Horizon Forbidden West: 10 Best New Gameplay Abilities
6. Enhanced Melee Combat & "Valor Surges"
While the gameplay loop in Zero Dawn of systematically dismantling machines using Aloy's bow and arsenal of unique weaponry was well-realised, melee combat left a lot to be desired.
You could thwack a machine or a human with your spear, but it felt very stunted and mostly useless compared to Aloy's other equipment.
In Forbidden West, the developers have implemented a new melee combat system with extra fluidity, designed to allow you to seamlessly switch between ranged and close quarters combat in the blink of an eye. An impressive move allows Aloy to basically use a human as a stepping stone, launch up into the air for an epic, slow-mo bow shot, which just looks awesome.
In addition, the game will feature several new 'Valor Surges'. There's 12 of these in total, and they're unique attacks that can be attached to your spear to unleash strategically during combat. These will have their own energy bar, so can't be spammed and you'll have to fight strategically to fill the bar back up.