word of advice : This article contains spoilers for the Horizon game .

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The post - apocalyptic video game is break up with the overgrown clay of what was once beau monde . There are many ways that the stories of the past times and present are indicate , whether through audio files , conversation , or holograph . While there are beautiful and felicitous stories to be told , the tragic account hidden throughout the world ofHorizonare perhaps the most moving .

D&D Spellfire Art

General Herres' Regret

Aaron Herres is both a leading cause behind the Revelation of Saint John the Divine as well as behind the eventual reincarnation of life on the planet . He thirstily bought into AI - led motorcar and endorse their use , leading to the end of the world . But that say , he was also responsible for the evolution of the Zero Dawn project that would survive and rebuild a new world .

Herres win over the macrocosm that the simulated Project : Enduring triumph would destruct the cloud . He go on this lie up right until it was no longer potential , and he announced the reality of the situation : the world was end and nothing would change that . In recordings of his conversation with Elisabet Sobeck , he asked her to carry on their discussions so that the world would know his regret and hopefully not double his mistake . Moments like these helpZero Dawnto be among thebest post - apocalyptic game ever made .

The Purging Of APOLLO

The principal AI in rush of rebuilding the Earth is nominate GAIA , and she contain many subsystem and familiar AI that are in charge of specific endeavour . APOLLO is the AI intended to educate new humans on the humankind of their past times , providing the new world with a connection to the old , as well as provide them the tools and science to help continue rebuild .

Faro , the man who was responsible for build the automobile that put down the world , sanctify the APOLLO system as one of his last act , but the recording do n’t severalize on the button why he purges it . But the berth is hopeless and sad in so many ways - the succeeding genesis will be deeply affected by this bit , and on some level , it is down out of regret and pity as Faro tries to prevent anyone from doing what he did .

The Death Of Varl

Varl , one of the   bravest   characters , is a fiber that usher up in both game and is the elder pal of Vala , who dies during the Eclipse approach on the Proving . In his quest for revenge , he joins Aloy at several point and aids her in her own personal quest to learn where she add up from .

InForbidden West , Aloy tells him more about the reality of their world , introducing him to the engineering and story she has pick up about . They both make for together and end up discovering Far Zenith , a group of altered humans who survived the Book of Revelation 800 yr ago . During the climactic assault of the secret plan , Varl is killed by Erik , one of these altered homo . The quick and unceremonious death feels empty and unbefitting to a character like Varl .

The Black Box Recordings

Black boxes are recording devices design to live aeroplane clangoring , intended to provide information on the failure that led to the crash . ThroughoutHorizon Forbidden West , histrion can find out black boxes that narrate the tarradiddle of an airplane ’s final second .

Elisabet Sobeck Leaving The Alphas

The radical responsible for the Zero Dawn system was led by Elisabet Sobeck . This system of rules would re - terraform and re - dwell the ground , but the domain was already deadened by the clip they finished . When a failure in the bunker ’s shield threatened to expose them to the robotic scourge , Elisabet herself ventured out into certain last .

Elisabet entrust without let the radical know , and while they plead with her to retort and allow one of them to sacrifice themselves , she refuses . She just state that she ' wants to go home . ' Ashly Burch is the vocalisation actor for Sobeck and Aloy , and the enfeeblement , pain in the ass , andpurposegiven to her operation supply such profound depth to the line .

Elisabet’s Final Moments

Aloy is able to find Sobeck ’s terminal resting position and heed to her final moments . The cleaning lady ’s all in body is resting outside where her home once place , surround by purple flowers in a tribute from the AI that she helped spring up .

In this heartbreaking recording of her last , she state her only ruefulness was not having a minor who could heal the world . Aloy is a clone of the woman , and realizing that Sobeck did get her ' baby ' makes the here and now even more poignant .

Rost’s Loving Sacrifice

Rost is Aloy ’s adoptive dadand the one who gave her all of the acquisition and knowledge she require to pull round in the post - apocalyptic globe . participant do n’t learn much about his backstory at first , just that he is an castaway who deep deal for Aloy . But he can not keep up if she join the tribe whose outskirts they live on .

When Aloy ventures out for her Proving in ordination to bring together the kindred and come up of age , the events and rituals are chivvy by the furore of Eclipse . Aloy get the better of the mass of aggressor easily enough , but their leader nearly vote down her - leading Rost , who had secretly keep abreast , to sacrifice himself for Aloy . This moment is one of the former augury of just how brutal and deplorable the public ofHorizon Zero Dawncan be .

Rost’s Mysterious Past

Rost ’s own history is farseeing and storied , and get word about why he live as an outcast is part of Aloy ’s personal history . Once upon a time , he was a happily married homo with a youthful girl , Alana . But Outlanders kidnapped his girl and finally belt down her alongside other hostages before take flight into forbidden lands .

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Rost asked the village elders to set aside him to become a Death - Seeker - an castaway who is dead to the settlement and can go where he pleases - so he could try retaliation . The dark sadness and path he found himself on are all the distressing   when players realize Aloy is a surrogate daughter - one he sacrificed himself for as he wished he had before .

Oblivion Lelles shopkeeper with the docks of Anvil behind him

Sgt. Guliyev’s Messages To His Wife

After a few hours of playday , participant are potential at the remains of a base - what the local clan calls the Grave - Hoard . Within , Aloy can find the first two recordings of Sgt . Guliyev , sending home content to his wife . These message are largely promising that the   conflict will be over soon but show a touching present moment between the husband and married woman .

Later on , players find out similar recordings that have been ' approve and edit ' by the armed forces . Even later ,   they find the freeze off tape , one which features Guliyev becoming paranoid and hopeless and the married woman pleading for a answer from him . The heartbreaking use of sexual moments is deep upsetting .

The Vantage Point Recordings

Throughout the secret plan , player are able-bodied to detect a figure of recordings at in high spirits - up and hard - to - gain places . These are short , but the twelve of them together narrate the level of a man who had intended to   drop dead but make up one’s mind to do a enlistment of the apocalypse .   One learns that he was a part of the mathematical group that made the Faro Plague , to get with .

These intimate moments of self - reflection and composure in the face of oblivion are brutally worked up . He muses on the beauty of a domain destine for doom and interpreter gladness that his female parent died before it happened . The bittersweet moments are overlay with image of the past , make for together a basket rummy of audio - visual storytelling that is incredible .

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A closeup of Aerith with a concerned look in the ruined church from Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Split image of two scenes from Horizon Zero Dawn

A hologram of General Herres saying defeat is inevitable in Horizon Zero Dawn

The APOLLO room empty and untouched in Horizon Zero Dawn

Varl and Aloy before his death

Aloy and a Black Box in Horizon Forbidden West

Hologram of Elisabet Sobeck announcing her departure

Aloy kneeling before the body of Elisabet Sobeck

Rost dying in Aloy’s arms

Rost carrying baby Aloy in a backpack and talking to her

Aloy looking at Guliyev’s body and listening to his final recording

Aloy looking at a vantage point

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Horizon Zero Dawn