Horizon Hunters Gathering may not be the post-apocalyptic escapade many of you want, but Guerrilla’s far too deep into development to be pulling the plug on it now.
The Dutch dev’s announced the game’s second playtest, scheduled to get underway from 22nd May through 25th May. You’ll be able to participate across both PS5 and PC, and registrations will be accepted exclusively through the PlayStation Beta Program.
Writing on the PS Blog, Game Director Arjan Bak insisted the title is still a work in progress, and noted that it’s choosing to “playtest early and with small numbers to focus on the core experience and implement player feedback before opening to bigger groups of players”.
He added: “We learn a lot from each playtest and this second one is no different; we appreciate each of you who take the time to leave us your honest thoughts.”
Without going into specifics, Bak said the Killzone maker has incorporated a ton of improvements based on the first playtest, which took place earlier in the year. This includes tweaks to all three of the playable Hunters from that beta, including Rem, Sun, and Axle.
This upcoming test will add two more characters to the mix: Ensa and Shadow. The former is described as a “charismatic Oseram smuggler with a mercenary past” while the latter is pitched as “a Carja covert operative who commands a fearsome Stalker machine”.
In addition to new difficulty tiers for main modes Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent, this closed beta will also introduce a playable Episode, which will comprise part of the game’s narrative campaign.
Here’s how Bak described them:
“Episodes play a central role in the game’s narrative campaign by introducing new mysteries, characters, and mechanics. Pick your Hunter, ready up, and head into the wilds to save Ashwater Valley from a horde of machines.”
You’ll be able to play Episodes and Machine Incursion in single player, with NPC Hunters fighting by your side. You’ll be able to test this aspect out during the upcoming beta, too.
While we personally think it looks decent, the initial response to Horizon Hunters Gathering has not been great. In a Push Square poll, a terrifying 43% of you said you’re “already out” on the game, while a further 22% said you’re “not feeling it”.
That wasn’t a small sample size either: almost 5,000 of you voted in the poll.
Guerrilla has an uphill battle ahead of it here, then, and while we think it’s positive that it’s running these tests and gathering as much feedback as possible, we can’t help but wonder if the fate of this one has already been sealed.
