Horizon: Call of the Mountain — Everything We Know

Sony's second generation of PlayStation VR is but a stone's throw away, with a launch date of February 22nd finally embedded in stone. With the State of Play event now well and truly out of the picture, fans of the medium can finally cast their eyes on what's to come to the platform. Specifically, games like Horizon: Call of the Mountain, one of the most anticipated VR games of 2023, period.

We're still a few weeks away from seeing it come to fruition, yet Guerrilla Games has already done us the favor of spilling just about every detail on the spin-off already. Question is, what do you need to know about it before placing that all-important pre-order? Here's everything you need to know about Horizon: Call of the Mountain.

What Is Horizon: Call of the Mountain?

Horizon: Call of the Mountain is an upcoming PSVR 2 title by Guerrilla Games and Firesprite. Unlike Horizon: Forbidden West, which served as the sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn, Call of the Mountain will feature a new protagonist, along with a series of new settings and obstacles, all of which will revolve around Sony's day-one PSVR 2 tech.

“View the breathtaking natural world of Horizon Call of the Mountain in 360 degrees and interact with your surroundings using two PlayStation®VR2 Sense™ controllers,” the official description reads. “Experience the sensations of height and wonder as you take in stunning vistas across the Carja and Nora homelands through the eyes of a new character Ryas, a disgraced former Carja soldier searching for redemption.”

Story

Horizon: Call of the Mountain takes place during the same timeline as Horizon Forbidden West, and features Aloy as one of its secondary characters. Its main story, however, follows a new character—a Shadow Carja warrior named Ryas—who must redeem himself of his past crimes by treading into new machine-riddled territories and putting an end to a threat that dares to dismantle the Sundom.

Although Call of the Mountain will not feature Aloy as its returning protagonist, it will lay the foundations for an entirely new tale, and will bring back several familiar faces from the two previous games. So, if it's an Aloy-based game you want, then you're out of luck. But if it's a whole new narrative you want, then it's a win-win.

Gameplay

From what we've seen so far, Horizon: Call of the Mountain will feature a whole lot of solid archery with more razer-sharp precision shots than you could shake a stick at. With thanks to the PSVR 2's revolutionary 110° field of view, advanced graphical rendering, and 4K HDR visuals, the combat will no doubt reflect on the headset's newfound abilities.

As with any game in the Horizon network, players can most definitely expect to see plenty of exploration, puzzle-solving sections, and role-playing elements with interconnecting story arcs. As for how much of it will feature in the final product is another question. If we had to take a wild guess, though, then we'd say Call of the Mountain could be anywhere from fifteen to twenty hours in length. This is purely speculation, though, so don't take our word for it.

Development

Guerrilla Games first announced Horizon: Call of the Mountain during a State of Play showcase in June, at which point Sony also shed light on the long-awaited second generation of the PlayStation VR. The game, which will be one of the PSVR 2's day-one launch titles, will launch exclusively on PlayStation 5 on February 22, 2023.

Horizon: Call of the Mountain will be the third major instalment in the Horizon timeline, and will serve as an original story arc set outside of Aloy's. You can purchase the latest journey as a day-one launch title on PlayStation VR 2. As it currently stands, the latest tech will come loaded with a $549.99 price tag at most major retail outlets. For more updates on the PSVR 2, see here.

Trailer

So, has Guerrilla Games let slip a trailer of any sort yet? Yes, thanks to PlayStation's State of Play event that took place back in June. Since then, the game has gone on to receive a second teaser trailer, which was showcased at The Game Awards 2022 in December. You can check out the announcement trailer for Horizon: Call of the Mountain in the embed above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Horizon: Call of the Mountain will launch exclusively on PSVR 2 via the PlayStation 5 on February 22, 2023. In short, this means PlayStation 4 users will not have access to the upcoming spin-off, as the second generation of PlayStation VR is only compatible with the PlayStation 5. So, if you're interested in delving into the next leg of the post-apocalyptic journey, then you will of course need to consider upgrading to Sony's latest tech when it drops on February 22, 2023.

Unfortunately, PlayStation Plus users will not have immediate access to the VR title, regardless of the tier they're applied to. This is subject to change, as it is with any PlayStation game, but as it stands, Horizon: Call of the Mountain will only be available as a full-priced VR title in a physical and digital format.

Curious to know more about Guerrilla's next project? Be sure to check out the latest updates over on the official social handle here. We'll be sure to let you know of any fresh details should they come to light before February 22nd.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Horizon: Call of the Mountain when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.