Horizon Forbidden West originally had Aloy wielding a shield and spear for climbing machines

Screenshots from Horizon Forbidden West running on PS5 — (Image credit: Sony)

Horizon Forbidden West apparently had Aloy originally wielding a shield and spear to climb mechanic beasts, according to the game's guidebook .

Earlier today, the Horizon subreddit post popped up, revealing that a user had managed to get their hands on the official guidebook for Horizon Forbidden West, and uncovered some cut gameplay details within. Specifically, the user claims game director Mathijs de Jonge states that Aloy was meant to have both a shield and a spear to climb machines with, but both were cut for technical reasons.

Forbidden West players might remember that Aloy actually does get her hands on a shield at one point in the sequel. However, by the time she acquires the device, it's been too heavily damaged in battle, so the protagonist opts to wield it as an improvisational glider instead.

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As for the climbing spear, that surely would've lent Forbidden West a brand new traversal aspect. Instead of sneaking around, Aloy might've been able to zip through the air straight to machines and override them, instead of slowly sneaking up to them and plunging her spear into them for a quick hack.

The user hopes we could see both these elements in the next eventual Horizon game. Considering how the ending of Forbidden West overtly sets up the next game in the series from developer Guerrilla (check out our Horizon Forbidden West ending explained guide for a refresher), it's not hard to wonder what Aloy's next adventure might hold for the hero.