Sony have finally lifted the lid on their next-gen VR system coming to the PS5. And with it, the announcement of a new game: Horizon Call of the Mountain.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is an upcoming virtual reality game being developed exclusively for the PSVR2, the next-gen VR hardware suite coming soon to the PS5. Yes, it’s linked to the worlds of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, but there will be some key differences.
While information is still scarce, here’s what we currently know about what could potentially be one of 2022’s most innovative games.
What do we know so far?
Horizon Call of the Mountain was unveiled as part of PlayStation’s presentation at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, where they also revealed some new details about what exactly PSVR2 would offer players.
What was made clear from the get-go was that this game has been developed specifically for PSVR2, and will be a platform for Guerilla, Firesprite, and Sony to showcase some of the exciting new features coming with the hardware – but more on that later.
As for what the game itself will entail, first and foremost (other than this obviously being a VR game) is that players wont be jumping into the shoes of the series’ existing protagonist Aloy. Though she will make an appearance apparently – as will some other familiar faces.
The story of Horizon Call of the Mountain will be told through the eyes of an entirely new character.
We'll meet Aloy, as well as returning and new faces along the way, and we can't wait for you to meet the protagonist of this adventure soon.— Guerrilla (@Guerrilla) January 5, 2022
At this early stage Guerilla hasn’t revealed who exactly the protagonist of Horizon Call of the Mountain will be, and I’d suspect we won’t hear anything until well after February 18th, 2022, when the hype for Horizon Forbidden West dies down a little.
The teaser trailer shows only a little snippet of in-game footage, where an enormous Tallneck moves over a small caravan of characters. Though it barely shows us anything, I think we can all agree that experiencing these kind of scenes in a world as rich as Horizon’s will be breathtaking indeed.
When will there be a Horizon Call of the Mountain release date?
Obviously since it was just announced, a concrete Horizon Call of the Mountain release date hasn’t been revealed yet. Most insiders seem to say that PSVR2 will be releasing in 2022 though, and in all likelihood this game will be a launch title for the product.
So in short, expect the game sometime this year. When we know more, we’ll update this article.
What should we expect from PSVR2?
PlayStation has been pushing hard into VR for years now – though Horizon Call of the Mountain is maybe their most exciting step yet. There are several VR games in development or set for release on the PS4 and PS5, meaning there’s an appearance that Sony want to launch PSVR2 with a sustainable library of games.
For titles released before PSVR2 goes to market, I’d be surprised if developers didn’t update these games to make use of the newer features – much like many PS4 games have been upgraded to make use of the PS5’s powerful hardware and unique features like adaptive triggers or enhanced controller vibration.
PlayStation VR2 Details
-4K HDR OLED, 110 degree FOV
-90/120Hz, eye tracking, foveated rendering
-Headset vibration, 3D audio
-Sense Controllers combine haptic feedback/adaptive triggers
-Horizon Call of the Mountain exclusive to PSVR2
-Single cordBlog: https://t.co/2bqrqVHX1W pic.twitter.com/CdDbjIFt9s
— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) January 5, 2022
As for the specs of the PSVR2, you’re looking at a 4K OLED screen inside the headset capable of running up to 120Hz. The headset gets far more exciting though – in-built motors, 3D audio, and eye-tracking will provide a new level of sensory immersion in games like Horizon Call of the Mountain. Describing these features in more detail, PlayStation’s Hideaki Nishino shared:
“It’s created by a single built-in motor with vibrations that add an intelligent tactile element, bringing players closer to the gameplay experience. For example, gamers can feel a character’s elevated pulse during tense moments, the rush of objects passing close to the character’s head, or the thrust of a vehicle as the character speeds forward.”
Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers will also appear on the PSVR2’s Sense controllers. Given the positive reception to these same features on the PS5’s base Dualsense controller, I’m willing to bet these will play beautifully in VR as well.
We will update this article as more information around the very exciting Horizon Call of the Mountain comes to light.
