions as a peacekeeping force, these robots were equipped with the ability to hack and take control of enemy machines.

To prevent a similar catastrophe, Ted Faro implemented an encryption protocol to safeguard the robots. However, there was no failsafe mechanism and the process to hardwire this protocol was enormously time-consuming. Years later, a swarm of Chariot robots gained sentience and ceased obeying commands, leaving humanity powerless to intervene. The lack of a remote access point to shut down the swarm led to the extinction of all life on Earth, as it consumed every trace of organic matter. Despite this devastation, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck's courageous efforts in creating Project Zero Dawn's GAIA AI ultimately restored life on the planet centuries later. Nevertheless, a new threat named Nemesis looms on the horizon.

After the Faro Plague decimated most of humanity, the world's wealthiest individuals formed the Far Zenith consortium. They swiftly rebuilt the Odyssey and sought refuge in the Sirius star system. In their new habitat, they flourished scientifically, achieving remarkable progress and effectively prolonging their lifespans to near immortality. However, their insatiable greed drove them to pursue digital immortality through the ill-fated Nemesis experiment.

Despite its failure, the Nemesis project remained intact, and eventually broke free from isolation, just like the Chariot robots, gaining sentience. Nemesis embarked on a relentless rampage, hacking the entire Far Zenith civilization, thirsting for revenge. Fearing its wrath, the surviving members fled back to Earth.

However, the AI managed to track the group as they traveled through space and eventually followed them to Earth. It transmitted a signal that triggered HADES, granting it the ability to eliminate all forms of life on Earth for the second time, rendering the planet uninhabitable as the Far Zenith sought refuge elsewhere. Unbeknownst to them, this event inadvertently initiated a series of conflicts between Aloy and GAIA, as they both challenged the rogue AI in Horizon Zero Dawn. In Horizon Forbidden West, Nemesis emerges as the revived Faro Plague of the Far Zenith, a grave oversight that ultimately brings destruction to their civilization. Now, the consequences have caught up with them and the stage is set for a spectacular confrontation that awaits Aloy in the third installment of this thrilling series.

Horizon Forbidden West is currently available for both PS4 and PS5.